The Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be busy once MLB free agency opens, and they’ve got the kind of financial flexibility that can put them in the middle of just about any major bidding war. More than $80 million is coming off the books this offseason, which gives Toronto a real shot at chasing the biggest name on the market: two-time Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Tarik Skubal.
That pursuit would fit the Blue Jays’ front office, which has never shied away from going after the biggest stars available. And there’s another wrinkle that could matter if Toronto gets serious about Skubal: the club already has a built-in connection to him through Bowden Francis.
Skubal and Francis are training partners this offseason at the Apex Performance Facility in Arizona. The facility has posted photos of the two on social media, including shots of them playing catch and spotting each other during gym work.
Of course, the decision on Skubal’s next contract will come down to money first and foremost. But if Toronto and another team are both in the mix, having a familiar face in Francis could give the Blue Jays a small edge.
Francis, who hasn’t pitched for Toronto since June 2025, had Tommy John surgery last offseason. If his recovery stays on track, the 30-year-old could be back on the mound in 2027.
Before that injury, Francis put together a solid 2024 season for the Blue Jays, going 8-5 with a 3.30 ERA and 103.2 innings pitched over 13 starts.
Skubal’s resume is on another level. Since returning from flexor tendon surgery in 2023, the 29-year-old left-hander has gone 50-20 with a 2.47 ERA and 757 strikeouts in 103 starts over the past three seasons.
If Toronto lands him, the payoff would be obvious: a rotation that looks loaded and, on paper, maybe the best in baseball.
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Pedersons appeal is obvious enough. He put up 26 home runs last season and has long been a tougher at-bat for right-handed pitchers, which is exactly the kind of middle-of-the-order help Toronto has been chasing. The concern, of course, is the same one that follows him around every winter: the age curve and the way left-handed pitching can still expose him, leaving the Blue Jays to weigh upside against a familiar kind of risk. [Read more 🡒]