State of the Position: Lineup

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DUNEDIN, Fla. — This is the best way to describe the state of the Toronto Blue Jays lineup: It’s a work in progress.

You can thank the lockout and the odd nature of this off-season for that, as the Jays are currently trying to complete their winter roster construction work and get ready for an opening day that arrives in a little more than three weeks at the same time.

Speaking for the first time since the lockout at the club’s player development complex on Tuesday afternoon, Jays general manager Ross Atkins admitted they’re still hunting for an infielder.

“We want to make the team better,” Atkins stated following a press conference introducing starter Yusei Kikuchi. “I think the most obvious way is in our infield and complementing it somehow … whether it be in the form of an everyday position player or not, there’s several different ways we can and that’s a good position to be in.

“I think it’s unlikely that we don’t add another position player.”

At this point, the Jays’ roster picture is still incomplete, but that will change soon.

While replacing Marcus Semien’s production might not happen unless the Jays are able to find a way to lure Freddie Freeman or Kyle Schwarber, which would then create a bit of a domino effect of ensuing moves thanks to the awkward positional fits, it’s no secret Atkins is looking for a left-handed bat to help complement a righty-heavy lineup.

“I think that would be our ideal, but it really depends on the position, on the defence they’re providing, or not,” Atkins said. “There’s several variables there.”

The variables are many for all 30 clubs right now, and every single team in baseball is working through a number of roster possibilities, leaving a whole lot of high-end