The Blue Jays granted veteran infielder Eduardo Escobar his release today, manager John Schneider tells Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. Escobar had been in camp on a minor league contract, but the team informed him this morning he wouldn’t make the club. He’s a free agent once again.
Escobar, 35, was facing long odds of cracking the Toronto roster. The club doesn’t have a clear everyday option at second base or third base but does have plenty of options for both positions. Cavan Biggio is perhaps the most likely player to get playing time at the keystone, but Davis Schneider will also be in the mix there. Isiah Kiner-Falefa could be the favorite for the hot corner after signing a two-year deal this winter, though Justin Turner can also play there on occasion when he’s not the designated hitter.
Ernie Clement seemed to win the backup infield job this spring, which pushed the Jays to flip Santiago Espinal to the Reds. They could have optioned Espinal to keep him as depth but they also have Orelvis Martinez, Addison Barger and Leo Jimenez on the roster. Joey Votto and Daniel Vogelbach are also in camp as non-roster options for bench bat role.
Escobar would have been trying to force his way past that group but he hit just .122/.143/.268 this spring. Since he hit .226/.269/.344 for the Mets and Angels last year, he wasn’t carrying a lot of momentum towards a roster spot and will now return to free agency.
He has been very inconsistent in his career but can market himself to clubs based on the fact that was in good form as recently as the 2021 and 2022 seasons. He hit 28 home runs in the first of those campaigns and 20 in the second. His .247/.305/.452 slash line over that time translates to a wRC+ of 106. He’s not a strong defender but his ability to the play the three non-shortstop positions and his switch-hitting ability give him plenty of flexibility.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a worse spring showing for a proven MLB player before
Was it his .122 batting average?
Just a continuation of his 2023 season
Escobar reminds me of a line chef at a Mexican restaurant. Necessary but very replaceable
A .122 hitter does not get to be the Line Chef. He is squarely on dishwashing duty. Or bussing tables. Maybe sweeping the floors. Certainly restroom cleaning.
Proven is history. He looked washed up for much of ’22. After a brief swan song resurgence for the last eight weeks of that season, he was completely washed up last year.
Javy Baez is on the line
Looks done.
I wouldn’t be mad if the M’s gave him a quick cup of coffee to see if he can get the juice back with his career on the line.
3 of his 5 hits were for extra bases so there’s that, but a lot of swing and miss and that’s probably the last thing the Mariners need more of
They are all about contact this year. They know Julio is going to strikeout 150ish+ times and you just take that from him, but I believe that they were smart to cut down on k’s and bring in some higher contact guys around him.
He’s washed.
Pablo Escobar working on his release too.
Probably still a better value play than the IKF deal, but no turning back now.
Give it a rest. The difference between the two was highlighted the other day when a ball hit to Escobar at 3B clanged off his glove, only to be snatched by IKF who went deep into the hole at SS and still managed to throw out the runner,
Plus IKF, who is 28, and has won a gold glove at 3B hit 351/467/486 this spring. Escobar who is 35, “hit” 122/143/268.
Yeah, some value play.
I’m glad he went prime Arenado, but it’s spring training. That contract seemed restrictive for what the Jays were trying to do, thus the poking that they could have probably just banked on a minor league deal rebounding, especially when the market cratered enough for Urshela to drop to 1.5, etc.
I dont think IKF gets enough credit for his overall defense at multiple positions. I know the defensive metrics says he’s average but the sample size isn’t big enough to say so definitively. He learned to play CF on the fly with the Yankees.
The way he was performing it wouldn’t surprise me if he put the “See Manager” note on his locker.
Start in Chicago, finish in Chicago? With Yoan injury history he could be a useful fill for team not going far.
Eduardo’s such an honorable individual. If this is the end of the road, you had an excellent career. My grandson Sawyer will always remember you!