If the Nate Pearson trade of 2024 barely registered on your radar, you’re not alone.
Within the span of four short years, Pearson’s stock had fallen so low that few batted an eye when he was dealt to the Chicago Cubs, along with shortstop prospect Josh Rivera. Pearson was once viewed as a future ace, but then became trade fodder as a change-of-scenery candidate.
A farmhand who was tenth on the Blue Jays’ prospect list heading into 2026 has rocketed up to the big leagues. Not only that, but he’s playing with regularity on a Blue Jays team that’s been starved for offense since Opening Day. Since making his MLB debut on April 26, Piñango has seen a steady diet of games against right-handed starting pitchers.
Piñango has been on the bubble the last few weeks when it came to roster machinations with outfielders like Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes coming back, but the left-handed bat has hung around, despite being a player with minor league options. The optics of demoting an outfielder hitting near .300 wouldn’t bode well for a team that’s desperately trying to generate runs.
With 26 games under his belt, he’s one of only seven Blue Jays hitters with a wRC+ north of 100. Piñango is also one of only six Blue Jays players with positive offensive value in 2026, which should tell you everything you need to know about the sad state of affairs of this lineup.
The Blue Jays are clearly trying to ride the hot hand right now, and until midnight strikes on Piñango’s run, he’ll continue to get everyday at-bats with this team.
The obvious wart in his game is his defensive ability in the outfield, with two prime examples coming during Monday’s 8-2 loss versus the Marlins. Piñango had a bad inning in the field, which undeservingly cost Trey Yesavage a trio of earned runs.
It started with a fly ball, which Piñango didn’t charge in on, which had an expected batting average of .160. That led to the Marlins taking a 3-1 lead. Then he misplayed another fly ball to left field off the bat of Javier Sanoja, which brought home a pair of runs for Miami, but the game was out of reach for Toronto.
Although defense is a fundamental skill, it’s a bit of a ‘trial-by-fire’ scenario at the big league level. Piñango gets a bit of a free pass as he continues to learn the intricacies of the defensive game, especially as someone who has fewer than 30 games in the show.
Surprisingly, Piñango’s Fielding Run Value on Baseball Savant is only -1, compared to Schneider’s -2 FRV and Jesus Sanchez’s -3 FRV in the outfield. One poor game shouldn’t blow up an outfielder’s entire defensive metrics for the season, so that will surely even out over the rest of the 2026 campaign for Piñango.
Baseball Savant
Until one of these mid-tier Blue Jays outfielders commands consistent reps, there’s no reason for Piñango not to be out there getting the bulk of starts in left field against lefties. Until Addison Barger comes back to the 26-man roster for longer than a day, Piñango’s job is safe for the time being.
Because the Blue Jays have already pulled the parachute by optioning Schneider, Piñango seems like the next outfielder on the bubble within the coming weeks. But if he continues to produce at the plate and steadily improves in the field, maybe there’s a place for him after all.
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