With free agency open, the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to keep pushing for upgrades before the CBA expires on Dec. 1.
They’ve already been tied to names like Seiya Suzuki and Tarik Skubal, but that search can stretch much further. Looking across the National League, there are plenty of fits - some obvious, some a little more under the radar.
A few former Blue Jays and familiar names stand out right away.
Michael Soroka is one of the more intriguing possibilities from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Alberta native looks like a pitcher who has found something again after a rough stretch with injuries.
In 2026, he worked 116 innings and posted a 3.41 ERA with a 1.09 WHIP. That kind of rebound season makes him worth a hard look.
Lane Thomas is another name that could circle back to Toronto, this time from the Atlanta Braves. Joe Jimenez and Raisel Iglesias have already come up as possible targets, but Thomas would bring a different kind of gamble. He hasn’t matched the production from his 2023 breakout, when he hit .268/315/.468 with 28 home runs, 86 RBI, and 20 stolen bases.
Then there’s Seiya Suzuki, who keeps popping up for good reason. The Chicago Cubs outfielder is already a popular Blue Jays target, and the fit makes sense in more than one way. With Kazuma Okamoto already on the roster, Suzuki would have a familiar countryman in the clubhouse, which could help him settle in faster.
On the pitching side, the Cincinnati Reds don’t offer a deep free-agent pool, which puts Brock Burke at the top of the list by default. The left-hander averaged 95.5 mph on his fastball in 2026 and did a nice job of getting weak contact.
Jordan Romano is another possible reunion worth watching. After a brutal 10.13 ERA with the Angels, he turned things around with the Rockies. He finished with a 4.21 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP, and converted 11 of 14 save chances.
Brusdar Graterol would be more of a bet on upside, but the kind of upside that can change a bullpen. He missed all of 2025 after tearing his labrum and all of 2026 after back surgery.
Still, when he was healthy, his sinker lived in the high-90s, touched 100 mph, and produced elite ground-ball numbers. At 28, he’s young enough that a one-year deal would be hard to pass up.
Jake Bauers is one of the stronger bats on the board from the Milwaukee Brewers. He put together a career year in 2026, slashing .266/.389/.484 with 26 home runs, 86 RBI, and a 143 wRC+.
He also brings real value in the underlying numbers, with a 94th percentile hard-hit rate, a 93rd percentile chase rate, and a 98th percentile walk rate. That’s the profile of a left-handed bat who gets on base and does damage.
José Alvarado brings a different kind of appeal from the Philadelphia Phillies. His fastball still comes in from the left side in the upper 90s, and that kind of velocity always stands out. His 2026 season was messy - a career-worst 5.86 ERA - but the 3.82 FIP suggests he ran into bad luck at times.
Brandon Lowe gets the nod from the Pittsburgh Pirates because the Blue Jays have a bigger need at second base. He’s been a steady offensive force with a career 123 wRC+. There are some concerns, though: plenty of swing and miss, even if the strikeouts don’t get out of hand, and he’s 32, which could make the contract length tricky.
Two more names deserve attention as well. Morejon has been mentioned multiple times as a player Toronto should prioritize, and the appeal is clear: he has the stuff and the command to move back into a starting role, with the upside of a top-of-the-rotation arm if that transition works.
And then there’s Robert Stephenson, a nine-year veteran who has quietly been a solid piece. He owns a career 3.87 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, profiles best in the seventh inning or earlier, and still brings heat - his fastball sat at 98 mph in 2026.
He also posted a career-best 40.7% groundball rate last season.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Just Changed Jake Bloss Roster Outlook
Jake Blosss roster path just got a little more flexible for the Blue Jays. The right-hander, acquired from the Astros in 2024 and working back from UCL surgery, has already burned through his first three option years, but Toronto has now secured a fourth one, giving the club more room to maneuver as it sorts out its pitching depth.
For a team that is always balancing immediate needs against long-term roster control, that matters. Bloss can still be shuttled between the majors and minors as the Blue Jays see fit, and the added cushion gives them another season to manage his development and health without being forced into a tougher decision. The wrinkle now is how Toronto chooses to use that flexibility when 2027 rolls around. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays First Offseason Move Could Decide Myles Straws Fate
The Blue Jays have opened their offseason by adding another familiar face to the outfield mix, bringing back Rudy Martin Jr. on a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp. Martin, who made his MLB debut with Toronto in September, gives the club a speedy, right-handed option as it starts sorting through its depth chart and deciding how much room there is for reserve outfield help.
The move comes after Toronto declined Myles Straws option, a decision that left the team looking more closely at how it wants to cover center field and the corners behind its regulars. Martin now enters the conversation as the front office weighs roster flexibility, camp competition and whether the organization wants to keep leaning on internal depth for that role. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Could Face A Tough New Roster Decision Soon
A new labor proposal from MLB owners could soon ripple into Torontos roster planning, even if the details are still far from settled. The idea would alter the path to free agency for certain players and comes bundled with a larger push that also includes a salary cap and floor, a package the players have already resisted.
For the Blue Jays, the practical concern is simple: a change like this could move some decisions up by a year and make the front office think differently about who to keep, who to extend and who might be more valuable as a trade chip. Toronto has spent the winter and early spring trying to balance present contention with future flexibility, and any tweak to service-time rules would add another layer to that calculation. [Read more 🡒]