Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke with the Toronto beat on Wednesday, addressing various aspects of the roster. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was among those to relay the comments, which Jays fans are encouraged to give a full read.
Atkins was most notably noncommittal about the second base position, where Ernie Clement started 107 games this year. Atkins said Clement would need to “earn every bit of that” when asked if he’d be the starting second baseman in 2027. The GM left the door open to Clement winning the job, saying “when he’s been given an opportunity, he’s run with it.”
Clement had his best season last year and was a postseason hero during Toronto’s run to an AL pennant. He wasn’t nearly as impactful this season, hitting .259/.285/.364 across 621 plate appearances. Clement had an All-Star first half but was a liability down the stretch, batting .203/.235/.259 in the second half.
That leaves second base as an obvious area to address for an underperforming Toronto offense. The Jays scored the fewest runs in MLB and had a league-low 152 home runs. They were among the best teams in the league at putting the ball in play — only the Rays had a lower strikeout rate — but didn’t hit for power and had the AL’s lowest walk rate. The Jays rode a contact-heavy approach to success in 2025, but they clearly became too one-dimensional this year.
Most of that falls on Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s power outage. They’re nevertheless going to need to upgrade over some of the role players. That could come in the middle infield, where they could push Clement into a split at shortstop with Andrés Giménez. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported this week that the Jays tried to add an impactful middle infielder at the trade deadline.
There won’t be any significant free agent upgrades at shortstop, so an upgrade there would probably need to be on the trade front (e.g. Zach Neto, CJ Abrams). It’s a comparatively strong free agent second base class. Brandon Lowe is the preeminent power bat at the position and hits the market for the first time — likely after receiving a qualifying offer from the Pirates. Jazz Chisholm Jr. is coming off a down year but has 30-homer ceiling and draws plenty of walks. Luis Arraez would fit much more within the Jays’ traditional contact archetype without addressing the low walk rate or power questions.
George Springer is Toronto’s biggest free agent on the position player front. He’s undecided on whether he’ll play at all in 2027. Even if Springer returns for a 13th full season, it seems the Jays are looking for a different role out of the designated hitter position. “I don’t want to eliminate that possibility,” Atkins replied when asked about acquiring a full-time designated hitter, “but we would like to prioritize having versatility and being able to DH multiple players.” To that end, the GM said that Anthony Santander is still viewed as a corner outfield option.
It’s difficult to rely on Santander after a second straight lost season. The Jays should be in the market for at least one outfield. They’ve already been linked to impending free agent Seiya Suzuki. Keegan Matheson of MLB.com writes that the Jays also plan to send a scouting contingent to Asia this offseason. Star NPB third baseman/outfielder Teruaki Sato is expected to be posted by the Hanshin Tigers. The Jays went the NPB route and are surely pleased with the early returns on their four-year signing of Kazuma Okamoto, whose 33 homers were more than twice as many as any other hitter on the team.
Toronto also hit on the first season of their biggest pitching deal last offseason, as Dylan Cease is likely to finish second in AL Cy Young voting. He’ll lead a strong top three with José Soriano and Trey Yesavage locked into rotation spots. The Jays have Cody Ponce coming back from ACL surgery and have Spencer Miles in the mix. There’s plenty of high-end talent but the Jays saw firsthand how quickly injuries can deplete starting pitching. Atkins unsurprisingly confirmed the Jays will be in the rotation market this winter.
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