Yunito Gurriel is the currency of change in Toronto according to a popular American website

By Juan Paez

What has been rolling around in the form of a rumor for a couple of seasons continues to gain strength. In Full Swingwe have analyzed on multiple occasions the possibilities of change that exist in the environment of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and this time a popular US website was the latest to bring up the subject: MLBTradeRumors.

Periodically, the aforementioned web portal usually has chats with fans, journalists, players, ex-players and those who are or have been technicians. In the latest edition of his chatheld with fans of the ball, the person in charge of the conversation (Mark Polishuk) had to answer some questions regarding the young Cuban of the Toronto Blue Jays and the reason why, today, he is considered the best currency of exchange that the Canadian team has to cover other needs.

“Why do people keep wanting Lourdes to change? Truly, he is very underrated by the Toronto fans” was the first question regarding Yunito. To her, Polishuk replied as follows:

“The reason is that Gurriel is the man who would have to leave an overcrowded outfield full of right-handed hitters. (George) Springer obviously won’t be traded, (Randal) Grichuk doesn’t offer any trade value and perhaps the Blue Jays feel that Teoscar (Hernandez) is more valuable overall than Gurriel because Hernandez has been a more consistent hitter. Gurriel’s accessible contract makes him a good asset to bring about change.”

But the questions did not end there. Minutes later, the question arose as to why the Canadians were not moving Lourdes back to the infield (its original place) if the garden was overcrowded. “He is a very versatile player who could be used like Chris Taylor on the Dodgers,” the questioner wrote to complete his question.

Polishuk responded in this way: “Gurriel was not a good defender in the infield, an occurrence that caused the Blue Jays to send him to the left field”.

Gurriel Jr. won’t be a free agent until after the 2024 season, when his seven-year, $22 million contract expires. This year, the islander will earn 4.5 million greenbacks, a very affordable figure considering what he can do offensively (nominated for the Silver Slugger in 2021) and defensively (nominated for the Gold Glove in 2020 and 2021). . These reasons seem to indicate that, sooner rather than later, the youngest of the Gurriel could pack his bags to go to another club.

Because Toronto is very clear about its needs and that it is a team that wants to compete this year, it is not unreasonable to think that this possible move will happen soon, specifically when the Major League Baseball lockout is lifted. All things considered, the Blue Jays need a left-handed hitter and probably one more pitcher after losing Robbie Ray (American League Cy Young) and Steven Matz, who signed with Seattle and St. Louis, respectively. The next few weeks could be very interesting for Gurriel Jr., but time will tell.