Blue Jays Linked to 4 Free Agents

The Toronto Blue Jays have some roster retooling to do this offseason. As one of the perennial big spenders in free agency, they will be a team to be reckoned with in the next few weeks heading to the sport's shutdown on Dec. 1st as collective bargaining talks are at an impasse. 

The offense is of utmost concern for the Jays, after they finished dead last in baseball in home runs in 2026. They were also second-last in the majors with a .691 OPS and their .381 slugging percentage ranked 26th of the 30 MLB teams.  

Yup, help at the plate is a priority. 

Insider and former MLB manager Steve Phillips appeared on TSN's First Up program this week and proposed four free agent bats that he can see the Blue Jays targeting:

Seiya Suzuki

"They could use the power, but they also need the contact aspect of it (and Suzuki provides both). He's a pure outfielder," Phillips said, "and... he's been a 125-135 OPS+ player every season he's played in the major leagues. He's that consistently good." 

Additionally, he would get to join his Japanese national team teammate Kazuma Okamoto, as the two joined forces to help Japan win the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). 

Randy Arozarena 

Arozarena is an all-around bat, like the one Phillips described that Toronto really needs. He set career highs across the board in Seattle in 2026, batting .281 with a .381 on-base pct., a .484 slugging percentage, and an .865 OPS. He had 34 doubles, 26 homers and 26 stolen bases, as well as leading the entire American League in runs scored with another personal best of 113. 

And we know that he's been capable of providing some playoff heroics.

Luis Arraez

The three-time batting champion doesn't bring the power, but he brings one element, of course, that could help any lineup. He batted .310 this season and made his fourth All-Star appearance. He has a career .316 average, and won the batting title in 2022, '23 and '24, and is still only 29. He also stepped up his defensive play this year at second base. 

"I could see him play second and make Ernie Clement a super sub around the infield," said Phillips.

Ian Happ 

A free agent bat a couple of tiers lower than the above three, but Happ is nothing if not consistent. He's topped 20 home runs for each of the past four years, while posting OPS+ marks of anywhere from 103 to 120. Again, not in the same category as Suzuki or Arozarena as an outfield bat, but he could still be a nice contributor.