4 needs the Toronto Blue Jays still need to cross off their wish list this offseason

Sign a prolific, power-hitting designated hitter

Throughout the offseason, the Jays have been desperately looking to add a power bat to their lineup to bolster their offence that struggled at times in 2023. There’s no doubt that the addition of Kiner-Falefa and the return of Kiermaier will definitely help out the team’s defence, but their ultimate impact could be limited in terms of their offensive potential. As a result, with the designated hitter role remaining one the main needs that the Jays need to seriously address, the ideal candidate must be a run-producing, power hitter.

Of course, the top candidate for the DH role would have been Shohei Ohtani, but we all know now how that turned out. However, things are starting to become more urgent for the Jays with some of their power-hitting free agent targets coming off the board with the recent signings of Rhys Hoskins, Joc Pederson and now even Trey Mancini. They certainly need to act soon enough before the market begins to dry up.

Among the elite bats still available, Justin Turner and J.D. Martinez would fit the bill, as Bo Bichette recently hinted. After all, both veterans have been close to .290 hitters throughout their career, along with big time run production at the same time. Former MVP Cody Bellinger actually is the crown jewel among the group. However, at just the young age of 28 and entering his prime, it is hard to see him accepting a DH role this early in his career, especially for a former Gold Glove winner. That brings us to Jorge Soler. As one of the main power bats the Jays should have pursued ever since last year’s trade deadline, Soler is better-suited for the ballclub over Turner and Martinez since he could provide many more effective years for the Jays, compared to the two players that are heading towards their twilight years. As a result, Soler would be the perfect fit to fill the DH duties for the ballclub in 2024.