The free agent that makes the most sense for the Blue Jays from each tier

There are plenty of free agents to consider this offseason with 138 players making up this years class. But not all of those free agents are created equal and there are some that are going to command a far greater effort to acquire. MLB.com recently put all 138 of those players into different tiered rankings and there are players from each category that could fit the Toronto Blue Jays needs.

While the Blue Jays could fill all of their needs from one specific tier over another, it's unlikely to happen. Here is a look at the free agent who makes the most sense from each of those tiers.

The free agent that makes the most sense for the Blue Jays from each tier

Tier 1: 1B Pete Alonso, OF Cody Bellinger, SS Bo Bichette, 3B Alex Bregman, RHP Dylan Cease, RHP Tatsuya Imai, RHP Michael King, DH/OF Kyle Schwarber, LHP Ranger Suárez, OF Kyle Tucker, LHP Framber Valdez

This is basically an All-Star team tier. While the Blue Jays should be shopping for a couple of players at this level, it will be hard for them to land multiple guys and in this experiement, the player that makes the most sense is Bichette.

Bringing back their home grown star on a lengthy contract to play up the middle (at either shortstop or second base) should be their top priority. Bichette proved that when he was healthy he was one of the best hitters in the game with 18 home runs, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS. Even when he wasn't 100% as he was in the World Series, he still managed to post great numbers, slashing .348/.444/.478.

Tier 2: RHP Edwin Diaz, RHP Zac Gallen, RHP Merrill Kelly, 1B/3B Muentaka Murakami, INF Kazuma Okamoto, 2B Jorge Polanco, C Jorge Polanco, 3B Eugenio Suárez, RHP Robert Suarez

The Blue Jays would love to add some dominance to the back end of the bullpen. Even General Manager Ross Atkins says the incumbent closer, Jeff Hoffman, isn't married to the idea of being the team's only ninth inning option. While the Blue Jays could certainly use one of the infielders coming over from Japan, it feels like this is the area where the Blue Jays are willing to outbid other teams to get the guy they want and the guy they want is Edwin Diaz.

The Blue Jays have reportedly already been in talks with the agents of Diaz and while they have rarely given out huge money contracts to relievers, they also have not been shy about saying this is an area they need to upgrade. Diaz was once again up at the top of league among relievers in 2025 with 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched. He had a WHIP of 0.87 and hitters batted .164 against him.

Tier 3 includes: 1B Luis Arráez, RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Pete Faribanks, RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Ryan Helsley and more...

There are plenty of bargains to be had in this group, including bringing back Bassitt, who spent the last three seasons with Toronto. But if the Blue Jays wanted to really deepen their lineup and give themselves a chance to be even better at putting the ball in play, then Arráez is the choice here.

Arráez led the National League with 181 hits, even though 2025 was just the second time in his career in which he hit under .300 in a season, finishing the year with a .292 average. He would also fit in perfectly with the Blue Jays makeup of being a team that doesn't expand the zone, doesn't chase and for the most part, doesn't strikeout. Arráez did all those things, ranking in the 100th percentile in whiff percentage and strikeout rate.

Yes, the Blue Jays would also benefit from adding some pop to the middle of their order, but if they can sign the 29-year-old Venezuelan to a team friendly deal, he would be a perfect bat for this group no matter where Manager John Schneider decides to put him in the order.

Tier 4 includes: Tyler Anderson, Shawn Armstrong, Walker Buehler, Willi Castro, Aaron Civale, Patrick Corbin, Paul Goldschmidt, Randal Grichuk, Carlos Santana, Gregory Soto and more...

This is a crazy big group of guys who had varying ranges of success in 2025 and most of them are in their early to mid-30's meaning they are all likely past their prime. But there are a few diamonds in the rough in this group, including Shawn Armstrong.

Armstrong had a terrific season in the Rangers bullpen. He was worth 1.5 bWAR with a 2.31 ERA, recording 74 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched while only walking 20 batters. His WHIP sat at 0.811 and his HR/9 rate was 0.6. For a Blue Jays bullpen that allowed a lot of home runs in 2025, adding a guy who can keep the ball in the ball park would be an excellent addition.

Tier 5: Danny Jansen, Derek Law, Amed Rosario, Michael Soroka, Lane Thomas, Max Scherzer, Kirby Yates and more...

Speaking of diamonds in the rough, this group was made up of 58 players who will likely be signing one year deals. Sure, there are teams who might've liked what they brought to the table in 2025 and want to add on an extra year or two, but there were no tremendous standouts.

However, among that group Rosario feels like he's still got plenty to offer. The 30-year-old utility player played second, short, third, and in the outfield in 2025 and in 62 games split between the Nationals and the Yankees he hit a combined .276/.309/.436 with six home runs. For the Blue Jays, Rosario could fill the Isiah-Kiner Falefa roll, but be an upgrade on both sides of the ball.