Blue Jays Discussion Thread (2026)

[Brownie19]

40 minutes ago, Terminator said:

Where did all the Luis Robert fanboys go? I haven't seen him mentioned once.

We could probably sign him for the entire 2027 season for less than the Orioles paid him for three games in 2026. What a steal!

We're going to need 2 right handed OFers to go with Bateman, Barger and Lukes.  He could be one of them.  Ideally he'd be a Straw replacement and wouldn't cost much, but is someone who could start at all 3 OF position and provide a weee bit of upside.

He has to be a complimentary piece though.  Add on top of some true impact bats you can trust.

After 3 straight poor season, perhaps you can get him on a 1 year $5M deal?  He has generally hit LHP well throughout his career, so he's actually a decent target in this new wacky world where RH hitting OFers are difficult to find?

[Terminator]

I suspect we will be "finalists" for Skubal like we are for every other top FA.

I don't want to rustle anyone's jimmies here, so don't tar and feather me for this, but do I wonder if we have a decent chance this time?

• Dodgers have some weird ownership stuff going on
• Mets can be surprisingly all in or all out on free agents
• Yankees rotation is stacked
• Skubal is a pitcher so it might scare off some of the other big spenders like the Phillies?
• Jays have been trying to land a FA whale for a while so it could be their last chance with new CBA changes

But man, if they want to win a World Series imagine a playoff rotation of Skubal, Cease, Trey and Soriano.

 

 

[Brownie19]

Some 7 or 8 year $250-$300M deal for Skubal is about as risky as it gets...

[Laika]

14 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Some 7 or 8 year $250-$300M deal for Skubal is about as risky as it gets...

Is it though?

We have seen some legendary flops lately on big contracts for POSITION PLAYERS

and in my head many of the best contracts for elite old players have been with starting pitchers 

pitching is horribly risky but there is this rare breed of arm that is just... elite until they are 40. 

I wonder if taking the ball 32 times at age 36 is in some ways easier than playing 150+ games on your feet and staying healthy through 10,000 swings and running the bases and all that 

 

From 2020 to 2026, Age 35+ 4+ fWAR seasons

• Bats:  Springer 2025, Muncy 2026 (4.1) and Turner 2021 (4.0) --> THREE OCCURENCES BUT TWO OF THEM ARE WALL SCRAPERS 
• Arms: Sale 2024, Verlander 2022, Sale 2026, Scherzer 2021, Morton 2021, Scherzer 2022, deGrom 2026, Darvish 2022, Wheeler 2025, Wheeler 2026 --> TEN OCCURENCES 

EXPAND SEARCH to 2000 to 2026 and you get 47 hitters vs 51 pitchers so it's much closer. But the game has changed. More pressure on all the little details, defense and baserunning and stuff. More platoons. 

[Terminator]

One thing working against us signing Skubal is my theory that Florida Man has no problem signing with the Jays, but California Dude is a much tougher sell, especially when he's married.

Unfortunately, Skubal is a California Dude and not only that but he married his high school sweetheart, so that could be an issue depending on how much pull she has.

As we've learned from the Matt Chapmans and Corbin Burneses of the world, the wives are the true power brokers of MLB free agency. Scott Boras can negotiate the contract, but he can't negotiate the pull of having grandparents living close by to babysit.

That said, Skubal speaks pretty fondly of his time in Detroit, so maybe they're the type who are happy anywhere. But to pry California Dude from the Dodgers, we will need their ownership issues to play a major factor.

[Eat My Shatkins]

I've already written off any chance of getting Skubal.

Don't you buggers go and give me false hope again.

 

 

[Eat My Shatkins]

What are the chances of landing Suzuki for a corner OF spot? And do we even want that to happen?

Bring in Lowe and Suzuki on shorter term deals? They are 32 after all.

You'd have 6 batters who could legitimately hit 20+ home runs, 5 guys who have hit 30+ in their careers.

 

CF Bateman

LF Suzuki

1B Vlad

DH Santander

3B Okamoto

2B Lowe

C Kirk

RF Barger

SS Giminez

[Brownie19]

14 hours ago, bronson44 said:

Ángelo Ramos on Ángel Montas 😱

“In my 25 years of experience working with ballplayers, I’ve never seen a talent like his”

“Many players have power, but they lack discipline. He has both. He’s a generational hitter, it’s like combining the power of Aaron Judge with the discipline of Juan Soto”

Montas has a pre-agreement to sign with Toronto in 2028 for a $5.6M bonus

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd9erAkP_cv/?stkn=MTZ0eGp4b29xajJ0MA==

[Omar]

Dont kid yourself fellas, Skubal may likely be closer to the $400M mark.  

 

 

[G-Snarls]

I'm sure it's been said several times but this year's FA class is way richer in pitching than offense, even AFTER Skubal

We may end up with similar type of team (pitching/defense > contact skills > power) unless Atkins can somehow pull off a trade for a really good 2 way player with some pop.  

[Gen.Disarray]

Can't remember if it was Bowman, Sampson or whoever on Blair and Barker said that James Wood or Cj Abrams could potentially be traded because they'll never be able to come to terms on extensions with them. But after hearing that, the pie in the sky situation to start next season...

Bateman - CF

Vladdy - 1B

Wood - LF

Suzuki - RF

Santander - DH

Kirk - C

Okamoto - 3B

Clement - 2B

Gimenez - SS

Free agent pitcher to help replace Yesavage who is traded in a pretty monster package to acquire Wood. And possibly bring back Gaus or Bieber 

Dare to dream... lol

[Terminator]

Based on recent comments from the Jays' brass, it doesn't sound like Bateman is going to be penciled in as the every day starter in CF.

Whether that means we acquire a starting-caliber CF and move Batemen to a 4th OF role or we get a righty hitting CF to platoon with him, it does seem like adding a CFer is going to be on the agenda. 

[JaysFan99]

I see a few comments about trades in here, but who do we have left to trade?  

[jaysblue]

5 hours ago, Terminator said:

Where did all the Luis Robert fanboys go? I haven't seen him mentioned once.

We could probably sign him for the entire 2027 season for less than the Orioles paid him for three games in 2026. What a steal!

 

[G-Snarls]

1 hour ago, Terminator said:

Based on recent comments from the Jays' brass, it doesn't sound like Bateman is going to be penciled in as the every day starter in CF.

Whether that means we acquire a starting-caliber CF and move Batemen to a 4th OF role or we get a righty hitting CF to platoon with him, it does seem like adding a CFer is going to be on the agenda. 

Given how this team favors defense not surprised about them adding more people who can play centerfield 

Just needs to be a right-handed hitter though 

[jaysblue]

5 hours ago, Brownie19 said:

We're going to need 2 right handed OFers to go with Bateman, Barger and Lukes.  He could be one of them.  Ideally he'd be a Straw replacement and wouldn't cost much, but is someone who could start at all 3 OF position and provide a weee bit of upside.

He has to be a complimentary piece though.  Add on top of some true impact bats you can trust.

After 3 straight poor season, perhaps you can get him on a 1 year $5M deal?  He has generally hit LHP well throughout his career, so he's actually a decent target in this new wacky world where RH hitting OFers are difficult to find?

Roberts wouldn't be a bad option as a RHB in a platoon with Lukes or Barger. He might just have to settle for that role this offseason if he wants a MLB deal. 

However, how many platoons can we have? Running with two platoons in the outfield I'm not that keen on, especially if this team keeps Straw haha. Don't want Straw as a platoon partner with anyone. 

Obviously, if the Jays sign Suzuki, he solves LF and you only need one RHB to pair with Barger. If the Jays decide to keep Lukes, they definitely need a RHB. As for Barger, ideally a platoon partner would be nice, but don't want to overcrowd the roster with platoon bats in the outfield. 

Bateman I think is fine, but yes I think if the Jays are targeting a RHB platoon bat, you want to make sure they could also play CF. 

 

[glory]

A Bateman/Robert platoon would be pretty interesting. I'd much rather they go that route than the more boring route of picking up Straw's option (or declining the option and bringing him back on a cheaper, but still probably around $5-6M a year, deal). Or go get Denzel Clarke from the A's now that Bolte is their everyday CF. At least you could look at bat speed, defense, and base running, and see a potentially useful backup making the minimum. 

I feel like Suzuki might be the team's main offensive target. They really need a RHB who can bat somewhere in the top 4 spots of a playoff lineup, and he's clearly in that category. Age is really the biggest issue there. 

[John_Havok]

10 hours ago, Angrioter said:

 

If this kid is 14, then im 25. 

[Angrioter]

6 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

If this kid is 14, then im 25. 

He's playing U15 right now. 

 

Home run against Japan yesterday 

VTV Televisión 📺 (@vtv.canal32) • Instagram reel

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM

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247 likes, 6 comments - vtv.canal32 on September 30, 2026: "#MundialU15 ⚾️ | #Recap Juego...

 

[Angrioter]

1 minute ago, Angrioter said:

He's playing U15 right now. 

 

Home run against Japan yesterday 

VTV Televisión 📺 (@vtv.canal32) • Instagram reel

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM

---

247 likes, 6 comments - vtv.canal32 on September 30, 2026: "#MundialU15 ⚾️ | #Recap Juego...

 

Billy López regidor 2028 (@at3ncion_billy_lop3z01) • Instagram reel

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM

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1,806 likes, 47 comments - at3ncion_billy_lop3z01 on September 30, 2026: "La Romana se siente...

 

[Ryu In My House]

13 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Suzuki, Bo (if he's available), Jazz, Arraez, maybe Sato from Japan. Those guys would be meaningful additions.

Also, wonder what trades could be possible? Maybe CJ Abrams, Kyle Stowers, Brent Rooker? 

*I thought they may go after Booker at the trade deadline tbh. Part of their sell/buy flow...

[Ryu In My House]

6 hours ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

Bring in Lowe and Suzuki on shorter term deals? They are 32 after all.

 

Yeah. I want both these guys, too. I thought Suzuki was younger though, like 30. That would be signing a lot of old. 

Is it crazy that I am hoping for a good bounce back year from Santander, who IIRC is also 32?

[John_Havok]

2 hours ago, Angrioter said:

He's playing U15 right now. 

 

Home run against Japan yesterday 

VTV Televisión 📺 (@vtv.canal32) • Instagram reel

WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM

---

247 likes, 6 comments - vtv.canal32 on September 30, 2026: "#MundialU15 ⚾️ | #Recap Juego...

 

His birth certificate is about as real as Vlad's apology.

[Terminator]

Question for the Luis Robert fanboys: Did you know that Myles Straw has out-WAR'd Robert the past three seasons?

2.5 WAR for Straw and 2.4 for Robert. Can't blame injuries either since Straw did that in just 633 plate appearances while Robert got 1087. If you extrapolate Straw's playing time out to match Robert's over this same time period, Straw would have 4.3 WAR.

So Straw has basically been twice the player, yet everyone wants to kick him to the curb while bringing Robert in.

Question for everyone else: Why do you think the Luis Robert fanboys are so deliriously in love with such a mid (at best) player? 

 

 

[Funky]

I would have no problem bringing Straw back.  Brings elite defense, good base running, manageable contract,  and seems to be well liked in the clubhouse. Our pitching stuff is gonna be our main weapon. Might as well try and help them all we can late in the game with the best D possible. 
 

My big fish would be Skubel. That would put our starting rotation among some of the best in the league. Get that big left handed we covet and possibly take some of the pressure off Cease. Would allow us to maybe listen on Soriano if the right trade lines up 

Seiya Susuki isn’t going to move the needle a ton unless Vlad gets back on track, but does provide reliable power and a starting fixture in right field.  Has played a few games in left but majority of games in right followed by DH. 
 

Then try and grab Sato.  
 

Beibs on a pillow contract yes. 
 

no to Mad Max although I love his game day attitude. 

We have two big question marks on the offense that did not play last year. Right now, I pencil both of them in for DH spot and cross my fingers that at least one of them will play to their expected level. If that is the case, it’s a massive bonus. Would rather use the DH spot to rotate players through. Between Kirk, Vlad, Okamoto and possibly Barger, Santander or even a Susuki acquisition, a rotating DH would be ideal  

and finally in my Bluejay dream world that will never happen:

I would love the Mets to take on Santander’s contract in return for us taking on Bo’s full contract. Bo comes back to take over at second base would be incredible and I could learn to live with the errors if he was hitting. But this scenario is even less likely than having Santander come back and actually be contributing member to the Blue Jays. 
 

 

[glory]

3 hours ago, Terminator said:

Question for the Luis Robert fanboys: Did you know that Myles Straw has out-WAR'd Robert the past three seasons?

2.5 WAR for Straw and 2.4 for Robert. Can't blame injuries either since Straw did that in just 633 plate appearances while Robert got 1087. If you extrapolate Straw's playing time out to match Robert's over this same time period, Straw would have 4.3 WAR.

So Straw has basically been twice the player, yet everyone wants to kick him to the curb while bringing Robert in.

Question for everyone else: Why do you think the Luis Robert fanboys are so deliriously in love with such a mid (at best) player? 

 

 

Robert has a career 137 wRC+ against LHP and 122 the last two seasons. As long as he's used as a platoon player, he's likely a more useful asset to the Jays than Straw would be aside from clubhouse vibez. Of course there's injury history to take into account, so that hurts Robert, but slap hitting Straw combined with slap hitting Bateman, combined with slap hitting Gimenez, combined with slap hitting Clement, etc, etc, is a bit overkill. Need to diversify that skill set a bit. 

[Brownie19]

24 minutes ago, glory said:

Robert has a career 137 wRC+ against LHP and 122 the last two seasons. As long as he's used as a platoon player, he's likely a more useful asset to the Jays than Straw would be aside from clubhouse vibez. Of course there's injury history to take into account, so that hurts Robert, but slap hitting Straw combined with slap hitting Bateman, combined with slap hitting Gimenez, combined with slap hitting Clement, etc, etc, is a bit overkill. Need to diversify that skill set a bit. 

Exactly.  We need some guys who mash lefties.  Austin Hays is the other obvious target.

I know you can't platoon in every position, but with Bateman, Lukes and Barger in the OF, it would make sense to have at least 1 guy who crushes LHP.

[Eat My Shatkins]

What do we think of Keys? Can this guy be the Jays DH when Santander goes on the IL again? Or will MLB pitching be too much for him to handle?

23 years old, 160 wRC+ and 28 home runs in AA and AAA last year.

 

He doesn't really fit anywhere in the field, maybe DH is the way to go.

[Jays24]

If the Jays were a rebuilding team, Keys could be given a chance but a team with world series aspirations does not Keys account for Keys as anything more than a good bench bat/backup. 

Itll be on him to show more during spring training and the chances he does get to play before this team makes moves to account for him.  

[Brownie19]

23 minutes ago, Jays24 said:

If the Jays were a rebuilding team, Keys could be given a chance but a team with world series aspirations does not Keys account for Keys as anything more than a good bench bat/backup. 

Itll be on him to show more during spring training and the chances he does get to play before this team makes moves to account for him.  

We're a last place team man.  Obviously we're aiming to get back in the playoffs, but this isn't a team that's a piece or two away from being a WS contender.

Depending on who we add, I could certainly see Keys getting a lot of PA's from the DH position next year.  If we do add Lowe or Jazz to play 2nd and we add another OFer, I don't think there's going to be much money spent on a DH.

Keys is probably a trade possibility as well - we have a lot of LH batters who can't hit LHPing and you can't platoon everyone...