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Blue Jays: 6 notable lefty mashers available in free agency
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Photo credit: © Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Oct 30, 2026, 08:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 30, 2026, 00:25 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays have a few needs this off-season.
Their biggest need is adding some power, ideally at both second base and a corner infield spot. They’ll also need a starting pitcher or two, likely at the backend of the rotation. Adding a reliever would be a luxury. But one of the needs that often isn’t addressed is a right-handed batter who can hit left-handed pitching.
Last season, the Blue Jays were one of the worst teams against left-handed pitching. In 1,777 plate appearances against southpaws, their hitters collectively slashed .229/.298/.361 with 41 home runs and a 85 wRC+. That’s the second-worst batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, as well as the third-worst wRC+. Those 41 homers were the fifth-fewest against southpaws in the big leagues.
It’s an area that needs to improve, and quickly. That being said, who are some lefty-mashing right-handed players who are free agents? Let’s find out!

Edmundo Sosa

Ideally, a lefty masher would be capable of playing both the infield and outfield, as Nathan Lukes projects as the fourth outfielder if the Jays sign a corner outfielder like Seiya Suzuki or Teruaki Satō. Edmundo Sosa can do just that, as he played 32 games in left field, 21 games at third base, 18 games at shortstop, and 14 games at second base.
He was a significantly better hitter against left-handed pitchers last season, slashing .290/.343/.492 with six of his nine home runs coming against southpaws, good for a 125 wRC+. For context, he slashed just .196/.209/.355 with three home runs for a 45 wRC+ against righties.
It’s a career trend for the 30-year-old. In 668 career plate appearances against southpaws, he’s slashing .273/.326/.479 with 24 home runs for a 119 wRC+. Against righties, he’s batting just .245/.292/.374 with 21 home runs in 949 plate appearances for an 81 wRC+. 

Amed Rosario

Amed Rosario also splits his time in both the infield and outfield, but has far less experience in the outfield. Last season with the New York Yankees, he played 55 games at third base, seven at second base, five in right field, and four in left field.
Rosario had an interesting 2026. He’s had better results against left-handed pitchers through his career, slashing .288/.326/.451 with 33 home runs 1,356 plate appearances, good for a 114 wRC+. Significantly better than his 85 wRC+ against righties.
But last season, he was far better against righties. Over 84 plate appearances, he slashed .295/.333/.500 with five home runs for a 131 wRC+. Against southpaws, he slashed just .208/250/.356 with five home run in 160 plate appearances for a 65 wRC+.
It’s even more confusing when looking at his 2025 splits, as it was the complete inverse. In 69 plate appearances against righties, he slashed just .231/.275/.338 with two home runs for a 70 wRC+. Against lefties, he slashed .302/.328/.491 with four home runs for a 124 wRC+ in 122 plate appearances.
I’m not sure what to make of this, but he’s been a better hitter against lefties throughout his career.

Austin Hays

Austin Hays is a right-handed batting outfielder. He played just 38 games in 2026, split between the Chicago White Sox and San Diego Padres. In 53 plate appearances against left-handed pitcher Hayes slashed .380/.396/.560 with two home runs, good for a 159 wRC+.
That’s a miniscule sample size, so how did he perform in 2025? Over 105 plate appearances against southpaws, Hays slashed .319/.400/.549 with two home runs, good for a 158 wRC+. However, 13 of his 15 home runs came against righties, only posting a 91 wRC+ against them.
Hays has always hit lefties better than righties, slashing .289/343/.484 with 27 home runs in 860 career plate appearances against southpaws, good for a 127 wRC+ compared to a 95 wRC+ against righties.

Tyrone Taylor

Tyrone Taylor, another outfielder, is interesting as he’s only had a handful of seasons of real production. From 2020 until 2022, the 32-year-old slashed .239/.300/.451 with 31 home runs in 717 plate appearances, good for a 104 wRC+. During this three year stretch, he only registered 300 or more plate appearances once.
In 2021, he hit 12 home runs in 271 plate appearances, good for a 107 wRC+. A lot of that damage came against lefties, slashing .298/.337/.500 with five home runs in 89 plate appearances for a 123 wRC+.
Taylor was a below-average hitter from 2023 until 2025, but found success in 2026. Over 97 games, he slashed .279/.325/.502 with 11 home runs in just 241 plate appearances, good for a career-best 127 wRC+.
He was great against lefties, slashing .318/.348/.573 with six home runs in 118 plate appearances for a 153 wRC+. Among righties with 100 or more plate appearances against southpaws, Taylor’s 153 wRC+ ranked 18th-best.
That said, he has less of a track record than most players here.

Lane Thomas

Lane Thomas is a former Blue Jays’ farm hand that could be of interest to fill the lefty mashing role. His last three seasons haven’t been great, ranging from a slightly below average hitter to an injury plagued 2025 season. However, he managed to hit 28 home runs with the Washington Nationals in 2023, slashing .268/.315/.468 for a 109 wRC+ and 2.9 fWAR.
Even with below average seasons the past three years, he’s always performed better against southpaws. In 2026, Thomas slashed .262/.364/.440 with five home runs in 165 plate appearances for a 125 wRC+, as opposed to a 74 wRC+ against righties. 
In 2024, he slashed .302/.386/.492 with four of his 15 home runs coming in 145 in plate appearances against lefties for a 144 wRC+, significantly better than his 80 wRC+ against righties.
Thomas’ 2023 was the same story. Over 192 plate appearances against lefties, Thomas slashed .331/.375/.573, hitting nine home runs for a 154 wRC+, better than his 92 wRC+ against righties.
For his career, Thomas has a 132 wRC+ against lefties and an 83 wRC+ against righties.

Randal Grichuk

Randal Grichuk is a far different hitter now than his time with the Blue Jays. From 2018 until 2021, Grichuk served mainly as an everyday hitter who struggled with consistency. Just before the 2022 season, the Jays sent the outfielder to the Colorado Rockies. From the 2022 season onward, Grichuk has been one of the best lefty mashers in baseball.
Since the start of 2022, there have been 63 players in MLB with 600 or more plate appearances against left-handed pitchers. Only five players, Aaron Judge, Paul Goldschmidt, José Altuve, Yandy Díaz, and Willson Contreras, have a better wRC+ than Grichuk.
In 859 plate appearances against southpaws, Grichuk is slashing .300/.348/.559 with 43 home runs against left-handed pitchers, good for a 144 wRC+. Only Judge, Pete Alonso, and Mookie Betts have more home runs against left-handed pitchers since 2022.
Last season against lefties, Grichuk slashed .327/.371/.655 with 11 home runs in 178 plate appearances for a 181 wRC+, as opposed to a 67 wRC+ against righties. This is pretty much the rule for his past five seasons against lefties, as he’s failed to bat at least .315 with a wRC+ of at least 140 just one in the last five seasons.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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