After missing out on Kyle Tucker, the Jays outfield has some questions moving forward.
After coming painfully close to winning the World Series in 2025, the goal for the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays is to win a championship. And the Jays have been aggressive and decisive in trying to make that happen, spending nearly $350 million guaranteed on Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers this offseason.
However, losing Bo Bichette in free agency and missing out on Kyle Tucker has dampened the spirits of the offseason over the last few days. And while losing out on Tucker hurts because of the World Series goals this season, it also highlights a major question for the organization going forward.
Examining the state of the outfield
As it sits today, the Blue Jays figure to utilize George Springer and Daulton Varsho fairly regularly, with Anthony Santander mixing in. As for the third spot, Addison Barger, Joey Loperfido, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Jonatan Clase and Davis Schneider could all get opportunities.
But Springer is not regarded as a good defender, and he'll be a free agent after 2026. Varsho is a former Gold Glover, but he's also a free agent after 2026. Straw is as well.
While the possibility of a lockout is certainly prevalent, should there be baseball in 2027, the Blue Jays will have to re-sign or replace at least 2/3 of their outfield. Sliding Santander in every day is also not a solution, as he's regarded as a poor defender as well.
So what can be done?
Who are the free agents next offseason?
Trent Grisham, NYY
Ian Happ, CHC
Seiya Suzuki, CHC
Randy Arozarena, SEA
Taylor Ward, BAL
Adolis Garcia, PHI
Cedric Mullins, TBR
Victor Robles, SEA
Ramon Laureano, SD
Is there a surprise path for the Jays?
If the Blue Jays want to help the present and the future, they could pivot and make a run at Cody Bellinger, who is currently a free agent. The Yankees and Mets seem to be in a bidding war for him, but if the Mets can swoop in at the last minute for Bichette, then Toronto could do the same thing with Bellinger. He would give them even more defensive upside than Tucker would have, and he can address the outfield holes in the future. He has the ability to play all three outfield positions, giving the Jays further flexibility in their future roster building. It's certainly something that Toronto's front office should be considering with less than one month until spring training.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Remember to join our BLUE JAYS on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Blue Jays fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!