Josh Donaldson could be first and foremost for the Jays

Ever since the Blue Jays’ first opening day in 1977, when Doug Ault slammed two home runs to help beat the White Sox at Exhibition Stadium, first base has been an important position to the team’s success.

Ault was the primary Jays’ first baseman for just that one season, that first year in 1977. But there has been a steady procession of offensive first basemen since then, including John Mayberry, Willie Upshaw, Fred McGriff, John Olerud, Carlos Delgado and Edwin Encarnacion. None matched the production of Delgado, who averaged more than 37 homers and more than 116 RBIs in his eight years as Toronto’s primary first baseman. But there were plenty of strong seasons before and after, including Justin Smoak’s 38-homer season a year ago.

So is Smoak, at 31 years old, the next of that long line of big-hitting first basemen or are there other choices that could help the Jays with their goal of sustainability as an AL East contender? Maybe something imaginative can be done.

Smoak was a prescient signing by the Jays, at the time they agreed to an extension just after the all-star break in 2016. He was struggling to produce offensively at the time, but he was a switch-hitter with solid defensive credentials. Jays general manager Ross Atkins inked him to a two-year, $8.5-million extension with a $6-million club option for 2019. That was a good contract for a platoon first baseman.

The minor move was second-guessed by fans and media at the time, but has worked out well for both sides. Smoak has established himself as an all-star and might feel that he is now underpaid. But if the Jays had kept Encarnacion, the bottom line is that Smoak would never have had the chance to establish himself.

No doubt Smoak is one of the key early contributors on offence for the Jays, with a second straight quick start in 2018 following up on the breakout 2017 season in which he established personal highs in most offensive categories, including 30 homers, 90 RBIs and an OPS of .884. But even with the $6-million option in place for next year, is Smoak really the answer for the Jays at first base, moving forward?

If you like thinking outside the box, here is an interesting scenario:

On Monday night in Baltimore, Kendrys Morales was playing first base with Smoak as the designated hitter. When Morales strained a hamstring, Yangervis Solarte was called upon to pinch-run. When the Jays took the field in the bottom of the second, Solarte was at third base with Josh Donaldson moving over to first.

Donaldson looked like a natural at first, roaming freely to his right to make a play in the hole, making a big stretch on a throw from second base and easily making a couple of feeds to the pitcher covering. More importantly, as Donaldson explained to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani after the game, he was the one suggesting to manager John Gibbons that he play first with Solarte at third because he had four previous major-league games at the position.

Let’s go back to the opening paragraph. First base has always been a key for the Jays whenever they have had success. So what if the Jays negotiated with Donaldson and reached an agreement following the 2018 season for a four-year guaranteed contract, plus an option at a dollar amount that is satisfactory to both sides, but with the understanding that he play first base.

They could then make an educated decision on having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at third base on opening day of 2019, or they could fill in with Solarte until Guerrero is ready. And surely Smoak, with one year for $6-million that the Jays would pick up, would be worth something in a trade. And if Donaldson elects to sign elsewhere, then they would still have Smoak for 2019. But without Donaldson, face it, this Mark Shapiro-Atkins front office would be in immediate rebuilding mode.

Smoak is solid but not a player you build a franchise’s hopes on. Donaldson is that. The Bringer of Rain’s next contract will start at age 33, the same age as Delgado when he left for Florida. Donaldson has showed recently that his tightly muscled lower body is becoming more susceptible to injury at third base than it might be as the Jays’ first baseman. It would also be easier to get him games at DH to keep him fresh, using the untradeable Kendrys Morales to fill in on those days.

The belief here is that the Jays are still serious about signing Donaldson once the current season ends, and once he finds out whether other teams are willing to pay him big bucks through age 40. If so, maybe a little Jays imagination can help.