The Blue Jays have a simple offseason problem to solve, and Eugenio Suárez looks like a clean answer.
If Toronto wants a right-handed power bat once the offseason opens, Suárez checks the biggest box on the list. He put together a 26-homer season with the Cincinnati Reds despite an injury-marred first half, and that total would have ranked second on the Blue Jays behind only rookie sensation Kazuma Okamoto.
The fit isn’t perfect, though, and that’s where the decision gets interesting. Suárez is a full-time designated hitter at this stage of his career, while Anthony Santander appears set to handle that spot for Toronto. Even so, there’s a strong case for making room.
Suárez’s .740 OPS doesn’t tell the full story. Once he finally got healthy, his bat took off in a big way.
An oblique strain in April and then a hand injury at the end of June slowed him down early, but he rebounded to post an .852 OPS in August and an even better .935 OPS in September. Over those two months, he added 12 home runs and 35 RBIs.
For a stretch, he looked much more like the version of himself who hit 49 home runs in 2025 than the hitter who spent much of the first half with a batting average under .200. And it’s easy to lose sight of the bigger picture with Suárez: he has 351 career home runs over 13 seasons.
The defensive side of the equation isn’t pretty. Suárez is a bad third baseman, and he’ll always strike out a lot. But if he’s parked at DH, the Blue Jays can work around the glove issue, and their lineup has enough contact hitters to help offset the swing-and-miss.
Santander is the real complication. He could still deliver similar offense if he’s healthy, but the question is whether Toronto can trust him to stay on the field. He missed the entire 2026 season after one setback after another, and counting on him feels risky.
Toronto needs more impact in 2027, and power is the obvious place to start. Suárez has been one of the more dependable sources of that kind of production over the last decade, usually good for 30 homers and at least 150 games. That kind of bat would have come in handy on the 2026 club.
Maybe Santander bounces back next season and proves the skepticism wrong. Maybe he lives up to the contract.
But there’s also the chance he gets hurt again, or never gets back to the level he showed when healthy in 2025. That’s too much uncertainty to lock him into the DH role.
Suárez shouldn’t be Toronto’s only answer on offense, and he isn’t a flawless player. But he is a legitimate slugger who would improve the lineup, and he likely wouldn’t come at a prohibitive cost. If there’s mutual interest, the Blue Jays shouldn’t let Santander’s status talk them out of pursuing him.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Reunion With Bo Bichette Looks Further Away Than Ever
Bo Bichettes path back to Toronto looks increasingly complicated after a 2026 season that produced a .702 OPS and left plenty of room for questions about what comes next. He had said during the offseason that he and the Blue Jays stayed in contact, but no deal came together, and now the sense around the situation is that the reunion many fans once circled is drifting further out of reach.
The complication is tied to his current contract situation, which gives him a clear choice to make after the season. If Bichette goes through with it, the Blue Jays will be watching from afar as a once-familiar face commits his future elsewhere, and any realistic talk of a 2027 return in Toronto fades with it. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Power Search Just Revived A Familiar Debate
Torontos search for more thump has brought a familiar name back into the conversation, with the club reportedly showing interest in reuniting with a former outfielder to help jump-start an offense that has needed more power. The fit is obvious on paper: a proven bat who knows the market, knows the pressure, and could give the lineup a different look if the Blue Jays decide to push further down that road.
The catch is the same one that always follows this sort of idea. He is coming off a season slowed by injuries, his production has dipped, and any move would have to make sense for a front office weighing upside against risk. There is also the question of whether the price and timing line up, which leaves this one in the familiar category of intriguing, but far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Face One Big Free Agency Decision This Winter
With winter free agency on the horizon, the Blue Jays are once again being linked to the Japanese market, and Jim Bowden sees Toronto as a club that could make a serious run at two of the most intriguing names available. Seiya Suzuki, an established MLB outfielder, and Hiromi Itoh, a pitcher with a strong NPB rsum, both fit the kind of cross-league talent the Blue Jays have shown interest in before, especially if they are looking for impact without limiting themselves to one path.
Bowden put a price tag on the chase as well, projecting Suzuki for a five-year, $120 million deal and Itoh for two years at $22 million. The bigger question for Toronto is which direction it leans if it gets into the mix, since both players would address different needs and both would draw competition from other teams expected to be involved. [Read more 🡒]