Getty

Otto Lopez's 2026 breakout will be forever bittersweet for the Toronto Blue Jays.

With the Toronto Blue Jays playing the Miami Marlins, the club is reminded of a player they had plans for but just didn’t fit at the time. Otto Lopez is thriving with the Marlins and could be on track for his first-ever All-Star game appearance.

Lopez is enjoying a breakout season at the plate. He leads all National League hitters with 70 hits and a .332 batting average. Elly De La Cruz is the only NL shortstop with more fWAR and his 135 wRC+ is three points higher than American League MVP front runner Bobby Witt Jr.

Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi delved into the story, and how a potential All-Star shortstop got away. It serves as a cautionary tale of how the timing of things can cause opportunities to shift.

Otto Lopez’s Departure from Blue Jays

Sometimes, a good player can get away due to factors outside the team’s control. The Blue Jays’ contention window opened after the masterful signing of Kevin Gausman in free agency. The focus now became winning and who best fits the roster.

Lopez came up with the Blue Jays in 2021, although he only played eight games with the club. Bo Bichette was already established as Toronto’s long-term shortstop. Matt Chapman and Santiago Espinal were coming off strong seasons in 2022.

That left Toronto in a bit of a bind. There wasn’t much room to play Lopez as his options dwindled down. By 2024, the infielder was out of options, and the emergence of Ernie Clement cut off another path to playing time. Clement was a former Guardians and Athletics castoff who eventually found a home in Toronto.

That put the Blue Jays in a roster crunch with their infield. They had prospects coming up their system with Addison Barger, Leo Jimenez, and Oreselvis Martinez banging on the door for a call-up. With Lopez out of options and no path to playing time, they designated him for assignment in 2024 and traded him to the San Francisco Giants. He was later claimed off waivers by the Marlins, where he’s since thrived.

“It was just bad timing for us, I feel like, with him,” manager John Schneider told Davidi. “It was never really sure about the opportunity to play with the roster we had. He always played hard. I thought he had some sneaky power, which he’s showing this year, and he had really good bat-to-ball skills and he’s shored up some things defensively. You don’t love seeing it when you get rid of a guy, but I’m happy for him because he’s an awesome dude.”

How the Blue Jays Have Handled Their Infield Since 2024

Andres Gimenez, a player they acquired ahead of the 2025 season, has assumed the position with Bichette leaving in free agency. Gimenez has mostly held his own, putting up 0.8 fWAR on the strength of strong shortstop defense and baserunning despite a light bat.

It’s hard to blame the Blue Jays for moving on from Lopez; the timing simply wasn’t right for him to play there. The organization has seen good players thrive in other clubs simply because the timing wasn’t there.

Since Lopez has found a home in Miami, the Blue Jays’ middle infield depth has taken a hit. Of all the infielders that pushed the Marlins shortstop out, only Clement and Barger remain in Toronto. Barger has since moved to the outfield as a result of the logjam and Clement is the everyday starter at second base.

If anything, it may be a good sign that Toronto has more talent than they know what to do with. Those are the problems that all quality organizations would love to have. For the Blue Jays, it can be bittersweet for a player you once believed in thriving with another club.