MLB insider names Blue Jays as landing spot for multiple top pending free agents

As the Toronto Blue Jays look towards a huge overhaul this offseason with hopes to return to contention once again in 2025, a major aspect of it will involve their work in the upcoming free agency. What better way to revamp the roster than to go shopping for specific needs without giving up any precious assets in return. The key though will be to recruit top impact players that could help the team going forward.

Although free agency season hasn’t started yet, things already appear to be looking up for Toronto. MLB insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic recently named the Blue Jays as the potential landing spot for a boatload of top pending free agents this offseason from his Top 45 MLB Free Agents list. That means there’s a good possibility that the Jays could reel in multiple big-name players this winter to significantly improve the team for 2025.

Starting with their most crucial need, which is bullpen help, one of the top closers in the game this past year in Carlos Estévez could be coming north of the border. Last season, Estévez posted a stellar 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP while converting 26 saves split between the Los Angeles Angels and the Philadelphia Phillies. More impressively, he had a 20-game stretch between the end of May and end of July where he held the opposition scoreless on just three total hits and two walks in total. That type of consistency and dominance is just what the Jays desperately need after the frequent bullpen implosions they experienced in 2024.

Bowden also had potential second base options coming to Toronto as well, with the likes of Gleyber Torres and Brandon Lowe among that group. Both Torres and Lowe could provide the Jays with plenty of offense from the position, as they have averaged greater than 25 home runs and 80 RBI per season over a full 162-game schedule in their careers. Both players would represent a tremendous upgrade over the likes of Davis Schneider, Spencer Horwitz, and even promising prospect Will Wagner. However, one caveat for Lowe is the fact that he has had some trouble staying healthy in recent years, with 2021 being the only year in which he has played more than 109 games in a season.

Apparently Ernie Clement’s play hasn’t convinced Bowden enough that he will be the everyday third baseman in 2025. Consequently, Bowden predicted Eugenio Suárez as another hot corner option that could land with the Jays. If Toronto is looking for big-time offensive numbers to come from their corner infielder, Suárez’s 30 home runs and 101 RBI from 2024 sure looks attractive enough. However, since the Arizona Diamondbacks have his club option, there is still a good chance that he remains with them for next season. Unfortunately, for those hoping for Alex Bregman from earlier rumors, he did not make the cut this time around.

In terms of outfield help, the Jays will have plenty of hot candidates, with Anthony Santander, Cody Bellinger and even top free agent Juan Soto all projected to have the chance to come to Toronto. Although Blue Jays insider Ben Nicholson-Smith did warn earlier against pursuing Santander, as he believed Santander won’t be able to repeat his outstanding 44-homer, 102-RBI performance from 2024. As for Bellinger, he was actually a prime target for the Jays last offseason, so it appears they can have a second crack at the former MVP, assuming he ultimately opts out of his current contract. Finally, not much needs to be said about Soto. If the Jays happen to get him, he becomes the franchise-altering move that will end up being the huge difference maker for the club for the next decade. What gives the Jays and their faithful even more optimism is the fact that Toronto made Bowden’s list of destinations for Soto, meaning that the Jays may actually have a realistic shot at the 26-year-old phenom.

As for those hoping for some type of reunion in free agency, both Teoscar Hernández and Yusei Kikuchi were not predicted to come back to the Jays for a second go-around with the club. But with how crazy things sometimes work, you never know, especially if all the top options end up going off the board. Nevertheless, it will be an important free agency season ahead for the Jays, as they will need to make things right this time around to have any success in 2025.