Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins didn’t hand out many clean answers Wednesday, but he did leave a trail of clues about where Toronto is headed this winter.
The biggest one came at second base. Ernie Clement handled the position for 107 starts this season, but Atkins stopped well short of calling him the long-term answer. Asked whether Clement would be the starter there in 2027, Atkins said Clement would need to “earn every bit of that” and added, “when he’s been given an opportunity, he’s run with it.”
That’s about as open-ended as it gets. Clement put together his best season last year and became a postseason hero in Toronto’s run to the AL pennant, but his 2026 season was a different story. He hit .259/.285/.364 over 621 plate appearances, opened strong enough to make the All-Star team, then faded badly in the second half, when he batted .203/.235/.259.
For a Blue Jays offense that badly lacked thump, second base looks like a natural place to improve. Toronto finished with the fewest runs in MLB and just 152 home runs, the lowest total in the league.
The club did a good job of putting the ball in play - only the Rays struck out less often - but the approach became too dependent on contact and not nearly dangerous enough. The Jays also had the lowest walk rate in the AL.
A lot of that burden sits on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s power outage, but the roster still needs more from the supporting cast. Middle infield is one possible path. Toronto could keep Clement involved in a split with Andrés Giménez at shortstop, and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported this week that the Jays tried to land an impact middle infielder at the trade deadline.
If Toronto wants a real upgrade at shortstop, the trade market looks like the likelier route. There aren’t many meaningful free-agent options there, with names such as Zach Neto and CJ Abrams more likely to come through a deal.
Second base offers a different kind of market. Brandon Lowe stands out as the top power bat at the position and is headed for free agency for the first time, likely after getting a qualifying offer from the Pirates.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. brings a different kind of upside after a down year, but he still has 30-homer potential and plenty of walk ability. Luis Arraez would fit the Jays’ familiar contact-heavy style, though he wouldn’t solve the club’s power shortage or its walk-rate problem.
Designated hitter is another spot that sounds like it could change shape. George Springer is Toronto’s biggest position-player free agent, and he still hasn’t decided whether he’ll play at all in 2027.
Even if he does come back for a 13th full season, Atkins suggested the Jays may want more flexibility from the DH spot than a single full-time bat provides. “I don’t want to eliminate that possibility,” Atkins said when asked about adding a full-time designated hitter, “but we would like to prioritize having versatility and being able to DH multiple players.”
Atkins also said Anthony Santander is still viewed as a corner outfield option.
That makes Santander a tough piece to count on after a second straight lost season, and Toronto looks likely to chase at least one outfielder. The club has already been tied to impending free agent Seiya Suzuki, and Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported that the Jays plan to send a scouting group to Asia this offseason.
One name to watch there is Hanshin Tigers third baseman/outfielder Teruaki Sato, who is expected to be posted. Toronto went the NPB route last winter and appears happy with the early returns from its four-year deal for Kazuma Okamoto, whose 33 homers were more than twice as many as any other Blue Jays hitter.
Pitching remains part of the winter plan, too. The Jays got major value from their biggest rotation move last offseason, with Dylan Cease likely to finish second in AL Cy Young voting.
He should anchor a strong top three alongside José Soriano and Trey Yesavage, while Cody Ponce is expected back from ACL surgery and Spencer Miles is also in the mix. Even with that talent in place, Toronto saw how fast injuries can thin out a staff, and Atkins confirmed the club will be shopping for rotation help.
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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 🡒]
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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 🡒]