Will Myles Straw Play a Meaningful Role for the Blue Jays in 2026?

[Edward E]

Last year, the Toronto Blue Jays were able to reap the benefits of having Myles Straw land in their laps as a result of their efforts to secure more international bonus pool money with which to woo Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki. That part of the plan ended up failing, but the Straw experiment certainly didn’t, as he played a meaningful role for the Blue Jays during their resurgent 2025 season.

But with all of the happenings that have taken place this offseason, and those that are yet to come, how will Straw fit in for the Jays this upcoming year? Will he be a contributor who helps the team succeed once again?

Without question, as a former Gold Glove winner, elite defense has always been his calling card. In 2025, Straw may not have started too many games (67 to be exact), but he sure made his presence felt as a frequent defensive replacement. He ended up playing a whopping 133 games in the field. In doing so, the 31-year-old outfielder made just one error in 187 total chances. In addition, he recorded five outfield assists and 18 defensive runs saved (DRS). His 11 outs above average (0AA) ranked him in the 97th percentile in the entire league. So, practically, it felt like the Blue Jays had another Daulton Varsho playing for them in the outfield, making their defense almost impenetrable.

However, Straw also managed to provide some reasonably solid offensive production along the way. He put up a .262 average and a .680 OPS, along with 51 runs scored, four home runs, 32 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 299 plate appearances. As a result, his bWAR of 2.9 was the second-best mark of his career.

But the return of Anthony Santander from his prolonged absence due to injury and the addition of Kazuma Okamoto to the roster equation for 2026 have certainly tightened up potential playing time for the upcoming season. So, will Straw’s potential to impact games be enough to keep him on the roster?

On defense alone, the answer would be "of course" – he has one of the best gloves on the entire team. But including the hitting aspect of his game, his 91 wRC+, -0.5 WPA and -3.78 RE24 put him behind the likes of Addison Barger (107 wRC+, -0.5 WPA, 1.91 RE24), Nathan Lukes (103 wRC+, -0.4 WPA, 5.87 RE24), and even the lesser-used Davis Schneider (127 wRC+, -0.1 WPA, 5.62 RE24) in 2025. Moreover, that's with Straw putting up some of the best offensive numbers of his career. With the aforementioned players having also shown the ability to provide solid defense in the field, it gives them that much more value overall for the Jays. Of course, that doesn’t even include Okamoto, who could further complicate the outfield picture if used as a super utilityman.

As a result, if the Blue Jays have the roster space available, Straw will likely retain his role as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner off the bench, though he could see his starts diminish considerably. But if Toronto is ultimately forced into a roster crunch with the moves they have made or will make this offseason, Straw could be the unfortunate candidate to be pushed out of a spot when all is said and done.

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[Leo Morgenstern]

Straw is such a great bench weapon as a defensive replacement and pinch-runner. No doubt one of the best outfield gloves in the sport, with top-tier sprint speed. Exactly the kind of guy you want at the bottom of your roster, especially for the playoffs. 

That said, I am expecting some regression at the plate next year. If Varsho gets hurt again, I'm concerned that a Straw-Lukes platoon is going to be tough to watch.