The non-tender deadline has come and gone, and the free agent class of the 2025/2026 offseason just got a bit deeper. Some established names, such as Jonah Heim (Texas Rangers), Adolis Garcia (Rangers), and  Mark Leiter Jr. (Yankees), are now free agents and can sign with any Major League team.

The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all eligible players, mostly because they did their heavy lifting earlier this winter. Ryan Burr and Dillon Tate were given their walking papers, and Nick Sandlin was outrighted to the minors and elected free agency before the club added Ricky Tiedemann to the 40-man roster, protecting him from the Rule 5 Draft. As of now, the Jays have 38 players on their 40-man roster.

With this recent influx of players heading into the free agent pool, the Jays could kick the tires on a couple of different names looking for a new home. They may not be the monumental game changers such as Kyle Tucker, Dylan Cease, or Bo Bichette, but there are some depth names out there who could give the Jays some insurance on the big league roster.

The Toronto Blue Jays need some depth at first base, and a familiar face might be an option this offseason. Projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026, Lowe was non-tendered by the Boston Red Sox.

The left-handed hitting Lowe split the campaign between the Nationals and Red Sox, posting a .228/.307/.381 with 18 home runs and 84 RBIs across 153 games. He struggled in Washington, producing a .665 OPS through 119 games, and found a rhythm with Boston, producing a .280/.370/.420 line with six doubles, two home runs, and 16 RBIs. He also added one hit in the AL Wild Card series against the Yankees. Defensively, he produced a -4 DRS and a .994 fielding percentage at first base.

Lowe isn’t a defensive-minded player by any means and is known more for his bat, being able to produce 15+ home runs a season with 70+ RBIs as a full-time player. With Ty France heading to free agency, adding some depth that can hit from the left side behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is not a bad idea to have in the Jays’ back pocket.

Lowe likely will try and find a full-time gig somewhere this offseason, but if interest dries up and he’ll sign more toward the $5 million area, then a short-year deal on the bench to give some depth helps the big league roster.

Speaking of available first basemen – enter Michael Toglia.

A former first-round pick and a top prospect in the Colorado Rockies system, Toglia struggled to find a groove at the big league level. The switch-hitter made his debut in 2022 and struggled to a .201/.278./389 slash line with a .666 OPS across 957 big league at-bats. He can hit for power, mustering 25 round trippers in 2024, but split the 2025 campaign between Triple-A and the big leagues as he continued to struggle with the strikeouts (39.2%) and hitting for power (.163 ISO). Toglia can handle his own at first base – +8 DRS with a .995 fielding percentage – and was entering his first year of arbitration with the Rockies before being non-tendered.

A change of scenery is needed for Toglia, as the 27-year-old struggled at Coors Field (.728 OPS with a .231 average) and under the Rockies guise. A short-term deal for the infielder, who could work with hitting coach David Popkins, might be the ticket to turn things around, albeit on a more team-friendly deal compared to someone like Lowe.

Time to get the band back together?

Surprisingly, the Jays designated Alek Manoah for assignment late in the season while the right-hander was recovering from Tommy John surgery, with it seeming like the franchise was ready to move on from the former first-round pick. Blue Jays fans know Manoah’s rise and fall well, and many were caught off guard when he was DFA’d by the Jays to make space on the roster. He would be picked up by the Braves late in the campaign and never made a start before being non-tendered as well.

Through 420 innings with the Jays, Manoah owns a 3.34 ERA and a 4.13 FIP across 75 starts. He was an All-Star in 2022 and finished third in AL Cy Young voting, producing a 2.24 ERA across 31 starts for Toronto. Things quickly fell off the rails, with the right-hander making just 19 starts in 2023 as he battled command issues and spent time at the Player Development Complex to get back on track. In 2024, he landed on the IL and underwent Tommy John surgery, missing most of the season and all of the 2025 campaign as he rehabbed. The Florida product authored a 2.97 ERA across seven minor league outings before being DFA’d by Toronto.

The likely reason the Jays cut ties with the right-hander was the approximately $2 million he was going to be owed through arbitration. The two sides could come back together with Manoah back in the free agent pool, and adding a familiar face into the system would bode well for a club looking for another starter and some depth in Buffalo, especially since Manoah has two minor league options at his disposal. They could also form into a bullpen arm, but one would likely figure that he still wants to give starting a go, given his age and ability.

Right-hander Ian Hamilton’s run in New York City has come to an end.

Joining the Yankees as an MiLB signing in 2023, the New Hampshire reliever crafted a strong resume in the Bronx. Through three seasons and 110 outings, he pitched to a 3.45 ERA and a 3.34 FIP, striking out opponents at a 10.1 K/9 clip in the Yankees bullpen.

Injuries have been Hamilton’s biggest downfall, as he hasn’t pitched in more than 60 innings in a single big league campaign since making his big league debut in 2018 with the Chicago White Sox. He also landed in Triple-A this year in early August, with the depth of relievers New York acquired at the trade deadline as well.

Hamilton isn’t the flashiest name in the reliever open market, but he brings some depth to any organization he will sign with this winter. Jays fans will also be pleased to know that he owns a 2.57 ERA through seven innings at the Rogers Centre for his career, striking out five batters while allowing just two runs.

A depth signing for the bullpen, Hamilton won’t break the bank and knows the AL East well. He doesn’t have any MLB options, which may hinder his versatility for roster movements, but he is one name to keep in mind as the offseason wears on.