By Jacob Becquey

The Blue Jays’ 2026 season was a disaster in numerous ways; the rotation was shaky behind Dylan Cease, injuries plagued the lineup, and the stars of the team completely underperformed. While other teams may see this as a sign to rebuild, the Blue Jays are in a position to simply retool and prepare themselves for Opening Day. Why, you may ask? It’s because the Blue Jays have the money and assets to have an incredible offseason.

Toronto was tremendously successful in 2025, winning the AL Pennant and getting 2 outs away from a World Series title. Expectations were high for 2026, but for the previously stated reasons, the Jays missed the postseason altogether. Pieces from the 2025 team still reside in the form of Vladimir Guerrero Junior and Addison Barger, and the departures of George Springer, Daulton Varsho, and Kevin Gausman allow the Blue Jays to find a new identity in their stars.

The Blue Jays retool began this past trade deadline with the acquisition of Jose Soriano from the Angels, as well as the plethora of assets received from selling their expiring contracts. One of these pieces, Brett Bateman, preformed extremely well in the second half of 2026, giving tremendous hope to the blue birds.

Lots of holes persist in the Blue Jays roster. Here’s how Toronto should hope to fill them:

Sign RHP Kevin Gausman: 3 Years, $50 Million

Kevin Gausman’s 5 year, $110 million dollar deal with the Blue Jays was a tremendous contract. Gausman accumulated the most pitching war in franchise history over his tenure, just surpassing Rodger Clemens, who won 2 Cy Young awards in 2 years with the club. A return to Toronto seems very likely, given his history with the club. But is a reunion in the best interest for the Blue Jays?

Short answer: yes. While Gausman’s ERA was a tad disappointing at 4.51, his fielding-independent pitching was above league average, landing at 3.74. Toronto’s history with veteran pitching has been decent recently, especially with Chris Bassitt’s 3-year deal in 2022. A reunion with Gausman would make him the perfect SP4 in Toronto’s system, slotting in behind Dylan Cease, Jose Soriano, and Trey Yesavage while starting in front of Cody Ponce, who will return from an ACL tear.

Sign OF Seiya Suzuki: 4 Years, $100 Million

Seiya Suzuki is an absolutely perfect fit for the Blue Jays. Toronto’s sincere lack of power in the outfield severely hurt them throughout 2026; the highest qualified OPS in Toronto’s outfield was Jesus Sanchez’s .734, only 15 points above the MLB average. A serious threat in the outfield to bat behind Vladdy would be tremendous for Toronto, especially with George Springer’s likely departure.

Seiya Suzuki checks all the boxes. He has great power, smashing at least 20 homeruns in each of the past 4 seasons. The 5-year Cubs veteran also drastically improved his defense in 2026, which would fit Toronto’s gold-glove winning team. Suzuki would give Toronto a true star in the outfield, which could evolve into two with Addison Barger’s return from injury.

Sign LHP Gregory Soto: 2 Years, $24 Million

The Blue Jays bullpen was lights-out in 2026, consisting of Louis Varland, Tyler Rodgers, and Spencer Miles, along with decent role players like Braydon Fisher. However, the lack of left handed pitching in the bullpen has hurt the club when it comes to matchups, as they had to use one of the reliable Mason Fluharty or the ever-inconsistent Brandon Little. Gregory Soto would help change that.

Soto pitched well in 2026 to the tune of a 3.63 ERA with 79 Ks in just 67 games. The strikeout power is evident, and the fastball velocity hovers around 97, giving the Blue Jays more heat. Soto is a decent arm and a valuable depth piece, making him a key target for the Blue Jays this coming season.

Trade RHP Nolan Perry and RHP Johnny King for SS Jeremy Pena

The Astros are coming off another disappointing season, becoming the worst playoff team in MLB history by record and getting swept by the White Sox in the wild card round. With their core starting to age and their contracts about to expire, it is very possible Houston decides to blow it all up.

Outside of a Yordan Alvarez trade, Jeremy Pena remains the best trade candidate. The shortstop is coming off his second consecutive season with an OPS above .800, and he has also put up at least 4 WAR in 2 of the past 3 seasons. Pena, who is on an expiring contract, could be a great piece for a contending team.

For the Astros, this deal makes sense because it gives them a better future and 2 potential studs in a struggling rotation. Perry is coming off a breakout 2026, where he put up a 2.50 ERA with 117 Ks in 82.2 innings across 3 levels in the minors, 1 season removed from Tommy John surgery. Similarly, King’s 3.16 ERA and 139 Ks in 105.1 innings proves him to be promising for Toronto, who have reliable pitching depth. For a shortstop 1 year away from being a free agent, this would be a great haul for Houston.

So why does this deal make sense for Toronto? Well, for one, Pena is a great baserunner, swiping 20 bags in 2 of his last 3 seasons, which is a department the Blue Jays have lacked in. Additionally, Pena is a great candidate to move to second base, a position which Toronto struggled with in 2026. Moving Ernie Clement to the bench not only gives this team more depth, but an opportunity to give Pena more playing time without sacrificing Andres Gimenez’s gold glove-caliber defense. This move is a win-win for both sides.

What offseason moves do you think the Blue Jays should make? Let us know on X, @Full_Count_Blog