After making his Major League debut at 24 years old the year before, he blossomed into a powerful left-handed stick that contributed immensely during the Blue Jays' World Series run. This offseason, the Blue Jays were rumoured to be in the market for a high-end bat, such as outfielders Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger. Those two bats have now signed elsewhere, creating an opportunity for Barger to earn full-time play in right field.
It was a tale of two halves for Barger in 2025. It wasn't until early May that he started getting consistent at-bats day in and day out, and between then and the trade deadline on July 31st, Barger was a borderline elite bat. He produced a 133 wRC+ across 296 plate appearances during that time frame while producing pristine batted ball and quality of contact data.
