George Springer’s spot at stake as Blue Jays opens to shuffling lineup to bring back some offence

George Springer’s long-held spot atop the lineup is far from assured in 2025

Barring some fringe, bargain-basement adds in the six weeks before the regular season begins, what you see is what you get with the Blue Jays down in Dunedin, Fla.

And among the many areas of intrigue that will unfold through spring training and beyond is how manager John Schneider constructs his batting order.

With that in mind, in telling reporters in Dunedin that “one through nine is an open book,” Schneider hinted that nothing is automatic for a lineup — that particularly at the top — has been just that for the past four seasons.

Yes, there’s a better-than-good chance that Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander will be packed together in an order needing to be vastly more prolific in scoring runs than it was during a miserable 2024. Beyond that, who knows?

The fact that the manager is suggesting that it essentially is open season creates potential intrigue at the top of the order and specifically whether George Springer can hang on to the leadoff position that has been handed to him season after season, even as his production declines.

It also implies the urgency in play for the offence to produce out of the gate and the recognition that there can’t afford to be a liability hitting first.

So what are the options at leadoff beyond the highest-paid player on the Jays roster, should his offensive numbers continue to slide?

Maybe it’s Will Wagner, who is inexperienced but a bat that Blue Jays management is fond of from the DH position. It’s a place in the lineup the inexperienced Wagner will need to earn, of course.

Maybe it’s Bichette at some point? Perhaps it’s a wait-and-see situation for whoever earns it?

The principal point, however, is that it certainly sounds as though Schneider isn’t going to automatically hand the job to a guy who hit just .220 in his 145 games last season.

As for the rest of the order, Schneider made it clear to reporters in Dunedin that Guerrero and Santander will essentially be a one-two punch.

He also hinted that there are significant expectations for the organization’s top prospect, Orelvis Martinez, whose progress was halted when he was slapped with an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

DOES VLAD DEADLINE MATTER?
Acknowledging that Jays general manager Ross Atkins has nothing to gain by even hinting at how negotiations are going with Guerrero, he sure did his best to deflect the urgency when meeting with reporters in Dunedin on Thursday.

When asked about what clearly is the biggest story of training camp — and No. 2 is nowhere particularly close — Atkins vowed that the team is earnestly trying to find an avenue to a deal “if there is one.”

Of course there is one — and Guerrero knows it. It’s called cash. Not as much as the team was willing to spend for both Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in failed bids to land those players, but enough to land a player who has been the face of the franchise — despite tea

Blue Jays to shuffle batting lineup to bring back some offence
George Springer’s long-held spot atop the lineup is far from assured in 2025

Barring some fringe, bargain-basement adds in the six weeks before the regular season begins, what you see is what you get with the Blue Jays down in Dunedin, Fla.

And among the many areas of intrigue that will unfold through spring training and beyond is how manager John Schneider constructs his batting order.

With that in mind, in telling reporters in Dunedin that “one through nine is an open book,” Schneider hinted that nothing is automatic for a lineup — that particularly at the top — has been just that for the past four seasons.

Yes, there’s a better-than-good chance that Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander will be packed together in an order needing to be vastly more prolific in scoring runs than it was during a miserable 2024. Beyond that, who knows?

The fact that the manager is suggesting that it essentially is open season creates potential intrigue at the top of the order and specifically whether George Springer can hang on to the leadoff position that has been handed to him season after season, even as his production declines.

It also implies the urgency in play for the offence to produce out of the gate and the recognition that there can’t afford to be a liability hitting first.

So what are the options at leadoff beyond the highest-paid player on the Jays roster, should his offensive numbers continue to slide?

Maybe it’s Will Wagner, who is inexperienced but a bat that Blue Jays management is fond of from the DH position. It’s a place in the lineup the inexperienced Wagner will need to earn, of course.

Maybe it’s Bichette at some point? Perhaps it’s a wait-and-see situation for whoever earns it?

The principal point, however, is that it certainly sounds as though Schneider isn’t going to automatically hand the job to a guy who hit just .220 in his 145 games last season.

As for the rest of the order, Schneider made it clear to reporters in Dunedin that Guerrero and Santander will essentially be a one-two punch.

He also hinted that there are significant expectations for the organization’s top prospect, Orelvis Martinez, whose progress was halted when he was slapped with an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

DOES VLAD DEADLINE MATTER?
Acknowledging that Jays general manager Ross Atkins has nothing to gain by even hinting at how negotiations are going with Guerrero, he sure did his best to deflect the urgency when meeting with reporters in Dunedin on Thursday.

When asked about what clearly is the biggest story of training camp — and No. 2 is nowhere particularly close — Atkins vowed that the team is earnestly trying to find an avenue to a deal “if there is one.”

Of course there is one — and Guerrero knows it. It’s called cash. Not as much as the team was willing to spend for both Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in failed bids to land those players, but enough to land a player who has been the face of the franchise — despite tea

Blue Jays to shuffle batting lineup to bring back some offence
George Springer’s long-held spot atop the lineup is far from assured in 2025

Barring some fringe, bargain-basement adds in the six weeks before the regular season begins, what you see is what you get with the Blue Jays down in Dunedin, Fla.

And among the many areas of intrigue that will unfold through spring training and beyond is how manager John Schneider constructs his batting order.

With that in mind, in telling reporters in Dunedin that “one through nine is an open book,” Schneider hinted that nothing is automatic for a lineup — that particularly at the top — has been just that for the past four seasons.

Yes, there’s a better-than-good chance that Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander will be packed together in an order needing to be vastly more prolific in scoring runs than it was during a miserable 2024. Beyond that, who knows?

The fact that the manager is suggesting that it essentially is open season creates potential intrigue at the top of the order and specifically whether George Springer can hang on to the leadoff position that has been handed to him season after season, even as his production declines.

It also implies the urgency in play for the offence to produce out of the gate and the recognition that there can’t afford to be a liability hitting first.

So what are the options at leadoff beyond the highest-paid player on the Jays roster, should his offensive numbers continue to slide?

Maybe it’s Will Wagner, who is inexperienced but a bat that Blue Jays management is fond of from the DH position. It’s a place in the lineup the inexperienced Wagner will need to earn, of course.

Maybe it’s Bichette at some point? Perhaps it’s a wait-and-see situation for whoever earns it?

The principal point, however, is that it certainly sounds as though Schneider isn’t going to automatically hand the job to a guy who hit just .220 in his 145 games last season.

As for the rest of the order, Schneider made it clear to reporters in Dunedin that Guerrero and Santander will essentially be a one-two punch.

He also hinted that there are significant expectations for the organization’s top prospect, Orelvis Martinez, whose progress was halted when he was slapped with an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance.

DOES VLAD DEADLINE MATTER?
Acknowledging that Jays general manager Ross Atkins has nothing to gain by even hinting at how negotiations are going with Guerrero, he sure did his best to deflect the urgency when meeting with reporters in Dunedin on Thursday.

When asked about what clearly is the biggest story of training camp — and No. 2 is nowhere particularly close — Atkins vowed that the team is earnestly trying to find an avenue to a deal “if there is one.”

Of course there is one — and Guerrero knows it. It’s called cash. Not as much as the team was willing to spend for both Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto in failed bids to land those players, but enough to land a player who has been the face of the franchise — despite tea