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Blue Jays free agent target: Brandon Lowe
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Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
Aidan Sinclair
Oct 17, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 17, 2026, 11:21 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are poised to make a big splash this offseason after producing arguably the worst offence in the league in 2026. 
Most of their infield is set for the foreseeable future, with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto holding down the corners and Andrés Giménez having three guaranteed years left on his contract. It is second base that could use an upgrade, especially after Ernie Clement’s second-half performance a season ago. 
Clement functioned as a super utility player in 2025 and was incredibly valuable, posting a 4.3 BWAR and ranking as one of the game’s best defenders. He is the perfect piece to move around the diamond, yet after his stellar playoff heroics and Bo Bichette’s departure last offseason, he got the keys to second base full time in 2026. In the first half of the season, that appeared to have worked out greatly in Toronto’s favor, with Clement batting .296 with a .751 OPS heading into the All-Star break. Those numbers were good enough to warrant a bid to the All-Star Game as the starting second baseman in the American League, while also being the top vote receiver. 
Unfortunately for the beloved infielder, his numbers began to slide drastically once the calendar flipped to August, batting .182 with a .442 OPS from the first of the month to the end of the regular season. It’s clear the length of the 2025 playoffs, paired with an appearance in the WBC earlier this spring, was too much of a workload for Clement to handle, and understandably so, for someone who was used to being a bench player the majority of his professional career. Therefore, the Blue Jays should look to upgrade the second base position in free agency, and have Clement resort to a utility role where he once thrived as a fan favourite. 
Since the 2021 season, Brandon Lowe has the most home runs of any second baseman in baseball, slugging 155 longballs over the past six seasons. In that same timeframe, he ranks sixth in doubles, third in RBIs, and fourth in OPS. Many Blue Jays fans remember him for his time with the Tampa Bay Rays, and all the damage he laid on Toronto’s pitching staff. For his career, he is batting .270 with a .918 OPS and 21 home runs in 76 games against the Blue Jays and has hit well at Rogers Centre, batting .300 with 12 of those home runs against Toronto on the road. 
In 2026, after being traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the left-handed slugger had a resurgent season, posting his best numbers since a breakout campaign in 2021 when he hit 39 home runs. Last year he slashed .260/.331/.493/.824 with a 121 WRC+, 35 home runs, 96 RBIs, and a 5.4 BWAR, the highest of any season in his career. His power is a known commodity, but it was his defence that took the biggest stride forward in 2026, ranking in the 98th percentile for OAA (15) and posting a 1.7 DWAR, both by far career highs. 
Toronto’s second base options are limited, with Josh Smith likely being the next man up after Clement on the current roster, though Smith has never come close to the heights of Lowe offensively. Charles McAdoo and Sean Keys don’t appear ready to handle everyday reps at the MLB level and are both unfamiliar with the position, and superstar prospect JoJo Parker is still a year or two away from joining the Blue Jays. 
Lowe is likely to receive the qualifying offer from the Pirates, while simultaneously being expected to decline it and test the open market, providing Toronto with the opportunity to grab one of the most prized bats this offseason. His AAV is expected to be in the $18-$22 million range with a term of three or four years, a contract that fits the Blue Jays payroll perfectly given the money they are shedding from expiring deals this offseason. 
After ranking dead last in MLB in home runs in 2026 and having only one batter with over 20 home runs, Kazuma Okamoto (33), Lowe could be a welcome addition in the middle of Toronto’s order. Power, especially from the left side, is hard to come by at second base, and the Blue Jays should pounce as soon as the offseason begins.
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