The Blue Jays have a path to chase impact bats this winter, but the qualifying-offer system may end up nudging them toward a different tier of target.
Toronto has been linked to Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena and Brandon Lowe, all of whom received qualifying offers. That matters because the draft-pick compensation attached to those players can make the price too steep. The Jays can still go after them, but the market gives them another lane: free agents who come without that extra cost.
That’s where Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ian Happ enter the picture. The Yankees and Cubs chose not to extend qualifying offers to either player, which leaves both available without draft pick compensation. For a Blue Jays club that needs help at second base and is also looking for a right-handed-hitting outfielder with some pop, that opens the door.
Lowe would fill the infield need, coming off a 35-homer, 4.9 fWAR season. Suzuki and Arozarena fit the outfield profile, and both bring serious production.
Suzuki posted a 134 wRC+ and was worth 4.5 fWAR. Arozarena turned in a 20-20 season, though the numbers were even louder than that: 26 home runs, 26 steals and 5.5 fWAR.
Those are the kinds of bats that would change Toronto’s offense right away. The real question is how much draft capital the Blue Jays are willing to sacrifice to land one of them.
Chisholm gives them a different kind of appeal. He’s a left-handed hitter, which makes sense for a possible semi-platoon with Ernie Clement, and he’s been mentioned as a fit from several angles. He won’t come cheaply, but he may not carry the same price tag he once did.
After a 31-homer, 31-steal season in 2025, Chisholm talked big about 2026 and said he had his sights set on the 50-50 club. The year didn’t go that way.
He hit .231/.312/.399 with 19 homers and 55 RBIs in 137 games. He still swiped 41 bases, a career high, but his .711 OPS was more than 100 points below his .813 mark from 2025.
Even so, there’s a case for betting on the rebound. A 28-year-old with that kind of athleticism and upside can still look like a bounce-back candidate, and those numbers would have helped a Blue Jays offense that was described as pedestrian in 2026.
Happ brings a steadier profile. In 2026, he hit 24 home runs, posted a .738 OPS and reached 150 games for the sixth straight year. He also continued to provide value in the field, where the four-time Gold Glove winner was worth one out above average and ranked in the 96th percentile with an arm value of five.
The reason Chicago passed on the qualifying offer is clear enough, though. Happ struck out a career-high 189 times in 2026, hit .218 and finished with a 107 wRC+, his lowest since 2021. Still, the broader track record remains solid, and he also fits the mold of a player who could bounce back.
Toronto is still expected to keep after the biggest names on the board, with Suzuki, Arozarena and Lowe likely near the top of the list. Trevor Rogers has also been floated as a pitcher who could move from Baltimore to Toronto, though the Orioles gave him a qualifying offer too and have been linked to other starters such as Freddy Peralta.
If the Blue Jays decide the top of the market is too expensive, Happ or Chisholm would give them a cleaner fallback. And for a team trying to improve without paying the full qualifying-offer penalty, that’s no small thing.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Fans Just Turned Hazel Mae Into A Halloween Icon
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
The Blue Jays head into the offseason with more than $80 million in payroll space, and that kind of flexibility usually puts them in the middle of just about every meaningful free-agent conversation. Toronto is expected to be active, and one name that fits both the clubs need and its appetite for impact is Tarik Skubal, a pitcher whose recent run of strong performance has made him one of the more intriguing arms on the market.
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 🡒]