Blue Jays’ search for more power should begin with Seiya Suzuki

The Toronto Blue Jays have a long offseason ahead of them. At the top of their shopping list should be the addition a power bat to the lineup. The Blue Jays finished dead last in baseball with just 152 home runs in 2026. There were also dead last in runs scored.

On an individual level, Kazuma Okamoto led the team with 33 home runs. That’s good, great even. The problem is that outside of Okamoto, the lineup had virtually nobody producing power. George Springer was second on the team with 15 homers, and he might not be on the team next year.

The Blue Jays have to believe in some of their current core having better production next year, namely Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Hopefully they get more than a week's worth of games out of Addison Barger. And maybe, Anthony Santander finally plays. But even all of that is simply not enough to just sit back and rely on.

This offseason’s free agent class is quite weak, especially on the position player side. There are certainly impact players, however there is a lack of depth. This makes it all the more important that the Blue Jays are able to land one of the big bats.

Brandon Lowe hit the most homers out of any player set to hit free agency, hitting 35 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. However the Blue Jays might not want to move Ernie Clement out of the every day lineup (even if they probably should).

Randy Arozarena would also be a good addition, however he saw a big drop in bat speed from 2025 to 2026 and posted subpar chase and whiff numbers. This makes his offensive profile a bit concerning considering he would be 32 come next season.

Seyia Suzuki is the answer for the Blue Jays to jumpstart their offence in 2027

Seiya Suzuki on the other hand, is undoubtedly a top three position player in this free agent class and provides the Blue Jays with multiple answers to the things they need. In 2026, Suzuki hit 26 homers, slashed .270/.368/.473 with a 134 wRC+ and 4.6 fWAR. In 2025, Suzuki hit 32 home runs, giving him a total of 58 over the last two seasons.

Even at 32-years-old, Suzuki profiles as a plus power bat thanks to the fact that his bat speed has increased since Statcast started tracking it in 2023.

Suzuki has also never finished worse than in the 89th percentile in chase rate since playing his first season with the Chicago Cubs in 2022. His elite plate discipline allowed him to post a walk rate in the 91st percentile (12.8 per cent) in 2026.

Another important factor is that over the past two seasons, Suzuki has improved tremendously at pulling fly balls. Over his first three seasons, he never recorded a Pull AIR% higher than 15.2 per cent. Over his previous two seasons, he has posted rates of 24.3 and 20.9, which unsurprisingly resulted in a bump in his home run numbers.

Suzuki’s plate discipline, as well as his ability to pull fly balls should also play well for his aging curve. Should he lose bat speed in the later part of a contract (say, five year deal?), his ability to pull fly balls will still allow him to keep up to certain pitches, and keep his numbers fairly consistent.

Suzuki also crushes left handed pitching, giving the Blue Jays the lefty killer they need. He slashed .309/.429/.537 with a 166 wRC+ and .413 wOBA against southpaws in 2026. He ranked 9th in wOBA and 12th in wRC+ against them in 2026.

Positionally, Suzuki is a sound fit as well. The Blue Jays corner outfield spots for next season are quite uncertain. In an ideal world, Santander is the primary designated hitter and Barger is in right field on most nights. However, this is unfortunately not an ideal world.

Santander’s status is completely up in the air and Barger may need some time as the designated hitter upon his return from elbow surgery.

With that in mind, Suzuki can play right field, where he posted 14 DRS, 5 OAA and 8 FRV in 2026. He can move over to left field as well if either Santander or Barger need to occupy that position. He can also slot in as the designated hitter on days where the Blue Jays would want to give him a half day off.

Inserting Suzuki into the Blue Jays lineup adds a bat capable of 30 plus home run power that gives the Blue Jays plus defense and allows the Blue Jays to keep their defensive flexibility as well.
With the Blue Jays in position to add a bat this offseason, Suzuki should be their number one target.

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