The Blue Jays know the offense has to get better this winter. After an ugly team-wide showing at the plate in 2026, there’s no real debate about that. The harder question is where the upgrades should come from, especially with the premium spots in the lineup already spoken for at the infield corners and in center field.
That leaves the middle infield as the clearest place to hunt for help. Second base and shortstop weren’t disasters for Toronto, but they also didn’t give the club much punch.
The Blue Jays got a 1.7 fWAR season from second basemen, which ranked 17th, and a 2.6 fWAR mark from shortstops, good for 18th. At the plate, the production was even less encouraging.
Led by Ernie Clement, second basemen posted a 92 wRC+, while the shortstop group - made up only of Clement and Andrés Giménez - came in at 78 wRC+.
That’s why FanSided’s idea of a CJ Abrams blockbuster has gotten attention. The 26-year-old infielder would give Toronto the kind of bat it has been missing, and he’d do it in a hurry.
Abrams hit 33 homers and stole 34 bases this season, and his 124 wRC+ would have ranked second on the Blue Jays, trailing only Brett Bateman. After the club failed to properly replace Bo Bichette’s production, Abrams would go a long way toward filling that void.
But the fit comes with real complications.
The biggest one is the price. Abrams is still under contract for two more years, and getting him would almost certainly mean dipping into a thin farm system and parting with valuable young pitching. After the injuries Toronto dealt with in 2026, that’s not a small ask.
Then there’s the glove. Abrams has piled up -63 Outs Above Average at shortstop over his career, a number that’s hard to ignore at a position where the Blue Jays have already spent years making peace with imperfect defense. That kind of play is a lot to absorb at such an important spot.
FanSided’s scenario has Abrams moving to second base full time once he arrives in Toronto, but that idea may not come without friction. His agent publicly pushed back when the Nationals asked him to make that change.
And if Abrams slides over, someone has to move out, which would likely squeeze either Giménez or Clement. Clement, in particular, may fit better in a utility role anyway.
For a Blue Jays team that finished last in the AL East, there’s plenty of reason to think twice before going all-in on a player with obvious flaws and only a couple of years of control left. Still, if Toronto is serious about reshaping a weak lineup, Abrams is one of the few available names who can genuinely move the needle.
In Other News...
Former Blue Jays Pitcher Just Took An Unexpected Turn After Baseball
After his playing days ended, Matt Shoemaker has turned to a very different kind of public service. The former Blue Jays pitcher won a seat on the Saline Area Schools Board of Education in Michigan during the 2026 midterm elections, a move that puts him in line to help shape decisions in the community where he lives.
Shoemaker secured one of three four-year seats on the board, running on a message centered on supporting education and his local community. The race was close enough that the official canvass still matters, but the result already marks an unexpected next chapter for a pitcher who once made his name on a big league mound. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Face One Risky Catch In Their Clay Holmes Pursuit
The Blue Jays are weighing a familiar kind of offseason gamble as they look at Clay Holmes, the former Yankees closer who has reinvented himself as a starter. Holmes put together a solid season overall, and his transition to the rotation has made him an intriguing option for clubs looking for pitching help without paying top-of-the-market prices. For Toronto, the appeal is obvious: a veteran arm with a track record, a starters workload and enough versatility to fit into a number of different plans.
Still, there is some reason for caution before the Blue Jays commit too much to the idea. Holmes showed some signs of wearing down after moving to the Cubs, and the bigger concern is how his profile would translate behind a Toronto defense that has not exactly been a strength. If the Jays do move forward, they may need to be careful about the contract value they attach to him, because the fit could be a little less forgiving than it looks on paper. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Got Pulled Into A Bigger Japanese Slugger Debate
The Blue Jays may not be done shaping their international profile after landing Kazuma Okamoto, because another Japanese bat is now drawing even louder buzz around the league. MLB insider Bob Nightengale has put Teruaki Sato in the kind of financial range that immediately changes the conversation, with the free agent third baseman suddenly looking like one of the most coveted names on the market.
Satos appeal is obvious after a huge season in Japan, where he put together the kind of offensive year that gets front offices dreaming about a seamless transition to MLB. For Toronto, the intrigue is less about the rumor itself and more about what it says about the market they just helped open up, since the next wave of Japanese talent could come with a price tag that tests even the boldest bidder. [Read more 🡒]