3 free agents the Blue Jays should invest in, 2 they should avoid

Despite having quite a few top free agents come off the board after a flurry of action during the past couple of weeks, they are still some elite options still available for the Toronto Blue Jays to target to further bolster their roster for 2026. At the same time, there will be some free agents that Toronto should stay away from.

3 free agents the Blue Jays should invest in, 2 they should avoid

Blue Jays should invest in RP Robert Suárez

With the top free agent relief option in Edwin Diaz painfully snatched up by the reigning World Series champions in the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, the Blue Jays should quickly pivot and turn their full attention to former San Diego Padres closer Robert Suárez.

What makes him a particularly attractive piece for any contender is without a doubt his elite control and command. In each of the past three seasons there has been a steady decrease in his walk rate, going from 11% in 2022 all the way down to below 6% in 2025, putting Suárez in the 85th percentile in the league. More significantly, his fastball velocity has remained top-notch, averaging 98.6 mph last year to rank in the 97th league percentile while striking out 75 batters in 69.2 innings.

In addition, he has never given up more than seven home runs in any one season in the majors, an issue that severely plagued the Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2025, especially for closer Jeff Hoffman.

Blue Jays should avoid RP Pete Fairbanks 

Recent rumors have been swirling surrounding the Blue Jays’ interest in former Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks. That makes total sense given their familiarity in seeing the 31-year-old right-hander in their divisional matchups. Fairbanks has an ERA of 1.33 with 35 strikeouts in 28 games against the Blue Jays for his career.

However, there are some alarming red flags that the Blue Jays should seriously consider. For one, Fairbanks has had trouble staying healthy in recent years, having dealt with multiple ailments every single season between 2021 and 2024. Fairbanks has also lost some speed on his fastball, leading to a strikeout rate falling from his career high of 43.7% in 2022 down to just 24.2% last season. Given that trend and injury history, the Blue Jays should steer clear of the 31-year-old reliever.

Blue Jays should invest in INF Alex Bregman

In addition to relief pitching, adding a power bat this offseason is a must for the Blue Jays, especially if they fail to bring back Bo Bichette. With that in mind, an ideal replacement in the infield that could bring most of that production back would be three-time All-Star Alex Bregman.

As a former Silver Slugger winner, Bregman has the ability to average close to 100 runs scored, 30 home runs and 100 RBIs per season while hitting for a solid average and elite OPS above .800. Despite his injury woes during the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox, the 31-year-old third baseman still produced at a 25-home run, 88-RBI pace while hitting .273 with an .821 OPS.

From a defensive standpoint, Bregman has actually been even better with age, registering 21 defensive runs saved while maintaining an above .970 fielding percentage in his past seven years in MLB. He even captured his first ever Gold Glove in 2024 at age 30. 

Blue Jays should avoid OF Adolis Garcia

Surprisingly non-tendered by the Texas Rangers following the 2025 season, Adolis Garcia suddenly became an intriguing power bat option available in the free agent market. As a former two-time All-Star, Garcia profiles exactly as the effective offensive and defensive combo that the Blue Jays highly covet for their outfield setup. After all, the 32-year-old veteran has two 30-plus home runs and two 100-plus RBIs campaigns under his belt while capturing Gold Glove honours just two years ago.

However, there is a reason why the Rangers would let someone of his caliber go that easily. One of the caveats in Garcia’s game is his discipline at the plate. This past season he walked a career-low 28 times in 547 plate appearances while batting a career-low .227 with a worrisome .665 OPS. On top of that, his bat speed, hard-hit rate and barrel rate have all been on a steady decline since reaching his peak in 2023.

Blue Jays should definitely invest in OF Kyle Tucker

After failing to land the top free agent in each of the past two offseasons, with Shohei Ohtani in 2023-24 and Juan Soto in 2024-25, it is about time that the Blue Jays make things happen with this year’s top player in Kyle Tucker who could be a generational talent.

In 2024, the 28-year-old put up Ohtani-like numbers before an injury limited him to 78 games. In the end, Tucker batted close to .300 with an OPS leaning on 1.000, while producing at a 100-run, 45+-home run, 100-RBI, 22+-stolen base pace that year, despite the injury-shortened campaign. In 2025 another nagging injury limited his abilities, but again he still produced 22 home runs and had an .841 OPS.  

To pair him up with another perennial MVP candidate in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Toronto, the two sluggers could torment pitchers for the next decade as the lefty-righty combo would be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams on a nightly basis.