Three internal first base options for the Blue Jays to consider if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. walks next winter

With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays failing to agree on a contract extension before his self-imposed deadline, the Jays will find themselves in a rough spot should the superstar sign elsewhere next offseason.

It’s almost impossible to directly replace someone with the talent of Guerrero Jr., but it does raise the question: do the Jays have anyone in their farm system capable of playing major league-level first base?

One of the simpler options would be to slide a player over to first base instead of calling someone else up. A power bat like Anthony Santander for example, while being a career-long outfielder, would likely be able to slide over to first fairly easily (in fact he’s played 13 career games there before).

For this list though, we’re only going to look at prospects in the Jays farm system who could potentially fill in.

That means no trades, no free agent signings, and most importantly, we’re not trying to fully replace Guerrero Jr.’s production. We’re simply taking a look at a few prospects who may be able to make the major league jump and play solid first base if Guerrero decides to don a new uniform from 2026 and beyond.

Alan Roden isn’t exactly a prototypical first baseman. While he can deliver some pop, he’s shown himself to be an excellent slaphitter in the minor leagues.

A primary outfielder, Roden has played 51 games of first base in his entire career spanning back to his college days. Almost all of those reps came during his time with the NCAA D1 Creighton Blue Jays and in the Cape Cod League, but it should be reasonable that he’d be able to slot in there if that’s what he has to do to earn a call-up to the majors.

Roden’s bat is a huge plus for him and one of the reasons he was singled out by general manager Ross Atkins earlier this spring.

In his first 71 games with triple-A Buffalo last year, he produced a .314 average and a .916 OPS, showing no signs of struggling with adapting to the level jump. He also added nine home runs and 15 doubles, a nice touch to his production.

As one of the Jays closest prospects to the big leagues, a great spring may even propel him there this season – whether that’s in the outfield, DH, or at first base. It might be hard to pry him away from the outfield considering he is already making great plays in left out of the gate this spring, but considering the Jays have some depth in the corner spots, moving Roden to first base might be the move to make if they desperately need his bat in the lineup.

Born in Venezuela but raised in Surrey, B.C., Damiano Palmegiani brings a serious power bat to the plate. Through 393 games across all minor league levels, Palmegiani has bashed 70 homers with a .451 slugging percentage and last season, he took the Jays farm system home run title away from Orelvis Martinez (who missed some time on the suspension list).

A rough 2024 may prevent him from reaching the majors this season though. His bat-to-ball skills struggled as his previous campaign’s .284 average in triple-A dropped sharply to a .210 mark. The power never left as he only hit four fewer home runs, but it’s an area he’ll need to improve in 2025 if he wants to compete with players such as Roden for a promotion.

A big edge Palmegiani does have over Roden is infield versatility. Palmegiani has been a primary third baseman during his career but has played nearly 100 career games at first base. Palmegiani has played better defence at first than he has at third (.983 fielding percentage at third versus .924 at first).

If the Jays are looking for a pure power hitter to play first base if Guerrero Jr. walks, the Canadian-raised Palmegiani may be the right move. That is if he’s able to get his swing worked out in 2025 or finds his way onto the 40-man roster (he is Rule 5 eligible).

As a pair of non-roster invitees to spring training, Riley Tirotta and Rainer Nunez would be long shots for this spot compared to Roden and Palmegiani, but they’re both still worth a mention in this final combo spot on the list.

The Blue Jays drafted Tirotta in the twelfth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and last season, he made it to triple-A Buffalo. Through his time in the system, he’s been steadily developing, sporting a  .247 average across three levels last year.

He’s likely to need more development this year, but if he can improve upon an already great .385 OBP, it would be hard to deny him at least a chance if a spot was to open. The Indiana product has played all over the field defensively as well, clocking innings at first, second, third, and corner outfield spots.

Nunez on the other hand hasn’t yet played above double-A, but should see some reps in triple-A before long.

The Dominican native had an impressive 2024 season with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, slashing .275/.349/.416 with 12 home runs and 54 RBI. Generating some more walks would go a long way to improving his overall numbers but expect to see him competing against all of the others on this list in Buffalo soon.

Triple-A ball is always a big jump, so keep an eye on the pure first baseman’s ability to keep up when he gets the call there.