Toronto Blue Jays Free Agency: Why Jazz Chisholm Jr. Makes Sense

The Toronto Blue Jays will hit the general managers meetings in Las Vegas next week hoping to lay the groundwork for a productive offseason.

Yes, the offseason figures to be compressed because of the pending lockout, but the Blue Jays can still use the GM meetings as a way to build a rapport with agents of free agents and as a launch point for potential trades.

Toronto enters the GM meetings with questions in the outfield and at second base, and they could use some additional bullpen help after going 79-83 and finishing in last place in the American League East.

I remain a firm believer that the Blue Jays' biggest need is a right-handed hitting power outfielder like Seiya Suzuki or Randy Arozarena, but if the team wants to look in a different direction, I implore them to look at former New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Well, it's simple really. The Blue Jays would have to surrender their second and fifth-best draft picks in 2027 to sign a player who comes with a qualifying offer attached. That applies to each of Arozarena, Suzuki and Brandon Lowe.

Toronto forfeited draft picks last offseason to sign Dylan Cease and maybe they just don't want to do it again. At some point, you need to develop your own farm system, and you can't do that if you are losing top picks each year.

Chisholm does not come with a qualifying offer attached, which makes him more appealing.

They don't technically need one because they have Ernie Clement. But if they don't want to pay the compensation price for an outfielder, then second base is the next biggest upgrade chance. Clement is a good contact hitter, but he has one of the biggest chase rates in the sport and offers minimal power. Perhaps he's best suited as a utility man or a bench bat.

If that's the case, then Chisholm could slide into second and the Jays could still address their power deficiency from 2026.

Still just 28 years old, Chisholm is a seven-year veteran of the Miami Marlins and Yankees. He hit 31 homers in 2025 while also stealing 31 bases. In 2026, he hit 19 homers and stole 41 bases.

There are questions about his maturity at times, but he checks a lot of boxes in terms of making this team deeper from a power perspective, and more athletic.