Brett Bateman impressed Ross Atkins, but Blue Jays still need outfield help in 2027

Brett Bateman gave the Toronto Blue Jays one of their most encouraging development stories in an otherwise disappointing 2026 season.

The 24-year-old handled his first taste of the major leagues with poise and he brought an energy to the field that was seemingly missing through the first few months of the season. He looked comfortable in many situations and even the analytics thought he was showing tremendous value. General manager Ross Atkins seems to have struck gold in this deadline deal that also netted them a promising infield prospect in Ty Southisene in exchange for a few weeks of Kevin Gausman and a Wild Card playoff exit by the Chicago Cubs.

“I don’t think he could have transitioned any better from the minor leagues,” Atkins said, according to Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith at his year-end media availability earlier this week.

That endorsement should put Bateman firmly in Toronto’s plans for 2027. But it does not mean the Blue Jays are going into the offseason thinking their outfield group is set in stone.

The Blue Jays could support Brett Bateman by adding another outfielder

Atkins repeatedly returned to the need to manage expectations around young players. Bateman’s moxie and baseball IQ impressed the organization, but there have been plenty of late-season call ups who get exposed over the course of a full 162-game season.

“We need to be cautious of how much pressure we put on players and make sure that we can support them,” Atkins said, according to Rob Wong of the Toronto Sun. “Sometimes supporting them means that they are not relied upon for 162 [games].”

That's not to say the Blue Jays have no faith in Bateman. It's more of an acknowledgement that asking him to fix one of the worst offences in baseball is completely unfair - though he gave them a much more well rounded attack point.

Bateman posted a .402 OBP and had the third best walk rate (9.9%) among Blue Jays hitters - though he took only 181 at-bats. Still, in a small sample size he also posted a team leading 138 wRC+ and 1.9 fWAR. His 86th percentile sprint speed was a weapon in itself as he managed to beat out soft singles and put pressure on the opposing defence while on the basepaths. Something the Blue Jays didn't have a lot of for much of the season.

Regarldess of what Bateman does bring, the Blue Jays need pop and an established outfielder who an provide that would give manager John Schneider more ways to use Bateman effectively. Toronto could protect him from difficult matchups, manage his workload and allow him to move around the outfield without being bogged down by having to run out there every day.

The Blue Jays finished last in the majors in home runs and runs scored, and Atkins admitted the offence did not walk or reach base enough. Their next outfield addition has to have proven themselves capable of providing some of those things.

That could mean pursuing a player such as Seiya Suzuki, who reportedly won't be heavily pursued by his former team in the Chicago Cubs. Randy Arozarena could also be on their radar. He would be more of a bat-first addition with his fielding value consistently ranking near the 11th percentile for the last few years.

Neither of these guys are straight up "platoon role" players and Bateman should still receive regular at-bats in 2027. These additions create the depth and flexibility the Blue Jays lacked this year, especially considering who is already on the roster.

Anthony Santander, Addison Barger and Nathan Lukes aren't going anywhere (barring any kind of a trade) and throwing Bateman into the mix along with a player such as Suzuki or Arozarena feels like it could be clogging things up.

But considering George Springer will no longer be hogging the DH spot - all of a sudden you have a healthy mix of a switch hitter in Santander, three lefties in Bateman, Barger and Lukes, and a righty in one of the new guys. Four of those guys could play every day. Three of them have to man the outfield. It's also a deeper mix compared to when the Blue Jays were trying to rely too much on depth pieces like Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, Yohendrick Piñango and others.

Not to say those guys don't have a role on the team, but they are better off in much more limited or specific situations at the end of the day.

The best outcome this offseason is that the Blue Jays go into spring training with a group that can compete every day that both lengthens the lineup and gives the Blue Jays plenty of competence defensively. Bateman is certainly in that conversation.

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