The Toronto Blue Jays are in the market for an impact bat.
Toronto has been interested in three of the top free agent hitters in Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, and Alex Bregman. Yet, nothing has been signed, as the Blue Jays continue to gauge the free agent market.
It’s been reported that the Blue Jays could land multiple of the free agent bats, but the latest prediction doesn’t sound good for it. Instead, Blue Jays analysts Johnny Giunta and Avery Chenier of Gate 14 expect Toronto to land one of them, which will most likely be Bichette.
“I do think Bo is waiting for Kyle Tucker,” Giunta said on The Gate 14 podcast. “If Kyle Tucker is a Jay, I’m not going to say it increases the chances of the Jays getting Bo, it doesn’t diminish it that crazy. … “I do think the Blue Jays get one of those guys.”
Chenier agreed with Giunta but believes the Blue Jays will likely land Bichette and not Tucker.
“If they whiff on Tucker, they need to upgrade one bat,” Chenier added. “If it’s either one of them, it makes the team as good as paper as last year. You need that. If Tucker goes somewhere else, it’s a perfect set-up for Bo to make good money from the Blue Jays.”
Bichette is familiar with the Blue Jays organization, so bringing him back makes a lot of sense. But perhaps Toronto does try and land both Tucker and Bichette to put an exclamation mark on the offseason.
Blue Jays CEO Doesn’t Think Anything is Close
Toronto has reportedly been interested in bringing back Bichette, along with signing Tucker and Bregman; the team isn’t saying if anything isn’t close.
Instead, Blue Jays CEO and President Mark Shapiro doesn’t believe anything is close, as he doesn’t think close is a thing in free agency. But he knows Toronto needs to upgrade its roster.
“My philosophy on free agents is there is no such thing as close,” Shapiro said on MLB Network Radio on Sunday. “You either are done, or you are not done; there is nothing in between. We are still working to get better. This is the bottom line: our division is an absolute beast.
“You can talk about what I’ve experienced in 34 years, almost 35 in the game, and one thing that is clear to me is there is nothing like the AL East. … The bottom line, to answer your question, we need to get better.”
Shapiro expects every team in the AL East to be much better next year, which is why the Blue Jays are pursuing a bat, or multiple.
Toronto Turning Its Attention to Offense
The Blue Jays lost in Game 7 of the World Series, and the team has been aggressive this offseason.
Toronto went out and landed Dylan Cease to bolster its rotation, and then inked Cody Ponce to give the rotation another arm. The Blue Jays also signed high-leverage reliever Tyler Rogers.
However, Toronto has yet to add a bat, but MLB insider Jon Heyman said that is the team’s new focus.
“They made the biggest deal (Dylan Cease, $210 million, seven years),” Heyman wrote on December 25th, 2025. “Further enhanced the rotation with Korean star Cody Ponce ($30M, three years) and added reliable reliever Tyler Rogers ($37M). What’s more, their biggest move may be yet to come.”
“They’re linked to the No. 1 free agent, Kyle Tucker, and they’re considering either Bo Bichette or Alex Bregman. They must have enjoyed their World Series foray as much as we did.”
Toronto is already one of the favorites to win the World Series. So, signing one or two of the impact bats would only make the team that much better.
Blue Jays Get 1 Positive, 1 Negative Prediction on Impact Bats