Toronto Blue Jays DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. said he "feels great" at camp this spring and is sporting a leaner physique after putting in hard work to get his body right in the offseason. The 24-year-old arrived this week at camp looking noticeably slimmer and stronger. "He looks great," manager John Schneider said of Guerrero. "He put a ton of work in and I love the way he looks, love the way he's prepared, and that's what really good players do. They take ownership of everything in the offseason and they're ready to go." Fantasy managers can only hope his improved conditioning will lead to another monster season, like the one he had in 2021. But since that year, his offensive numbers have declined, and he had a .788 OPS in 2023. Still, Vladdy's floor is high and he's RotoBaller's No. 5 fantasy first baseman.

Toronto Blue Jays Cuban right-hander Yariel Rodriguez finally reported to camp over the weekend and threw his first bullpen session of spring training after signing a five-year, $32 million deal in the offseason. "He's got a lot of weapons. He's got just about every pitch in the book from different angles," pitching coach Pete Walker said. "He's got a slight hesitation in the delivery. There are certainly some things there that are interesting, and we'll just have to kind of fine-tune a little bit and find out what will really work the best at the major-league level." Toronto plans to stretch Rodriguez out as a starter this spring, but they'll take a cautious approach with him after he sat out in 2023 while preparing for his transition to the big leagues. The 26-year-old has a lot of long-term potential, but with a strict innings limit likely imposed on him in 2024, he'll have a low fantasy ceiling.

Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been working out with personal trainer Nicole Gabriel for much of the winter, and by the looks of images and videos posted to her Instagram account, Guerrero's results are impressive, according to the Toronto Sun's Rob Longley. "I think there will be some impressed eyes in camp," manager John Schneider said. "He's in a good spot. I know the work he's done. (Hitting coach Guillermo Martinez) was over to see him hit the other day and said he looks really, really good." The 24-year-old's fitness has been a topic of discussion for most of his career, and he admits his health was part of the story of his disappointing 2023 campaign in which he hit .264 with 26 home runs. Still, Guerrero had 94 RBI and is RotoBaller's No. 5 fantasy first baseman with a high floor entering the 2024 campaign.

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is working through a visa issue and has yet to arrive at spring training. However, the issue is expected to get worked out soon and the team expects him to arrive any day. The 26-year-old Cuban native has been playing in Japan over the last three seasons and was primarily used as a reliever but the Blue Jays plan to use him as a starter. Blue Jays manager John Schneider wants to stretch him out this spring and see how things go but he also said they'll be cautious with Rodriguez because he's had a long layoff. Ultimately, he could end up being used as a swingman for the Jays if he isn't able to maintain a steady rotation spot. He's still an intriguing name for fantasy purposes but it's hard to spend meaningful draft capital on him with his role not yet defined.

Free-agent designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed to a minor-league deal on Friday, according to sources familiar with the contract. Vogelbach will receive a non-roster invite to spring training. The 31-year-old veteran left-handed slugger spent last season playing for the New York Mets, where he hit .233/339/.404 with 13 home runs, eight doubles, 48 RBI and 33 runs scored in 104 games (319 plate appearances). If he makes the big-league club, Vogelbach will offer the Jays a power-hitting option at DH or off the bench against right-handed pitching, but he's not going to play enough to be considered a fantasy option in mixed leagues. He has a career .815 OPS against righties in his eight big-league seasons.