Which newly minted free agents make the most sense for the Blue Jays to pursue?

The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be quite active in the free agent market this offseason as they look to upgrade their roster for the 2026 season. With all possibilities in play, ranging from promising depth prospects to potential star signings, the Blue Jays will look for the missing pieces to their contending puzzle.

But with the non-tender deadline coming and going this past week, a few more intriguing names have suddenly entered the chat after not getting tendered a contract for the upcoming season. So which of these newly minted free agents would make the most sense for the Blue Jays to pursue?

Which newly minted free agents make the most sense for the Blue Jays to pursue?

RP Mark Leiter Jr.

For reliever Mark Leiter Jr., his tenure with the New York Yankees hasn’t been what he had hoped after posting a 4.89 ERA and 1.59 WHIP during his past two seasons with the ballclub. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he had established himself as a reliable reliever in the league during his time with the Chicago Cubs.

Sporting a solid 3.85 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, along with 203 strikeouts in 168.1 innings pitched over 143 appearances between 2022 to 2024, Leiter became a key cog in the Cubs bullpen as a result. More significantly, despite being a right-handed pitcher, he is tough against left-handed hitters holding them to just a .227 average and .680 OPS for his career. 

Leiter was rather underwhelming during his first go-around with the Blue Jays in 2018 after he was claimed off waivers from the Philadelphia Phillies. He ended up posting a dismal 13.50 ERA and gave up 10 earned runs on 13 hits in just 6.2 total innings over eight appearances in the final month of the season. As a result, the Blue Jays should consider reuniting with their former pitcher to give him a chance to redeem himself in his second stint with the now much more polished contender.

RP Evan Phillips

It was a surprise to see reliever Evan Phillips be non-tendered by the Los Angeles Dodgers this offseason. After all, Phillips had been one of their most trusted bullpen arms during the past five years. In 201 games with the Dodgers, the 31-year-old right-hander compiled a 15-9 record along with 45 saves, 2.22 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 221 strikeouts in just 195 innings of work.

More importantly, he played a key role as part of the postseason bullpen posse by holding the opposition scoreless over 12 playoff appearances to carry the Dodgers to their 2024 World Series win.

Perhaps the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025 that will likely put him out of action for a fair chunk of the upcoming 2026 season has casted some doubt on his future with the ballclub. Or maybe the Dodgers just want to restructure his contract and find some way to sign him back.

Nevertheless, it opens the prime opportunity for the Blue Jays to swoop in to add a high-valued arm that they can stash away until he is healthy for the second half of 2026, much like how they did with Chad Green a few years ago.

OF Adolis Garcia

Finally, the most intriguing player the Blue Jays should pursue is former two-time All-Star Adolis Garcia. For a team that has been constantly looking for a power bat to inject into the lineup, Garcia would be exactly what Toronto needs. With the ability to average 30 home runs and close to 100 RBIs a season over a full 162-game schedule pace, he would instantly provide a huge offensive upgrade in the middle of the Blue Jays lineup.

What likely has led to the Texas Rangers non-tendering Garcia is the fact that the 32-year-old outfielder has seen his numbers decline in each of the past two seasons, in particular his OPS falling below the .700 mark. Even so, he has still managed to post 19+ home runs and 75+ RBIs along with double-digit stolen bases for both 2024 and 2025.

For those that need some inspiration that Garcia can potentially rediscover his dominant form, look no further than to George Springer. Springer had a similar decline during his previous two seasons with the Blue Jays and look at how he bounced back this past season to take home Silver Slugger honours.

So perhaps a change of scenery in joining a legitimate contender in the Blue Jays could provide the spark for Garcia to gain his mojo back and be the Springer of 2026 for Toronto.