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The Blue Jays biggest need this summer: right-handed power bat
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ben Wrixon
Jun 12, 2026, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 12, 2026, 08:47 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays have a log-jam of left-handed hitting outfielders on their hands with Daulton Varsho, Nathan Lukes, Jesús Sánchez, Addison Barger, and Yohendrick Piñango. 
It’s no surprise that the team has fared much better offensively against right-handers this season, given how all of them have drastic platoon splits. Unfortunately, it puts the team in a tough spot whenever the opposition trots out a southpaw, which is often in the AL East. 
The Blue Jays need to aggressively pursue a right-handed power bat this summer
Garrett Crochet, Shane McClanahan, Carlos Rodón, and Ranger Suarez all play for the Blue Jays’ division rivals. Tarik Skubal could also wind up on one of them if the scuffling Detroit Tigers decide to sell him at this year’s trade deadline. 
The Blue Jays need to acquire a right-handed bat with some thump if they intend to compete, even if it means parting with a quality player in the process. 
The proof is in the numbers: Toronto ranks 27th out of 30 MLB teams in wRC+ (83), OPS (.645), and slugging (.347) against left-handed pitching this year. They rank inside the bottom ten or worse in just about every other meaningful statistic. 
Underperformance from George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and the now-demoted Davis Schneider has undoubtedly contributed to this, but the overall imbalance in the lineup is also a failure from a roster construction standpoint. This team is stacked with too many players who overlap in terms of strengths and weaknesses. 
The Los Angeles Angels are one team the Blue Jays should call, as they have two right-handed outfielders who fit the bill in Jo Adell and Jorge Soler. 
Adell hasn’t been a great hitter overall in 2026, yet his 10 home runs would rank second on the Blue Jays. He also hit a career-high 37 round-trippers in 2025. Soler, meanwhile, has nine home runs while playing in the final season of a three-year contract. The cost to acquire either of them likely wouldn’t be steep if the Blue Jays are willing to take on their money. 
The reeling San Francisco Giants have some more exciting targets if the front office is willing to take a bigger swing. 
Casey Schmitt is putting together a breakout season, has positional versatility, and is under control for several more seasons. Would the Giants be willing to part with him for a package centred on someone like Yohendrick Piñango and another top prospect? 
Willy Adames is another name the Blue Jays could target if they are willing to take on his large contract. A trade that sends him to Toronto in exchange for one of the Jays’ more controllable roster players would make sense for both sides, especially if the Giants are willing to take on Andrés Gimenez’s deal to even out the money in the short term. 
The elephant in the room is Anthony Santander. He could be the bat that the Blue Jays need when he returns later this season, but expecting anything from him coming off a major surgery is a risky proposition—and the team may be out of the race by then. 
Getting Alejandro Kirk back soon will help, especially if the team can find a creative way to get Brandon Valenzuela in the lineup. But it’s not enough. This Blue Jays team needs to add another right-handed bat before the season slips away. 

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