Examining the Blue Jays’ biggest needs this off-season
Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Sep 22, 2026, 20:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 22, 2026, 19:42 EDT
The 2026-27 off-season is rapidly approaching.
With the Toronto Blue Jays playoff hopes all but gone, it’s time to turn our attention toward the off-season. More specifically, look at how the Blue Jays can improve next season by addressing the holes they have offensively and on the pitching side of things.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the Blue Jays’ biggest needs this off-season.
Offensive needs: Left field and second base
Things need to change this off-season for the Toronto Blue Jays.
At its best, this offence can win the Blue Jays and American League pennant. But at its worst, you get whatever the 2026 season was. The Jays have had a small-ball approach for four seasons now, and it’s time for a change in hitting philosophy.
They have a chance to kill two birds with one stone, changing their hitting philosophy while also addressing needs. Locks to be on their roster next season (if it happens) are Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first base, Alejandro Kirk behind the dish, Kazuma Okamoto at the hot corner, and Brett Bateman in centre field. Yes, he’s played that well.
There are a few other question marks before next season. If healthy, Addison Barger will likely return to right field, but when is the question. With George Springer’s contract expiring at the end of the season, the designated hitter role is wide open for Anthony Santander, but can he stay healthy?
Andrés Giménez is a lock for shortstop thanks to strong defence, but the bat leaves a lot to be desired, especially since his extension of over $23.5 million a year is set to kick in next season. Do they look to move him if someone is willing to take on the money?
On the bench, Ernie Clement deserved his All-Star appearance earlier this season, and his 2025 postseason will always be in our minds, but his best role is as a utility infielder who mashes lefties on a contender. His second half proves that. Josh Smith can serve as a super utility player, and Brandon Valenzuela is a lock to be the team’s backup catcher. Nathan Lukes profiles well as a platoon bat/fourth outfielder.
Assuming that the team is fully healthy and they go down this route, the Blue Jays’ two primary needs offensively are second base and left field.
The good news for the Blue Jays is that of any free agent position, left field and second base have the best players. At the keystone, Gleyber Torres, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Brandon Lowe are set to become free agents. Then in left field, Randy Arozarena, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki are all set to become free agents as well. Adding two of those players instantly makes the 2027 Blue Jays’ offence better than this season’s.
Starting pitching needs: More depth
But offence is just one side of baseball, what about pitching? The Blue Jays entered the 2026 season with nearly double-digit starters, but despite that, they’ve already had over 40 bullpen days due to awful luck.
Barring injury, Dylan Cease, José Soriano, and Trey Yesavage are set to headline next season’s rotation. Cody Ponce should be back, while José Berríos has a chance to return toward the end of the season. Bowden Francis could be available next season, and Jake Bloss is set to play in the Arizona Fall League in October. Spencer Arrighetti is another pitcher who could make some starts next season.
There’s also Spencer Miles, who has been a terrific Rule 5 Draft pick up. Even though he pitched fewer than 15 professional innings before they selected him, the 26-year-old has excelled in any role that the Blue Jays have thrown him in.
Could we see a rotation of Cease, Soriano, Yesavage, Miles, and Ponce to begin the season, with Arrighetti, Francis, Berríos, and Bloss factoring in as well? Perhaps. There are potentially even more options for the Blue Jays.
One area where the Blue Jays have struggled in the Ross Atkins/Mark Shapiro era is developing homegrown pitching, with Yesavage and Alek Manoah being the exceptions. Fortunately, there is a wave of talented pitching prospects on the way, as Nolan Perry, Gage Stanifer, and Daniel Guerra have all reached the upper minors. Thanks to being Rule 5 Draft eligible this off-season, they could be added to the 40-man roster as soon as November.
All of this is good news, as the free agent class for starters is rather weak. Of course, back-to-back American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal headlines the class, but after that, it’s not very good. Robbie Ray, Kevin Gausman, Shota Imanaga, Zac Gallen, and Brandon Woodruff are just some of the notable starters.
So an improvement to their rotation will either need to come from within or through trade.
Relief pitching needs: A high-leverage lefty is a luxury
The Blue Jays’ bullpen is the main reason why they still don’t have an “E” next to their name when looking at the standings.
With five games remaining this season, the Blue Jays’ bullpen ERA of 3.68 ranks tied for seventh-best, while their 3.99 FIP ranks 13th-best. It’s important to remember that due to the injuries to their starters, the bullpen has been heavily used throughout the course of the season.
It’ll be a strong point heading into next season as well. Louis Varland will close, Tyler Rogers will set up, and Mason Fluharty will be a high-leverage lefty. Braydon Fisher also figures to be in their plans, while Miles’ role next season is still up in the air.
Rounding out their current bullpen is Paul Sewald, Brendon Little, José Rodríguez, Brendan Cellucci, and Chad Dallas. Seawald is a free agent at season’s end, while Little has been significantly better in low-leverage since returning. Rodríguez, Cellucci, and Dallas all figure to be relievers that move up and down if they remain on the 40-man roster this season.
Ricky Tiedemann could also end up factoring into the 2027 Blue Jays, although his role as a starter or full-time reliever is yet to be determined. John Klein, CJ Van Eyk, and Chase Lee are three other pitchers on the 40-man roster who could be a part of the Blue Jays’ bullpen plans in 2027.
There’s also the fact that Stanifer and Guerra moved to the bullpen late in the minor league season, but that was reportedly more in an attempt to ready them for a potential call-up, rather than long-term plans.
Out of the three areas we’ve looked at, relief pitching is the furthest down the Blue Jays’ priority list. Still, there are some notable names set to reach free agency, like Raisel Iglesias, Adrian Morejon, Pete Fairbanks, A.J. Minter, Kenley Jansen. Morejon is the most intriguing of the bunch, as he’s a hard-throwing left-hander who has a 2.83 ERA and 2.36 FIP in 82.2 innings this season.
Imagine a high-leverage group of Varland, Morejon, and Rogers, with Fisher, Fluharty, and two others in the mix. That’s a World Series-calibre bullpen if you ask me.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.