The Blue Jays are heading into the offseason with money to spend, but one of the stranger free-agent links already on the board comes from Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer: Jazz Chisholm Jr. as the top landing spot for Toronto.
It’s an eyebrow-raiser for a few reasons, starting with the fact that it would mean shaking up a familiar spot on the infield. Rymer pointed to Ernie Clement, who was the AL’s leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game this year, and acknowledged the awkward fit before making his case.
"Ernie Clement was the AL's leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game this year. Would the Blue Jays really bump him off second base for Chisholm?"
Rymer writes. "Well, yeah.
Or at least, they should."
The idea is straightforward enough: Chisholm would give Toronto a boost offensively and step in as the starting second baseman, with Clement sliding elsewhere if the Blue Jays wanted to make it work. Clement’s versatility gives the club some options, since he could handle third base or shortstop, and even the outfield if that’s how Toronto chose to arrange its lineup.
Still, the fit is far from clean. Chisholm is expected to chase a significant contract in free agency, and that alone could put the Blue Jays in a tricky spot. His 2026 season with the Yankees was a step back, which makes the idea of Toronto paying top dollar for him even more complicated.
Chisholm finished the year with 1.7 bWAR in 471 at-bats, batting .231 with 19 home runs and a 97 OPS+, his lowest mark since 2021. The Yankees got strong production from him in 2025, but that level of impact didn’t carry over this season.
That’s what makes the Blue Jays connection feel so unusual. In a pure talent sense, Chisholm brings plenty to like: he’ll be 29 next season, and he still offers the kind of power-speed profile teams covet from a second baseman.
Even so, Toronto may have better places to put its money after a down year from Chisholm. The Blue Jays remain a team to watch in his free-agent sweepstakes, but as a top landing spot, the pairing stands out as one of the oddest early offseason links.
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