Blue Jays Shockingly Connected to Another Top Free Agent Starting Pitcher

Could the Toronto Blue Jays add yet another ace?

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays entered the offseason looking to make a significant splash offensively, however they have been unable to do that to this point after their pursuit of Kyle Tucker heartbreakingly fell short.

While the big bat has not come via free agency and Toronto is likely going to have to move forward with what they have there, they have spent a ton on the pitching staff, most notably adding Dylan Cease on a huge long-term contract.

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In terms of what's still available in free agency though, the pitcher market looks a whole lot better than the hitting market, and perhaps the Blue Jays could still look to get something done here.

Listing the best suitors for the top remaining free agent in Houston Astros ace Framber Valdez, Toronto shockingly came in within the top-five as the No. 4 potential team from Bleacher Report.

Blue Jays Named Great Fit for Astros Ace Framber Valdez

Ranking the Top 10 landing spots for Framber Valdez 👀 @kerrancejames pic.twitter.com/XzMiE6lPpt

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) January 29, 2026

Coming in behind the Baltimore Orioles, San Francisco Giants and New York Mets, perhaps Bleacher Report knows something the rest of us don't, because once they signed Cease, it seems Toronto was largely removed from the Valdez race.

Of course, as players remain available this late in the game, sweepstakes become more and more unpredictable, and new teams who nobody saw coming wind up getting back involved in the game, so perhaps this could be the case with Valdez.

On the surface, the Blue Jays have plenty of pitching, but if general manager Ross Atkins is in fact determined to make another splash and build a super rotation, Valdez could make some amount of sense for Toronto.

Signing Valdez Would Give Blue Jays Best Rotation in Baseball

Houston Astros starting pitcher Framber Valdez | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Between Valdez and Cease holding things down at the top along with Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman and even Cody Ponce, bringing in the southpaw instantly makes Toronto the best and arguably deepest rotation in baseball.

Injuries are inevitable and the Blue Jays would do themselves a service by adding as much depth as possible, but Valdez would go well beyond your average February depth signing. This would be adding a guy who has been one of the most dependable pitchers in baseball over the last several years to a staff that already has an extremely high ceiling.

Seeing whether or not Toronto actually shows any interest is something worth monitoring over the coming weeks, because it's not something that anyone would have seen coming following the spending frenzy on the staff earlier this offseason.

At this point, it would still be a shock to see the Blue Jays even make an offer towards Valdez, but if this offseason has taught us anything, it's that you truly do never know with any of these teams. Until the left-hander actually puts pen to paper somewhere else, you can't count out Toronto just yet.

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