The Toronto Blue Jays had a busy trade deadline, both selling and buying to help improve the team in 2027 and beyond.

Their rotation is set for the remainder of the season. While Kevin Gausman was traded, the Jays added both José Soriano and Jameson Taillon through trade, as well as Spencer Arrighetti. However, Arrighetti and Trey Yesavage’s health remains in question as both recently departed games due to injuries. For the remainder of the season, the question is with their offence.

The Blue Jays currently rank dead last in MLB for team OPS and have scored the fewest runs in MLB this season. Simply put, the offence is broken, take Thursday’s game against the Chicago Cubs as a perfect example. Their OPS of .678 is currently fourth-worst in franchise history, with the three other seasons coming in the team’s first six seasons of existence.

Despite being three and a half games back of the final wild card, thing will need to change quickly if they want any chance at getting to the postseason again. Ross Atkins has shown he isn’t afraid to make aggressive moves after last season’s postseason run, and adding a recently-released bat could help bolster this struggling offence.

Let’s take a look at a few interest players who are currently free agents or are on the waiver wire.

Jorge Soler was a name in trade rumours ahead of Monday’s trade deadline. The Angels had a fire sale, moving Soriano, Logan O’Hoppe, and Jo Adell, but they were unable to move Soler. Instead, he was DFA’d and recently cleared waivers, becoming a free agent.

At one point, Soler was one of the best power-hitting outfielders in the big leagues, mashing 48 long-balls in 2019 with the Kansas City Royals. He also won the World Series with the Atlanta Braves in 2021, being named the World Series MVP in the process.

In 86 games this season, Soler has hit 12 home runs, but is only slashing .203/291/373, with a .664 OPS. Against left-handed pitching, the right-handed batting Soler has only hit .207 this season with seven extra-base hits to show for it. Despite his struggles the last two seasons, Soler does have a lot of success and a winning pedigree.

Solers’ 12 home runs in 2026 would rank him tied for second on the Blue Jays, tied George Springer and well behind Kazuma Okamoto’s 24 blasts. Since he’s a free agent, Soler can be signed for cheap for the remainder of the season, sort of a try out for the designated hitter role in 2027.

The Blue Jays managed to find something out of journeyman infielder, Luis Urías, so why not go out and get another success story?

Here’s a fun fact: Rob Refsnyder was a Blue Jay for a brief stint back in 2017, before he ended up being claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians, then playing for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2018. After a few successful seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Refsnyder has had a disastrous tenure with the Seattle Mariners in 2026.

Over 53 games, the right-handed batting utility player has only hit .140. Those numbers aren’t great, but Refsnyder has a track record of being a southpaw masher in recent seasons. Back in 2024, he slashed .283/.359/.471 with 11 home runs in 307 plate appearances.

Against lefties last season, he hit .302 and had a .902 OPS. For comparison, Davis Schneider, who was the team’s go-to bench bat against lefties last season, batted .259 versus left-handed pitching. This season, he’s batting just .111.

While Refsnyder is not Davis Schneider, he is someone who can be used similarly, thriving in a utility role. Refsynder has started in all three outfield spots, and can also play first base.

Like Soler, Refsnyder has since been released from his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent. With Urías on the injured list, the former Blue Jay is a good bench option for left-handed pitching.

Aside from Myles Straw, the only other right-handed outfielder options that the Blue Jays have are Davis Schneider and George Springer.  While Springer has been looking more like himself since the start of July, he’s been used mainly as a designated hitter this season. As for Schneider, he’s only hitting .077 in the second half this season.

Another recently-released player is Austin Hays, a former All-Star who was released by the Chicago White Sox following the trade deadline. Back with the Baltimore Orioles in 2023, he slashed .275/.325/.444 with 16 home runs. However, his tenure with the White Sox in 2026 hasn’t been great, slashing .233/.250/326 with only two extra-base hits to his name. He’s also dealt with injuries.

Like Soler and Refsnyder, Hays is a free agent after having been released. He’s another right-handed batting outfielder that the Blue Jays can audition for the 2027 season. If they got this route, at least they take a Blue Jays killer off the market, as he has hit .279 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI against the Blue Jays in his career.