The Blue Jays have a bigger problem than one rough stretch, and it lands right in the middle of their infield.
Ernie Clement earned his first All-Star nod in 2026, but the finish to his season was hard to ignore. After riding the momentum from a huge 2025 postseason - when he posted the most hits in a single playoff run - Clement was hitting .296/.318/.433 with a .751 OPS going into the break.
Then everything fell apart. Over his final 65 games, his average sank to .203, his on-base percentage sat just 30 points higher, and his OPS tumbled below .500.
Clement wasn’t the only reason Toronto’s offense stalled, but he was part of the mess. And when a team finishes last in nearly every offensive category, that kind of drop-off stands out.
That’s why Brandon Lowe makes so much sense as a target for Ross Atkins. The veteran slugger is an unrestricted free agent after a season that checked every box Toronto badly needed: 35 home runs, 96 RBI, 62 walks, and a .260/.331/.493 line that worked out to an .824 OPS. No one in the Blue Jays clubhouse matched him in homers, walks, RBI, or OPS, and no qualified hitter on the roster got above .762.
Toronto’s lineup needs real impact, and it may need more than one addition. Kazuma Okamoto was the club’s lone offensive bright spot and has already settled in as the team’s third baseman alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero, for his part, had a disappointing season of his own, but with that half-a-billion contract, the Blue Jays are not about to move on after one down year.
That leaves the second-base picture. Andres Gimenez has value because of his defense and because he finished with the second-most RBI on the team, so he’s not the obvious choice.
Clement, though, is the one whose spot feels most vulnerable. Charles McAdoo is waiting for a chance, and nothing should be ruled out.
The bottom line is simple: Toronto has to score more. If Atkins wants the quickest path to a better lineup, second base is the place to upgrade.
In Other News...
Joey Votto Sees One Big Question Behind Vladdys Rough Season
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.s 2026 season looked nothing like the standard he set for himself in Toronto, with a career-low batting average and lighter totals in both home runs and RBIs. For a player whose game has long been built around loud contact and middle-of-the-order production, the dip raised the kind of questions that follow star hitters deep into a season and into the offseason.
Joey Votto, who has seen enough elite bats to know where the trouble usually starts, pointed to Guerreros timing and suggested the answer may be more about the swing than the ceiling. Even with the rough year, Votto was still bullish on the long view, saying Guerreros talent keeps him in rare company and leaving the door open to a career arc that could put him alongside his father in the games most exclusive conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Finally Have A Bright Spot Fans Can Believe In
Kazuma Okamoto gave Toronto one of the seasons most encouraging developments in 2026, even as the Blue Jays were sorting through larger questions around their lineup. The rookie third baseman brought real middle-of-the-order punch, showing enough impact to stand out among the clubs everyday players and give the organization a long-term piece to build around.
Okamotos profile was not spotless, with strikeouts and off-speed pitches still part of the adjustment process, but the power was impossible to ignore. He handled fastballs well and finished the year positioned as a player Toronto can legitimately count on moving forward, which is about as valuable as a bright spot gets when a team is looking for something concrete to believe in. [Read more 🡒]
Andres Gimenez Is Giving The Blue Jays A Tough Lineup Question
Andres Gimenez still gives the Blue Jays plenty to like on the dirt. In 2026, he remained one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball, piling up a 16 Fielding Run Value that ranked seventh among all qualified fielders, and his speed still adds another layer to his game. For a Toronto club that values run prevention and versatility, that kind of glove work is not nothing.
The problem is that the bat has become much harder to trust, and that is where the lineup question starts to loom. Gimenezs offensive production has slipped enough to raise real concerns about how much everyday value he brings if the defense and baserunning are doing most of the lifting. The Blue Jays do not have to solve the issue today, but they do have to keep asking whether his overall profile still works if the hit tool keeps lagging behind the glove. [Read more 🡒]