Who Replaces the Toronto Blue Jays Departing Free Agents?
In this story:
If there was one achilles heel for the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays, it wasn't the number of injuries that were racked up over the course of the year, even though it was an astronomical number. Instead, it was the offense that was seemingly incapable of scoring runs.
That said, the ballclub is now looking ahead to 2027 with the sole purpose of addressing the hitting lineup that was seemingly lacking in both clutch hitting and power. Now that their season is over, Ross Atkins has to be in the hunt for a bat (or two).
The most notable free agent who could likely be departing is their veteran designated hitter George Springer, who, even if he decides against retirement and then elects to return to the Blue Jays, has to be replaced as the primary DH.
Seiya Suzuki's 440-foot homer went into the batter's eye 😳 pic.twitter.com/l7hal0EizU
— MLB (@MLB) September 20, 2026
While Springer's accomplishments have been impossible to ignore, he will be 38 years old and not quite the bat he was in his younger years. If he were to come back to Toronto, it would be in a smaller role as a starter and more as a leader in the clubhouse.
So, who should general manager Ross Atkins be looking at? Well, the best answer would be the right-handed Seiya Suzuki, who is on an expiring deal with the Chicago Cubs.
What Suzuki Would Bring to a Stagnant Blue Jays Offense
One of the best aspects of Suzuki's game is that he has pop in the bat, which is something that the Jays were severely lacking this season, as only Kazuma Okamoto was able to hit more than 15 bombs.
This season, Suzuki finished the year with 26 home runs and 31 doubles to complement 86 runners driven home as well as 81 drawn walks. Outside of Okamoto, there wasn't a single player to log more than 60+ RBI.
Being able to draw walks was a huge piece that was missing this season, as a fact that both Okamoto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. were the only two to log more than 47, but neither crossed the 60 mark.
So, when a team cannot draw walks while also having no slug in the bat, it isn't shocking that they finished at the bottom of the majors in nearly every offensive category:
- Home Runs- 30th
- RBI- 30th
- Runs Scored- 30th
- Walks- 29th
- On-Base Percentage- 25th through 27th
- Slugging Percentage- 26th
- OPS- 28th/29th
One thing is for certain going into this offseason is that Toronto's front office has to find some players that can score runs. Suzuki is a great answer to their problem, and if not him, it has to be someone close to his caliber.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.