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Examining the best fits for the Blue Jays’ outfield and second base needs
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Photo credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Oct 8, 2026, 14:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 7, 2026, 23:00 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays’ two biggest needs for the offence this off-season are a corner outfielder and second baseman.
Ideally, they add players who provide some pop while also not sacrificing defence. The good news for the Blue Jays is that of any position, both second base and corner outfielder are the deepest positions available in free agency.
Barring any changes, there are four second basemen and four corner outfielders who’d instantly be an upgrade for the 2027 roster. At the keystone, Gleyber Torres, Luis Arráez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Brandon Lowe are all set to become free agents.  Available corner outfielders who are set to become free agents five days after the World Series is determined are Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, and Teruaki Satō.
The question is, which combination of the second basemen and outfielders is the best for the Blue Jays next season? Let’s find out.

Best fit at second base

Ernie Clement was the Blue Jays’ everyday second baseman last season, but he had a rough second half and is best suited in a utility infielder role. The defence also slipped, but it could be an outlier as Clement was up for two Gold Gloves after the 2025 season.
Clement has been a limited power, high contact, doubles hitter through his tenure with the Blue Jays. There may not be a player in Major League Baseball with a better pure hit tool than Arráez. Last season, the second baseman slashed .310/.345/.419 with six home runs and a 4.3 K%. It’s not even his best season, as he batted .354 back in 2023, and his career-worst batting average is .292.
His biggest issue heading into this season was the hit tool was basically his only tool considered average. He still has limited power and he isn’t a particularly fast runner, but Arráez’s defence improved drastically at second base last season. A career -36 Outs Above Average and -28 Fielding Runs Value heading into this season, Arráez posted a 12 OAA and 10 FRV in 1275.1 innings at second in 2026.
Of the four second basemen, his bat is the least impactful. Chisholm Jr. and Torres are two players teams could sign banking on a bounce back year. In 2026, Chisholm Jr. slashed .231/.312/.399 with 19 home runs, a far cry from his .242/.332/.481 slash line with 31 home runs in 531 plate appearances with the New York Yankees in 2025.
The Bahamian has been a more consistent defender at second base compared to Arráez, posting 28 OAA and 20 FRV in his 3,336.1 innings at the keystone. This past season, Chisholm Jr. posted a career-best 13 OAA and 8 FRV in 1,155 innings at the position.
Torres had a solid season in terms of wRC+, finishing as an above average hitter (109). However, his power was down big time, hitting just eight home runs compared to his 16 in 2025. There’s a slim chance he’ll ever reach his career-high of 38 back in 2019, but in 2022 and 2023, he hit 24 and 25 respectively.
He’s a patient hitter who rarely chases and can take a walk, but Torres has struggled to hit the ball hard for quite a few years now, and his defence at second base isn’t particularly great either. For his career, Torres has -35 OAA and -30 FRV in 7,073 innings at the keystone.
That brings us to Lowe, the best second baseman available in free agency. He chases and whiffs a lot, which in turn means a bunch of strikeouts. But when he connects, he hits the ball hard and takes it deep. This past season, Lowe hit 35 home runs with the Pittsburgh Pirates, tied for 10th most in MLB.
Defensively, Lowe had his best season of his career, finishing the year with 15 OAA and 12 FRV, well up from his -14 OAA and -10 FRV in 2025 with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Best fit in the outfield

Happ has been consistent throughout his career. With the Chicago Cubs, the left fielder slashed .218/.326/.412 with 24 home runs. In each of the last four seasons, Happ has hit 21-25 home runs, though his batting average was a career-worst, well down from his career batting average of .243. He whiffs often and doesn’t hit the ball especially hard, but Happ doesn’t chase and is capable of taking a walk.
A switch-hitter, Happ is a solid defender, posting 10 Defensive Runs Saved, 2 OAA, and 6 FRV in 1243.2 innings in left field last season. For his career, he has 47 DRS, -4 OAA, and 2 FRV at the position.
His teammate on the Cubs was Suzuki. Last season, the right-handed batting veteran slashed .270/.368/.473 with 26 home runs, slightly down from his career-high of 32 home runs he hit in 2025. Like Happ, he doesn’t chase, but he hit the ball hard and can also take a walk.
Suzuki is also a solid defender in right field, finishing the 2026 season with 14 DRS, 5 OAA, and 8 FRV in 972.2 innings, setting a career-best in all three categories. He has limited experience playing left field, and next to no experience playing centre field.
His fellow countryman, Teruaki Satō, is expected to be posted from Nippon Professional Baseball this off-season. Last season with the Hanshin Tigers, the outfielder/third baseman slashed .311/.388/.618 with 39 home runs in 606 plate appearances. In 2025, he hit a career-best 40 home runs, but there are some strikeout concerns, posting a 26.6 K% last season. The outfielder is a left-handed batter.
Satō is similar to Lowe as he offers the most pop at the position. Of the four outfielders, Arozarena had the best season with the bat, slashing .281/.381/.484 with 26 home runs in 670 plate appearances with the Seattle Mariners, good for a 151 wRC+. He’s hit 20 or more home runs in the last six seasons, and his 21.6 percent strikeout rate is the lowest of his career.
While he was incredibly productive with the bat, Arozarena’s defence isn’t great, posting -2 DRS, -5 OAA, and -7 FRV in 1,289.1 innings of work in left field. His career numbers defensively aren’t much better either.

The best combination

Lowe is clearly the best second baseman available. The strikeout rate isn’t fantastic, nor is the chasing or whiffing, but he provides much-needed power at a position that doesn’t tend to feature many power hitters. If the Jays wish to target a bounce back player, Chisholm Jr. is their best bet, but Lowe should be their primary target for the position.
But the big question is which outfielder to sign? Suzuki, Arozarena, and Satō are all viable candidates. Both Suzuki and Arozarena bat right handed, while Satō has the most raw power of the four. The biggest question mark about Satō is will he be able to hit in MLB. It’s worth noting that Kazuma Okamoto faced similar questions in 2026, and that turned out well.
There’s also a less likely option here. Satō also plays third base, perhaps they try to convert him to a second baseman while also signing Suzuki. Another factor is Addison Barger’s health, if his arm isn’t ready to play in the outfield, perhaps he could play second base and the Jays could sign two of the outfielders. It’s worth noting that Barger has some limited experience playing the keystone in the minor leagues.
There are many ways this off-season can go, but if the Jays add Lowe and Satō or Suzuki, it’s hard to not point to them as one of the favourites in the American League.
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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