Ernie Clement's hold on second base is slipping. The Blue Jays' cleanest fix might be sitting in Anaheim in the form of Zach Neto.

Ross Atkins wouldn't commit to Clement as the 2027 starter when he met the media after the season this week. The numbers explain why.

His wRC+ fell to 80 in 2026, narrowly worse than glove-first shortstop Andrés Giménez at 81. Across 2024 and 2025, he'd sat at a near-average 96.

The bottom line got ugly. His 0.6 fWAR ranked sixth-worst among position players with at least 600 plate appearances.

And his whole offensive game hangs on one skill. When the contact softens, there's no walk rate or raw power waiting to catch him.

That's why Neto deserves the first phone call. The 25-year-old has three more seasons of team control and the kind of steady production that rarely moves.

The Angels' José Soriano trade opens a door for Toronto

From 2024 to 2026, Neto hit between 23 and 27 home runs every year. His wRC+ landed at either 116 or 117 in each of those three seasons.

Add the legs. He's stolen between 24 and 30 bases a year while producing between 3.3 and 4.0 fWAR each season.

He's the baseball version of a paid-off Honda Civic. Nobody brags about it at parties, and it starts every single morning.

The glove question is real. Neto has never graded out well at shortstop, which is exactly why a shift to second could make him look better.

The Angels aren't close to competing, and they already moved a player with limited term left in the Soriano deal. It would still take a significant package to pry him loose.

Is that price worth it for a last-place club? Yes, because Toronto's offence too often worked station-to-station in 2026, leaning on strings of singles and doing little on the bases.

C.J. Abrams is the flashier alternative. He launched a career-high 33 home runs last season with a 124 wRC+, and his move to second base is already underway in Washington.

But his wRC+ never topped 105 before 2026, and the power spike didn't come with a real jump in bat speed or exit velocity. The Nationals also control him for only two more seasons.

He does bring the left-handed pop Toronto lacks. His 143 steals since breaking through as a full-time starter in 2023 rank fifth in the majors.

Free agency has louder names. Brandon Lowe owns a 135 wRC+ against right-handers, and Jazz Chisholm Jr. brings speed, power and a habit of baffling blunders.

Clement wouldn't vanish in any of these scenarios. His versatility fits a super-utility role, which is where the evidence keeps pointing anyway.

None of it happens unless Atkins meets the Angels' price. After a winter of upgrade talk, Toronto will find out quickly whether that talk comes with prospects attached.