Ross Atkins didn’t hide from the Blue Jays’ offensive mess when the season ended. He put the blame on himself, and he made it clear Toronto intends to chase real help this winter.
The numbers tell the story in blunt fashion. A year after reaching the World Series, the Blue Jays finished last in the majors with 152 home runs and 648 runs scored. Their lineup never really put together sustained pressure, and the club’s biggest bats didn’t carry the load.
Atkins owned that failure during the team’s end-of-year press conference.
“As much as we talk about run scoring, run prevention, defence, base running… There’s one person to look at for the reasons for that, and that’s me,” Atkins said, according to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
He also pointed to the lack of power as a major reason the offense stalled.
Atkins said the offence “never gained any momentum.” Mostly in part due to that lack of being able to put the ball over the wall.
He says, "When that happens, you’re relying on line drives in gaps. The contact just wasn’t enough.”
President and CEO Mark Shapiro backed up that message, saying Atkins would keep searching for ways to improve the roster and that any addition would need to be “impactful.”
The clearest areas for change are second base and the outfield. Ernie Clement was described as a useful part of the roster, but Atkins also said he would need to earn his way toward playing second base every day next season. And while Brett Bateman drew praise as a rookie, Toronto still does not sound ready to hand him 162 games in the outfield.
Asked about Brett Bateman, Ross Atkins said: “I don't think he could have transitioned any better from the minor leagues.” Cited Bateman’s moxie & baseball IQ.
Added “we need to be cautious of how much pressure we put on players.” Can’t just copy and paste 2026 for 162 games.
That leaves Toronto with obvious shopping lanes. A power-hitting middle infielder or an established corner outfielder both fit the need. Among the free agents mentioned as possible targets are Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, Seattle Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena and Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Brandon Lowe.
Suzuki has hit at least 20 home runs every season since 2023. Arozarena is headed into his sixth straight year with 20 or more homers, and while he has never topped 27 in a season, he has also never posted an ISO below .169 in a full season.
Lowe, meanwhile, just hit 35 home runs as a second baseman and had 31 the year before with the Tampa Bay Rays. Toronto’s five second basemen this past season combined for just 21 homers.
Even with outside additions, the Blue Jays still need more from within. Kazuma Okamoto led the team with 33 home runs, but the lineup can’t survive if only three other players reach double figures, especially when one of them is George Springer with 15. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. also has to bounce back from the worst season of his career.
Atkins and Shapiro have now said the quiet part out loud. After a 79-83 finish and a last-place offense, anything short of a meaningful upgrade would fall well short of what they’ve already admitted the club needs. The Blue Jays need a hitter who can change a game with one swing, and anything less would be hard to call impactful.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Just Opened A Real Winter Debate At Second Base
Ross Atkins left little doubt that Ernie Clement has value to the Blue Jays, but he also made clear that value alone will not lock down a job two years from now. The Toronto general manager praised Clement as a versatile, impactful player, yet framed the second-base picture as something the club will keep evaluating as it looks for more dependable offense and a better overall fit around the roster.
That leaves the Blue Jays with a real winter conversation on their hands, even if the calendar has not quite gotten there yet. Second base and the outfield are both areas the front office wants to complement, and Atkins pointed to free agents and internal candidates as possible ways to do it, which suggests Clement will have to keep earning trust if he wants to remain the easy answer at the position. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Gausman Just Reopened A Blue Jays Reunion Question
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For Toronto, it is enough to reopen a familiar question about whether Gausman could wind up back where he started the year. Nothing has been decided yet, but his emotional postgame interview only added fuel to the idea that his situation may not be settled, and the Blue Jays will be watching closely as the offseason starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Varsho Trade Looks Wilder After New Injury Twist
Daulton Varshos latest setback adds another layer to what has already become a complicated trade file for Toronto. The outfielder underwent left arthroscopic wrist surgery after landing on the injured list with inflammation, a development that traces back to cysts that had been limiting his wrist mobility for months, including while he was still with the Blue Jays. For a player whose value has always been tied to defense, athleticism and left-handed thump, the news only underscores how much the wrist issue has been hanging over his season.
On Torontos side of the deal, pitcher Spencer Arrighetti has not delivered immediate returns since the deadline, but the organization still views him as part of its long-term picture. That leaves this trade looking less like a clean exchange and more like one of those front-office decisions that keeps changing shape as new injury information comes out. Varshos operation does not resolve the bigger question around what Toronto really got, only makes the original move look even more layered. [Read more 🡒]