The Toronto Blue Jays are preparing for a very busy winter.
With the general managers’ meeting in Las Vegas behind him, Jays’ GM Ross Atkins says the club has a good idea of how it wants to attack an important off-season.
“Feel like we’ve learned more about individuals in the free agent and trade side that, in every demographic, could impact us,” Atkins said after the three-day summit ended. “Coming away feeling more confident than I did four days ago. We have a good starting point.”
According to The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon, Atkins and the Jays front office have several priorities with offensive help and an impact rotation arm at the top of the list.
The Blue Jays aren’t simply looking for depth, as Bannon specifies Atkins is looking for ‘someone who could start a playoff game.’
It has already been reported that the Blue Jays will meet with two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, while Bannon adds the Jays could also look at Freddy Peralta, Trevor Rogers, and Sonny Gray as rotation options.
A reunion with veteran righty Kevin Gausman could be an option if the Jays strike out on the bigger-ticket free agents. If he chooses to play another season, the 35-year-old would likely join a new club on a one-year deal.
He was reportedly open to an extension with the Blue Jays last summer, but the two sides never got those talks going before the two-time All-Star was dealt to the Chicago Cubs.
Gausman spent parts of five seasons with the Blue Jays, recording a 3.62 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 920 strikeouts over 861.0 innings. He was selected to the 2023 All-Star team while with Toronto, the same season he finished third in American League Cy Young voting.
Last season, Gausman posted a 4.51 ERA between the Jays and Cubs but surpassed 170 innings pitched for the sixth-straight season.
Reunions with Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber are also on the table if the Jays require further depth for the pitching staff.
Searching for Infield Help
The Blue Jays’ other off-season priority has been to add an infield bat. The club has previously checked in with the Arizona Diamondbacks on second baseman Ketel Marte and is interested in free agents Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Brandon Lowe.
Marte has been a consistent producer at the plate for much of his 10 seasons with the Diamondbacks and slashed .249/.316/.432 with 22 homers and 76 RBI last season. He is also a three-time All-Star, a two-time Silver Slugger and the winner of the 2023 NLCS MVP Award for helping the Diamondbacks reach the World Series.
Chisholm, 28, is coming off a season where he swatted 19 homers and stole 41 bases with the New York Yankees, while the 32-year-old Lowe crushed 35 homers and drove in 96 last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Fan-favourite Ernie Clement could be moved to make room for an impact acquisition, as Bannon reports the Jays have been receiving calls on the 2026 All-Star.
Blue Jays interested in Loaisiga
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Jays are one of several teams to have interest in right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga, who is coming off a strong 2026 season for the D-Backs.
He had a 2.42 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP in 67.0 innings pitched spread out over 67 appearances last season.
While Loaisiga’s 48 strikeouts were on the low side for a high-leverage reliever, he is in the 98th percentile in average exit velocity and in the 95th percentile in his ground ball rate, meaning he was elite at inducing weak contact.
The 32-year-old is a nine-year MLB veteran, having spent his first eight seasons with the New York Yankees.