The Red Sox have already started trimming their outfield surplus, but the real problem is still sitting there. Trading Nate Eaton to the Athletics helped a little, yet Boston still has more outfielders than places to play them, and the Blue Jays are the club most likely to circle one name: Ceddanne Rafaela.
Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu are set in center and right field after strong 2026 seasons. Rafaela made his first All-Star team, while Abreu started 153 games.
Both are under team control for years, which makes them tough to pry loose. Roman Anthony is still seen as the long-term answer in left field, and Kristian Campbell is waiting for his chance.
That leaves Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida as the more obvious pieces Boston could move.
Duran is the cleaner trade candidate on paper, but his stock has slipped. He hit .207/.266/.361 with 20 homers and 69 RBI, and he finished in the bottom five among 135 qualified hitters in batting average, on-base percentage and wRC+ at 69.
Yoshida is the other name to watch. He’s owed $18 million next season, and while he produced a respectable .274/.347/.399 line in 87 games, he only hit five home runs. At 32, he could even be released if Boston can’t find a trade partner.
For Toronto, though, the fit gets tricky fast. Duran and Yoshida are both left-handed bats, which leaves Rafaela as the only Red Sox outfielder who really matches what the Blue Jays would want. The issue is that Rafaela is under contract through 2031 with an AAV of $6.25 million, and he’s still getting better.
The 26-year-old right-handed hitter has gone deep exactly 16 times in each of the past two seasons, and he struck out exactly 117 times in both. In 2026, he took a clear step forward offensively, hitting .285/.321/.444 with a .764 OPS and a 110 wRC+. He also improved his quality of contact, lifting his line-drive rate to 22.8% from 17.2% in 2025 while cutting his soft-contact rate from 18% to 15.2%.
Rafaela brings more than just the bat. He stole 17 bases last year and 20 the year before, and his defense has been outstanding. In 2026 he posted a +16 OAA and +16 FRV, after going +22 and +22 in 2025.
The Blue Jays would love to get their hands on him, and so would plenty of other teams. But from Boston’s side, moving him doesn’t make much sense. He’s the only Red Sox outfielder Toronto would realistically target as the club tries to clear space.
There’s another wrinkle, too: Toronto doesn’t have to help Boston at all. In fact, it can make life harder for the Red Sox by beating them to the free-agent outfield market. Both teams are left-handed heavy right now, and both are expected to chase right-handed or switch-hitting options such as Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena or Ian Happ.
Arozarena has hit at least 20 homers and stolen at least 20 bases in each of the last six seasons. This year he put together a career-best .281/.381/.484 line with 34 doubles, 26 homers and 26 steals, and he led the AL with 113 runs scored.
Suzuki is coming off the best season of his MLB career, slashing .270/.368/.473 with 26 homers and a 131 OPS+. Over the past five seasons, he has averaged more than 20 homers a year, and his OPS+ has been at least 125 over the last four.
Happ has also been steady for years, with at least 20 homers in five of the past six seasons. He hit 24 home runs in 2026 and posted a .326 on-base percentage, though his batting average fell to .218 and his strikeout rate climbed.
A trade for Rafaela would be the dream scenario for Toronto, but it would almost certainly come at the cost of one of its own rising prospects. The more realistic play is to force Boston into tougher choices by taking away its other options and leaving the Red Sox to deal with Duran or Yoshida.
In Other News...
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Halloween in Toronto had a distinctly Blue Jays flavor this year, and one of the most recognizable faces around the club was right in the middle of it. Fans dressed up as Sportsnet on-field reporter Hazel Mae, leaning into her signature red pantsuit and even carrying a Sportsnet microphone, a tribute that fit neatly alongside other costumes inspired by players and memorable game moments.
Mae noticed the attention and shared photos of the fan getups on her social media, adding her own response to the unexpected honor. It was the kind of playful, very baseball-specific nod that says as much about how closely Blue Jays fans follow the team as it does about the people who cover it, and it left one funny little question hanging in the air about just how far the tribute really goes. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Have A Real Opening In This High Stakes Free Agent Chase
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There is also a small but notable connection already in place. Skubal has been training this offseason with Bowden Francis, giving the Blue Jays a little extra familiarity in a chase that figures to draw plenty of attention. Francis remains on the comeback trail from Tommy John surgery, with a return not expected until 2027, so Torontos pitching picture is still very much in flux as the front office weighs how aggressively to pursue a high-end addition. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Could Find Rotation Value In A Risky Familiar Name
Nick Pivetta is suddenly on the market, and that alone makes him a name worth circling for a Blue Jays club that could use more rotation certainty. The right-hander still showed strong performance metrics when he was on the mound, which is why his profile remains interesting even after a season interrupted by health issues.
For Toronto, the appeal is obvious if the medicals check out. The Jays need innings and upside, and Pivetta could fit as the kind of lower-cost gamble that sometimes pays off in a pitching market where proven arms are rarely cheap. The question now is whether a team looking for value can feel comfortable enough to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]