The Blue Jays are once again staring at an offseason where the biggest names are in play, and that’s become part of the franchise’s identity. Toronto has chased Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Kyle Tucker in recent winters, and while those swings haven’t landed, the message has been clear: Rogers is willing to spend to chase a championship.
That spending power matters now because this roster has holes to fill. George Springer, Max Scherzer, Shane Bieber, and Yimi García are among the pending free agents, and the Blue Jays also brought in Patrick Corbin, Jameson Taillon, Paul Sewald, and Luis Urías during the season.
According to Spotrac, Toronto’s projected payroll for 2026 sits at $315M, fifth in the Majors. Looking ahead to 2027, the club already has $208M committed, including Straw’s $1.75M buyout if they choose to take it, though that figure does not include arbitration.
If the Blue Jays let the expiring deals walk, they would open up at least $53.6M from the payroll, not counting Corbin, Taillon, Sewald, and Urías because their salaries were below $1M. There’s also the arbitration layer to sort through.
MLB Trade Rumors projected eight arb-eligible players for Toronto: Ernie Clement, José Soriano, Josh Smith, Bowden Francis, Spencer Arrighetti, Louis Varland, Nathan Lukes, and Davis Schneider. Tendering everyone at those projections would push the payroll to $236M.
The needs are pretty straightforward: another outfielder, a second baseman, a starter, and some bullpen depth. If Toronto got back near its 2026 spending level, it would have roughly $80M to work with. That’s enough room to chase real impact.
Brandon Lowe is the headliner at second base, projected at $25M per year. He’s coming off a career year in which he hit .260/.331/.493 with 35 home runs, 96 RBI, and a 121 wRC+, while producing 4.9 fWAR thanks in large part to a major defensive jump at second.
Before 2026, Lowe had mostly been a negative at the keystone. Last season, he posted a strong +15 OAA.
He would be a huge upgrade over Clement, though Toronto would have to decide whether that defensive surge is real. Even in a weak free-agent class, Lowe stands out.
If the Blue Jays miss on Lowe, Ketel Marte is the trade route to watch. With his relationship with the Diamondbacks said to be deteriorating and Arizona looking to trim payroll, the timing lines up.
Marte has one of the best contracts in the game, has produced 6.0 fWAR seasons in the past, and is still owed less than $20M annually. The catch is obvious: the prospect package would be steep, and he’d be entering his age-33 season next year.
Toronto could also look overseas for help. Teruaki Sato, projected at $20M per year, would fit as a bat behind Vladimir Guerrero and could handle an outfield spot, likely left field. The Blue Jays have already shown they’re willing to explore the Japanese market after Kazuma Okamoto broke the single-season franchise record for most home runs by a rookie, and Sato’s age could push the price even higher.
Seiya Suzuki is another name that fits the same lane, though he’s projected a bit higher at $25M per year. He had a career season offensively and defensively, posting a +5 OAA after usually grading out as a negative defender, aside from a +1 OAA in 2023.
He also doesn’t chase much, which would help a Blue Jays lineup that did too much of that in 2026. Suzuki has experience in left field, so the fit is clean if Toronto wants another middle-of-the-order bat.
On the pitching side, Adrian Morejon is an interesting upside play at $15M per year. Recent years have shown how relievers can move into rotation roles after signing, with Reynaldo Lopez and Clay Holmes as the examples.
Morejon would be younger than both were when they made that jump, entering free agency at 28 for 2027. Given Toronto’s ability to develop pitchers, there’s a real case that he could return surplus value as a starter.
He could join a rotation mix with Cease, Soriano, Yesavage, and Ponce.
The bullpen doesn’t need to be the priority, but it could still use another arm, especially from the left side. Mason Fluharty is one option, while Brendon Little remains difficult to trust despite a strong second half.
Puk is also coming back from Tommy John surgery, and if he’s healthy, he was dominant as a lefty. A one-year prove-it deal would make sense there.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Have A Bullpen Reunion Option Fans Will Notice
Taylor Rogers is already talking like a pitcher who is planning for one more run, and the Blue Jays are part of the conversation. After finishing his 11th major league season, the left-hander said he wants to keep pitching into his age-36 season, with either a return to Minnesota or a move to Toronto on the table.
For Blue Jays fans, the appeal is obvious because Toronto would mean a reunion with his twin brother, Tyler, in the same clubhouse. Taylor Rogers also still brings more than just the family angle, having posted average pitching metrics in 2026 while providing a veteran presence in the Twins bullpen, which leaves open the possibility of a new contract and a potentially familiar face for Toronto if the fit comes together. [Read more 🡒]
Davis Schneider Is Showing Blue Jays Exactly What Hell Need In 2027
Davis Schneider spent much of the 2026 season shuttling between Toronto and Triple-A, the sort of up-and-down year that can test a players standing as much as his confidence. For the Blue Jays, though, the bigger takeaway may be that he kept treating every stop as part of the same job, staying upbeat about the chance to keep playing professionally and keep getting better even when the roster moves sent him back and forth.
His major league numbers never found a steady rhythm early, and a low on-base rate helped explain why the club kept looking elsewhere for stretches. But Schneiders strong finish in September gave Toronto a more encouraging final look, one that suggests he could still have a path back into the conversation when the Blue Jays start sorting out their 2027 roster plans. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs May Already Regret Their Kevin Gausman Gamble
The Cubs took their swing on Kevin Gausman at the 2026 trade deadline, betting that a veteran arm in the final year of his deal could steady a rotation built for October. Instead, his Chicago stint lasted barely long enough to matter in the postseason, with Gausman appearing in only one playoff game before the Cubs were bounced in the Wild Card round. For a club trying to build around a more reliable pitching structure, it was the kind of short-term gamble that can linger well beyond the final out.
Now Chicago has to sort through what comes next, while Gausman's own future remains uncertain. Reports have suggested he may not continue his MLB career, though a return to the Blue Jays is also on the table, adding another layer to a story that already looks messy from the Cubs' side. For Toronto, it's a reminder of how quickly a familiar arm can move from one club's deadline bet to another's offseason question. [Read more 🡒]