The Blue Jays are already being linked to one of the more appealing bats in next month’s free-agent class, with Toronto expected to pursue Chicago Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki.
That buzz comes after a rough 2026 season for the Blue Jays, who missed the playoffs after a magical 2025 campaign. Injuries and other factors kept Toronto from ever finding a true rhythm, and the club is now looking ahead to 2027 with free agency as the first place to make noise.
Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported that the Jays are expected to chase Suzuki once he reaches the market, and that interest has only added to the early offseason chatter around Toronto.
The fit makes sense on paper. Suzuki is coming off a season in which he hit 26 home runs and 31 doubles, drove in 86 runs and drew 81 walks. That kind of production would fill a clear need for the Blue Jays, who were short on thump this season, with only Kazuma Okamoto topping 15 homers.
As SI’s Maddy Dickens put it, Toronto should be targeting Suzuki as the best answer for general manager Ross Atkins. She also noted that “One of the best aspects of Suzuki's game is that he has pop in the bat,” and pointed to the power the Jays lacked across the lineup.
Suzuki’s profile goes beyond the stick, too. The former Silver Slugger finalist would bring an “absolute cannon for an arm,” giving Toronto another valuable piece as it tries to add talent and prove its disappointing 2026 season was a fluke.
Dickens also pointed back to the aggressive approach Toronto took last winter, when Atkins landed Dylan Cease, Spencer Miles, Tyler Rogers and Kazuma Okamoto in a short stretch. The idea now is simple: if the Blue Jays want to reset their World Series hopes, they’ll need to keep attacking the market just as hard.
In Other News...
Cubs Fans Have A Real Reason To Watch Seattles Manager Search
Rocco Baldelli taking himself out of the running for Seattles managerial opening narrows the focus of a search that has already moved into its advanced stages. The Mariners are trying to replace Dan Wilson, who said he would not return for the 2027 season, and the front office has made clear it is looking for an experienced hand to guide the club forward.
For Cubs fans, the watch list is now much smaller, with Joe Espada and Jason Kanzler the only publicly known names still in the mix. However this shakes out, Seattles choice could have ripple effects beyond the Northwest, especially for a Cubs team always keeping an eye on the managerial market and the familiar names who tend to circulate through it. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Would Face A Painful Trade-Off In Any CJ Abrams Pursuit
The Cubs are already heading into the winter with a familiar roster puzzle, and the outfield figures to be part of it. Ian Happ looks like the safer bet to stay in place, while Seiya Suzuki remains the more complicated piece as the front office weighs how best to balance the lineup, the defense and the overall fit of the roster. Any move they make there will ripple through the rest of the offseason plans.
Against that backdrop, the idea of chasing CJ Abrams from Washington only sharpens the challenge. Abrams has flashed enough at the plate to make him intriguing, but a deal of that magnitude would not come cheap, and Chicago would be forced to answer a hard question about where its resources are best spent. The Cubs need pitching help, the Nationals would surely ask for plenty, and even as a roster-building thought exercise, it is the kind of trade-off that makes sense in theory and gets much tougher in practice. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Face A Risky Power Bat Question This Offseason
Eugenio Suarezs one-year return to Cincinnati gave the veteran slugger exactly the sort of platform he needed heading into another trip to free agency. He finished with a 104 OPS+, 26 home runs and 74 RBIs, a reminder that even late in his career, there is still real pull in his right-handed power. With a mutual option for 2027 expected to be declined, he looks set to reach the open market again.
For the Cubs, that makes Suarez a name to watch if their offseason takes a damaging turn in the power department. Chicago could be in the market for a designated hitter type who can lengthen the lineup, especially if it loses bats such as Seiya Suzuki. Suarez would not solve every problem, but he fits the profile of a short-term run producer a contender can justify pursuing if the market breaks right. [Read more 🡒]
