If the Blue Jays land Tarik Skubal this winter, that would only be the start of what figures to be a busy offseason in Toronto.
Ross Atkins has made a habit of pushing hard when the market opens, and the expectation is that he’ll do it again. The Blue Jays need help, and they need it in more than one place after a rough 2026 season that saw them tumble from first to worst in the AL East. Even with one of the best starting pitchers and closers in baseball, the offense dragged them down, and that’s where the real work has to begin.
Still, the rotation can’t be ignored. Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer are all no longer with the club, and José Berríos is set to begin the year on the injured list.
That leaves a clear opening for another front-line arm, and if Skubal is the answer, the Blue Jays would be looking at a nasty one-two punch with him and Dylan Cease. Multiple reports say Toronto is expected to meet with Skubal, who is widely viewed as the top free agent available.
Of course, Skubal won’t come at a bargain price. But Toronto should have room to maneuver, with more than $100 million coming off the books. If Atkins does pull off that kind of splash, the focus would likely shift right away to the lineup.
George Springer looms as the first big question. He hasn’t formally announced his retirement, but if he does come back and return to Toronto, the Blue Jays still can’t count on him as the offensive fix. A more realistic target would be Seiya Suzuki, who would bring the kind of slugging this lineup badly needs and also give the manager flexibility because of his glove in the outfield.
Second base is another spot that could get attention. Ernie Clement’s second-half slide turned him into a near-guaranteed out during a playoff push, and that kind of production won’t cut it.
One option would be Brandon Lowe, a veteran who has hit 30 or more home runs in each of the last two seasons and is now on the market. Another name to watch is Ketel Marte, with whispers that Toronto has checked in on what a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks might cost.
The bottom line is simple: even if the Blue Jays add Skubal, that can’t be the headline move and nothing else. Their pitching staff could get a major boost, but unless the position players improve in a real way, the offense will still be the thing holding them back.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Just Made A Tough Depth Chart Decision
The Blue Jays have moved on from Peyton Williams, releasing the first baseman and sending him into the market as a minor league free agent. A 2022 seventh-round pick, Williams had reached Triple-A for the first time this season and had flashed the kind of power that can keep a player on the radar even when the rest of the profile is still developing.
His exit also says something about where Toronto stands with its infield depth and roster crunches heading into the offseason. Williams was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, but the Blue Jays never added him to the 40-man roster, leaving him exposed and now available to sign with any club that sees a clearer path for his bat. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Have Found The Power Bat That Changes Everything
The Blue Jays are taking a hard look at Teruaki Sato, the Hanshin Tigers third baseman who was posted for MLB consideration after a huge season in Japan. Satos profile is the kind that naturally draws attention in Toronto, where adding more right-handed thump has been a recurring offseason theme, and his 2025 run only sharpened the appeal. He won Central League MVP honors and claimed the Triple Crown, which is enough to make any front office pause and imagine what that kind of power might look like in the middle of a big-league lineup.
The fit, though, is not as simple as the bat. Sato comes with some strikeout concerns, and the Blue Jays are also weighing how they would use him defensively if they do move forward, since third base is the obvious question hanging over the pursuit. For a club trying to upgrade its offense without creating another roster puzzle, the appeal is obvious, but so is the need to sort out where he would play before any deal becomes real. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Just Watched The Red Sox Strike First
The Red Sox moved quickly to add some left-handed pop, agreeing to a four-year deal with Jake Bauers after his breakout 2026 season. Bauers posted career highs across several offensive categories and backed it up with strong underlying metrics, giving Boston a bat it believes can fit into the middle of the lineup without asking too much of him in the field.
For Toronto, it is another reminder that Boston is trying to reshape its offense with players who can do damage and still offer some roster flexibility. The plan is to use Bauers mostly as a designated hitter with some first-base duty mixed in, a role that suits his bat even if the glove remains a work in progress, and it gives the Blue Jays one more name to track as the division race keeps tightening. [Read more 🡒]