Jesus Sanchez: not the victims we thought they were in Toronto

As you probably know, the Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Jesus Sanchez. Joey Loperfido, who was acquired by the Blue Jays in 2024 in exchange for Yusei Kikuchi, is returning to Houston.

The Blue Jays' goal was to replace Anthony Santander's power, of course. Loperfido didn't exactly bring the same potential in terms of power.

So the Blue Jays wanted to “raise the ceiling” on the offensive potential of their outfield.

Because Sanchez, who was mainly known with the Marlins, is a machine against right-handers and is expected to play in left field, Nathan Luke was, at first glance, the guy who stood to lose the most.

But what if that wasn't the case?

The more you read about it, the more you realize that today's trade could mean that instead of cutting Lukes' time in the field, the club could just give more time to third baseman Addison Barger. Lukes can play right field very well.

New name, same puzzle.

How Jesús Sánchez could impact other spots on the #BlueJays' roster, including Barger, Lukes, and Okamoto:https://t.co/qYipNaqmuV

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 13, 2026

If necessary, if Lukes deserves to play, it's the infield lineup, with Barger at third base and Davis Schneider at second base, that could be shaken up in the process.

Kazuma Okamoto could therefore lose playing time at third base if he were to slow down at some point in the season.

Basically, what this all means is that everyone will have to be on their toes, because defensive versatility will ensure that those who help replace Bo Bichette will get playing time.

Bichette can't be replaced by one guy. But as a group, if all goes well, it could be possible.

This content was created with the help of AI.