As we discussed earlier on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays currently have nine players on the 60-day injured list. Two of those players, Patrick Corbin and Yimi Garcia, will immediately go into the free agent pool of players the day after the World Series ends, but the other seven will need to be returned to the 40-man roster within five days of the World Series ending.

Because of other players hitting free agency, the Jays will have a relatively easy time getting those seven back into the fold. And then the question goes to "which of those seven players will have the biggest contribution in 2027?"

As a refresher, those seven players are: Jose Berrios, Jake Bloss, Bowden Francis, Jonatan Clase, Anthony Santander, Addison Barger and Cody Ponce.

There are some real good choices there, as Ponce figures to step right back into the starting rotation and Santander is being counted on to be the player he was in Baltimore before coming to Toronto, but for me? It's Barger. I just can't quit him.

A breakout star of last year's playoff run, Barger hit 21 homers and drove in 74 runs in 2025. He hit .367 in the playoffs with three homers, nine RBIs and a .441 on-base percentage. The Blue Jays beat the Mariners in seven games in the American League Championship Series and then advanced to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

He was a force in the lineup there also, hitting a grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series.

However, 2026 was a lost year for him. He battled ankle and arm injuries and played only nine big-league games. He hit .045 in that limited action.

The age. Barger is going to play the entirety of next season at 27 years old. He's truly headed into the prime of his career. Furthermore, the metrics jump off the chart. Barger was in the 86th percentile of average exit velocity in 2025 while also landing in the 91st percentile of hard-hit percentage and the 94th percentile of bat speed.

He has physical tools that you can't teach and has power that the Jays desperately need after finishing last in the majors in home runs in 2026.

With a proper offseason under his belt to get right, there's no reason to suggest that he can't be the player I think he is moving forward.