Could this former division rival play the "Ty France" role for the Blue Jays in 2026?

After the 2025 MLB trade deadline, Ty France had one job; to be the back up first baseman for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The Toronto Blue Jays acquired France as part of the deadline deal that also brought them relief pitcher Louis Varland.

France was good in his 37 games with Toronto, especially during the time when Vladdy was down due to injury. France was worth 0.2 bWAR, hitting .277/.320/.372 and provided "Gold Glove level" defence in the interim. But France is now a free agent, and while the Blue Jays can certainly bring him back there are other options out there, including a player who suited up for the Blue Jays division rivals at the end of the season.

Could this former division rival play the "Ty France" role for the Blue Jays in 2026?

2025 wasn't going the way Nathaniel Lowe had hoped it would. The former Tampa Bay Ray and Texas Ranger was traded to the Washington Nationals in December of 2024, leaving the team he had just won the World Series with the year prior. In his new digs Lowe had a hard time replicating his production from the previous few seasons. In 119 games with Washington he hit a career worst .216/.292/.373 but also hit 16 home runs - tying his total output from 2024.

Things were looking bleak for the 29-year-old 13th round draft pick, and on August 16, he was released by Washington. Two days later he was picked up by the Red Sox and in his return to the American League he started to rediscover himself at the plate. He slashed .280/.370/.420 with a .790 OPS with 28 hits and 15 walks in 34 games. However, the Red Sox decided not to tender Lowe a contract and he's looking for a new home in 2026.

Maybe that strong finish brings some suitors his way, but looking at some of his analytical numbers, you can see where he struggled overall in 2025. His strikeout percentage was up, his walk percentage was down, while his fly ball percentage was four points higher than his career average.

A correction to the norm would give Lowe much better numbers over the course of a full season. One guy that has been able to help some players reverse those trends is Blue Jays hitting coach David Popkins. It's not an automatic fix, but Popkins was able to help George Springer work through those issues and make those adjustments en route to winning the American League Silver Slugger award at DH. Perhaps Lowe could follow the same trend and be a valuable left handed bat off the bench for the Blue Jays.

FanGraphs is not projecting great things for Lowe in 2026. They expect him to be worth 0.7 fWAR while hitting just 11 home runs but they do see him improving his wRC+ from 91 in 2025 to 105 in '26. That wouldn't be terrible production from a player whose main role would be the back up to Guerrero Jr. Yes, the Blue Jays have other big pressing needs they have to fill, including re-signing Bo Bichette and landing another top free agent possibly, in Kyle Tucker or Cody Bellinger. But they also can't forget about the edges of the roster.

Lowe, with a World Series championship under his belt and perhaps realizing he'll be getting a reduced role, could be a solid bench addition for the Blue Jays.