Blue Jays Notes: Infield, Outfield, Rotation, Bullpen, Barger

It’s common for the Blue Jays to explore all avenues in the offseason and it doesn’t seem as though this winter will be any different. Reporting from the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (two columns) and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic (two columns) have details on their pursuits in the infield, the outfield, the rotation and the bullpen. It is known that the Jays are looking to shake-up the middle infield. The 2026 club had Andrés Giménez at shortstop and Ernie Clement at second base. Clement’s performance declined this year relative to 2025, both offensively and defensively. There’s an argument for the Jays to get a middle infielder, therefore pushing Giménez and Clement together into a platoon, either at shortstop or second base. Clement could also bounce around to other positions in a utility capacity. The Jays reportedly looked into middle infield options at the deadline, though they didn’t pull the trigger there. After the season, general manager Ross Atkins admitted that Clement would probably have to earn a regular role in 2027. The middle infield pursuit continues to be a possibility now. The Jays have already been linked to free agent Brandon Lowe. The trade market has many possibilities. Nicholson-Smith connects the Jays to Jeremy Peña of the Astros but notes that Houston may not be inclined to move him. Bannon notes that Toronto’s deadline pursuits included Zach Neto of the Angels and CJ Abrams of the Nationals. The Jays also had some internal discussions about a run at Willy Adames of the Giants, though it’s unclear if they actually made overtures there. The Jays could return to those options, though there are obstacles in each case. The Angels don’t currently have a front office leader and may not have one in place until after the players have been locked out. The Halos probably won’t rush a Neto deal in the coming weeks. Even if the new front office leader does want to trade Neto, the shortstop is under club control for three years, so the Angels wouldn’t need to hastily put a deal together immediately after the lockout. Abrams is still under club control for two more years and the Nationals may be planning to hold him, per Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic. With Adames, he has a full no-trade clause and his contract is also unappealing apart from that. He is now 31 years old and is still owed $140MM through 2031. He’s coming off a down season. He did hit 21 home runs but that was his lowest tally in a full season since 2019. He only stole five bases after being in double-digit territory in the previous two campaigns. His walk rate was the worst of his career and his strikeout rate was his worst since 2021. His defensive metrics were career worsts. Both Nicholson-Smith and Bannon mention that the Jays are again interested in Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks. The Jays were connected to him last winter when the Snakes were exploring deals. They are expected to do so again, though likely with a lesser asking price. Marte’s production slipped a bit in 2026 and his unreliability became a talking point once more. He didn’t show up for a game in Boston and it was reported that this was the fourth straight season in which Marte no-showed at least once. Marte will still garner interest because he is arguably the best second baseman in the game when at his best, but the off-field issues alter his trade value in ways that are hard to measure. He also has full no-trade protection now as a 10-and-5 guy. Both Nicholson-Smith and Bannon mention that Marte is married to a cousin of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. In theory, if they have a good relationship, that could help the Jays manage some of the off-field stuff and/or persuade Marte to accept a trade. But he’s also 33 years old and still owed $87.5MM, including some deferrals, so there’s clear downside risk. Nicholson-Smith mentions Jazz Chisholm Jr. as a free agent the Jays have interest in. Chisholm is coming off a bit of a down year, by his standards. He hit 31 home runs in 2025 but that number fell to 19 this year. His overall offense came in around league average thanks to a high strikeout rate and low batting average but he stole 41 bases. Reviews of his defense were mixed. Chisholm’s uneven performance could make him cheaper than Lowe. MLBTR predicted Chisholm for a two-year, $40MM deal with an opt-out, a pact that would allow him to potentially return to free agency after a better platform year. Other outlets believe his track record is enough to secure a multi-year contract with a guarantee well north of that. MLBTR predicted Lowe for a solid three-year deal worth $69MM. Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reports that Chisholm is open to a multi-positional role including some outfield work. Chisholm has mostly played second base in recent years. The Marlins tried him out in center field in 2023 and 2024 but he was moved back to the infield. He seemed to be happy with that switch. “I’m comfortable anywhere where there’s dirt,” he said in 2025, per Ronald Blum of the Associated Press. “Once the ball is on the ground, I’m going to catch it. That’s all I worry about. In the air is a little shaky. It gets a little scary out there.” It would be in Chisholm’s best interest as a free agent to be open-minded about his future. Only so many teams need second base help, so making himself available for outfield work should open up his market to more suitors. The Jays do have needs out there. They have already been connected to free agent Seiya Suzuki. They currently project to have Brett Bateman in center. Nathan Lukes is in the mix and can play any spot. Anthony Santander is an option for a corner, though he could also be a regular designated hitter with George Springer now a free agent. Addison Barger could be in a corner once he’s recovered from his elbow surgery. Atkins mentioned Barger as a center field possibility this week, which would be a new development. Barger has a decent amount of experience in the corners with mixed reviews on his defense, so it would be surprising if he ended up in the middle for anything more than emergency purposes. Nicholson-Smith mentions that the Jays have some interest in bringing back Daulton Varsho, in addition to having some interest in fellow free agent Trent Grisham. Both are coming off down years and would be buy-low opportunities. Both are center fielders by trade but Grisham’s defensive numbers have been slipping. Varsho can still run down the ball but he has one of the worst throwing arms in the majors, so he arguably should be moved to left field. How they would fit in with the Jays in 2027 would depend upon what other moves they make and whether Bateman can build upon his encouraging debut in 2026. Bannon notes that Sean Keys could work on playing second base this winter. Keys hit 28 home runs in the minors this year but struggled to get playing time because his primary position is first base, where the Jays have Guerrero. As mentioned, the DH spot is a bit more open now with the departure of Springer, but the Jays could put Santander there while adding outfielders. If Keys can play a viable second base, that could help him push into the lineup. But it’s also possible the Jays add to their middle infield, as mentioned earlier. On the rotation, the Jays clearly need an addition. They have Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage and José Soriano in three spots but things get more questionable towards the back end. They have already been connected to Tarik Skubal. Nicholson-Smith mentions that they remain engaged with old friend Kevin Gausman as well as free agent Michael King. Any of them would be solid upgrades to the current rotation, though at very different price points. MLBTR predicted Skubal for a $425MM guarantee over nine years. King got a prediction of $92MM over four years. Gausman, since he is about to turn 36, was predicted for just two years but a $44MM guarantee. It’s possible the Jays will wait to see how the Skubal situation plays out before moving down the list of rotation targets. Turning to the bullpen, it doesn’t appear to be a high priority. The Jays had a pretty good relief group in 2026 and the key arms are all still on the roster. Still, Atkins mentioned that the club would like to improve in all areas, which could include some relief arms. Nicholson-Smith mentions that the Jays have been in touch with free agent Kevin Ginkel. Jon Heyman of The New York Post mentions the Jays as one of several teams interested in Jonathan Loáisiga. Both pitchers were with the Diamondbacks in 2026. For Loáisiga, it was a bounceback season. He had some good times with the Yankees but injuries derailed him for most of 2023 through 2025. With Arizona this year, he tossed 67 innings with a 2.42 earned run average. His 18.4% strikeout rate was low but his 5% walk rate and 56.4% ground ball rate were both excellent figures. Ginkel’s 4.12 ERA was less impressive but his 26.2% strikeout rate was far higher than Loáisiga’s. His 6.2% walk rate was also a strong figure and his 39.8% ground ball rate just below league average. On the Toronto staff, mental skills coach John Lannan will not return in 2027. Lannan was hired by the Jays in 2020. Atkins expects this to be the only change on the coaching staff, though he noted it’s always possible someone is offered a promotion with another club. Photo courtesy of Kelley L Cox, Imagn Images