The Blue Jays’ offseason blueprint must address these 4 roster needs

After completely missing out on the playoffs one year after making it to Game 7 of the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays have several areas to address before 2027: starting rotation depth, second base, outfield, and bullpen depth.

The Blue Jays front office has said this offseason will be business as usual, and that they will have to be nimble and ready for whatever impact the CBA will have. The Blue Jays are fortunate their owner, Rogers Communications, is willing to spend money.

World Series are never won on paper. The 2013 offseason proved that for the Blue Jays. But the work that is done over the offseason can help them get to that point.

How the Blue Jays can address their biggest offseason needs

Add at least one starter

Last offseason the Blue Jays added a lot of starting pitching, but even that was not enough as injuries piled up. This offseason, they currently have four pitchers locked into a rotation spot: Dylan Cease, José Soriano, Trey Yesavage, and Cody Ponce. They will need at least one starting pitcher to fill out the fifth spot.

If the Blue Jays want a long-term commitment, they could look at the top of the market at Tarik Skubal. Just under him are Michael King ($32 million opt-out), Freddy Peralta, Trevor Rogers, or Adrian Morejon.

There are also lots of shorter term contracts to be had with pitchers such as Sonny Gray ($30 million mutual option), Shōta Imanaga, and BC native Nick Pivetta ($14 million opt-out) among others.

A reunion with Kevin Gausman and / or Shane Bieber shouldn't be ruled out either. If the Blue Jays want to go the trade route to find a starter, there are also several options they could look at.

Add an outfielder

In 2025, the Blue Jays were tied for 11th in home runs with 191. In 2026, they ranked dead last with only 152. Regression from key hitters and injuries to others were the culprit for the power outage, but the Blue Jays can not solely rely on bounce backs to solve their power issues.

One of their biggest needs is an outfielder as they currently have Brett Bateman, Anthony Santander, Addison Barger, and Nathan Lukes as options in the outfield. Santander and Barger and recovering from their respective injuries and to expect they will be back to their old form immediately would be too optimistic.

There are several options in free agency that they Blue Jays can look to. After Okamoto had a successful first season, the Blue Jays could dip back into the free agent market in Japan with Teruaki Sato. Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, or Jake Bauers should also be considerations at bigger salaries.

If the Blue Jays are looking for short-term options, they could look at Taylor Ward, Ian Happ, or Luis Robert Jr. If they are unable to find an outfielder in free agency, they could turn their attention to the trade market.

Add a second baseman

The Blue Jays would be better off upgrading second base. Ernie Clement has shown that he is better in a utility role rather than as an every day player. The second base class is headlined by Brandon Lowe, who will likely command a long-term deal.

After Lowe, there is Jazz Chisholm and Luis Arraez. Chisholm is coming off a down season hitting .231/312/.399 with 19 home runs, 55 RBI, 40 stolen bases, and a 98 wRC+. He could look for a short-term deal. Arraez is another option though he is not an ideal candidate given his hitting profile does not fit the team's needs.

If the Blue Jays want a one-year commitment, they could look at Gleyber Torres who is also coming off an injury-riddled season as he hit .260/.364/.363 with a 109 wRC+. By not committing long-term to a second baseman, that could open the door for top prospect JoJo Parker, who does not project to stick at shortstop long-term and could be up as soon as 2028.

On the trade market, the top second baseman that could be available is Ketel Marte. Marte had a dust up in August where he did not show up to the ballpark for a game against the Red Sox and was promptly placed on the restricted list. He was later placed on the injured list.

Given the rocky relationship, the two sides could be heading towards a divorce. It would be costly to acquire Marte has he possesses one of the more valuable contracts in the league as he would make roughly $19 million per season while putting up at least 4.3 WAR seasons prior to this year.

Add relief depth

The Blue Jays have a deep bullpen headlined by closer Louis Varland, along with Tyler Rogers, Mason Fluharty, and Braydon Fisher. Spencer Miles should be given the chance to start and if cannot make the transition, he can always defer back to relief.

Beyond those names, there are many ways the Blue Jays can look to add to their depth. They could look at the Rule 5 draft, free agency, or trade.

Given their success with Miles, it would not hurt to look at the Rule 5 draft again. Giving long-term deals to free agent relievers is always risky given the volatility. The Blue Jays should look at short-term deals instead if there are any to be had and lefties such as Gregory Soto, AJ Puk or Sean Newcomb could be the main targets.

The Blue Jays do not need to "make a splash" with every single move, but they cannot afford to leave major holes unaddressed. Following this blueprint would give the Blue Jays a much better chance of returning to contention.

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