The Toronto Blue Jays may be tempted by the idea of prying Bryce Harper or Trea Turner away from the Philadelphia Phillies, but that kind of headline chase could come with a price tag too steep to justify.
Philadelphia’s reported willingness to shop both players comes after another early postseason exit, and the Blue Jays should take that for what it is: a warning sign, not an invitation. Harper and Turner are stars, no question. But the same contracts that make them movable are the ones that should make Toronto hesitate.
Turner is the easier pass. The 33-year-old just posted the worst season of his career in 2026, hitting .242/.297/.378.
That came after a 2025 campaign in which he stole 36 bases and led the National League with a .302 batting average, so the drop-off was dramatic. The numbers underneath the surface are even less encouraging.
His xWOBA sat in the 14th percentile, and his bat speed, hard-hit percentage and barrel rate all landed below average. On top of that, his work at shortstop was rough, with -10 outs above average, among the worst marks in the league.
The problem is not just performance, though. Turner is still owed roughly $27.2 million per year through 2033.
That is the kind of deal a team has to avoid unless it is getting a franchise-altering player back in return.
Harper is a more complicated conversation because his 2026 season still looked like elite production. He hit 29 home runs, posted an .865 OPS and played all 162 games for the first time in his 15-year career.
That should quiet any easy talk that he has slipped out of star territory. But the contract again hangs over everything.
Harper is signed through 2031 at more than $25 million annually, and the Phillies clearly do not want to be paying that figure when he is 38. Toronto would have to ask itself the same question: how many more peak seasons are left?
Fit matters here too, and Harper’s defensive home is part of the problem. He spent the last few years at first base, then moved back to the outfield late in the year to make room for trade deadline pickup Luis Arraez. The costly mistake he made in the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves only underscored why the Blue Jays should not be eager to build around that arrangement in 2027.
Toronto’s cleaner path is elsewhere. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is already locked in at first base, and Anthony Santander is likely to occupy the DH spot. That leaves the Blue Jays looking for a real outfielder, which makes a free agent such as Seiya Suzuki a much neater solution.
There is one scenario where Harper becomes more appealing: if Santander is moved into the field or sent elsewhere, and if the Phillies are willing to cover part of Harper’s contract. In that case, using him as a DH at a discount would make a lot more sense.
But unless that kind of setup is on the table, the Blue Jays should be careful. Big names are easy to dream on. The reason the Phillies want out is exactly why Toronto should think twice.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Face A Vladimir Guerrero Jr Decision They Can't Miss
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.s 2026 season left the Blue Jays with a bigger question than they expected to be asking so soon. A player who had long been counted on as the middle-of-the-order anchor finished with a sharply reduced power output, and the drop-off was stark enough to force Toronto to take a hard look at where things stand heading into the offseason.
For the Blue Jays, this is not just about one down year. It is about whether Guerrero can get back to the kind of impact that once made him look like one of the leagues most reliable run producers, because that answer could shape how aggressively the club moves around him this winter. The organization has to decide how much faith to place in a rebound before it starts making larger roster choices. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Need One Big Outfield Answer After Offensive Collapse
After a season in which the Blue Jays finished last in several key offensive categories, the front office enters the winter with a clear priority: find ways to score more often and take pressure off a pitching staff that did plenty of heavy lifting. General manager Ross Atkins is expected to look for help, and the outfield is one of the places where Toronto can most obviously try to raise its ceiling.
The uncertainty only adds to the urgency. George Springer may be nearing the end of his career, while Anthony Santander and Addison Barger are both trying to rebound after injury-hit seasons, leaving the lineup with too many questions and not enough certainty. Toronto does not need a marginal tweak here, it needs an answer that can stabilize the group and help lift a lineup that fell flat too often. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Risky Second Base Decision To Make
Ross Atkins has already hinted that the Blue Jays may not view second base as a settled spot for the long term, saying Ernie Clement would need to earn playing time in 2027. That alone suggests Toronto could be looking ahead to a different kind of everyday answer at the position, one with a more established offensive ceiling than the club has gotten there recently.
One name that has surfaced in that conversation is Jazz Chisholm Jr., a player whose power-speed mix would certainly fit the profile of an upgrade if Toronto decided to shop in the higher end of the market. The appeal is obvious, but so are the questions, because Chisholm is a pending free agent with a track record that comes with real upside and real risk, and there is no sign yet that the Blue Jays are actually pushing hard in that direction. [Read more 🡒]