Blue Jays free agent target: Kyle Freeland

Before the 2026 season began, the starting rotation was projected to be one of the Toronto Blue Jays’ strengths. However, with heaps of injuries and underperformance among their starters, the former American League Champions cratered to the bottom of the AL East.

Even with names like José Berríos, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and José Soriano, the Blue Jays still need to lengthen their starting rotation ahead of the 2027 season. As it stands, Toronto only has right-handed starters, so far; adding a left-hander to this core would help diversify the roster.

Enter left-hander Kyle Freeland. On the surface, the longtime starter for the Colorado Rockies isn’t the most desirable pitcher, with a career 4.75 ERA, 4.62 FIP and 16.4 WAR. Unfortunately, for the 33-year-old, his 2026 season was one of his worst, with a 6.65 ERA, 5.09 FIP and 1.52 WHIP in 135.1 innings pitched.

At his best, Freeland posted a 2.85 ERA, 3.65 FIP, and 1.25 WHIP in 202.1 innings pitched in 2018, suggesting some hope for a bounce-back year. This track record is quite similar to Robbie Ray’s before he joined the Blue Jays. Ray had a flash of a strong season with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017, which led to Toronto taking a chance on revamping the starter’s pitching approach and arsenal. That experiment was a success when Ray won the AL Cy Young Award in 2021 by recording a 2.84 ERA, 3.69 FIP, 1.04 WHIP and 248 strikeouts in 193.1 innings pitched.

Freeland could be the next Ray if the Blue Jays are willing to hand out a one-year deal as a prove-it season. Theoretically, this would be a win-win arrangement: Toronto bolsters its pitching staff, and the left-hander gets a shot at redeeming his profile. Considering that Coors Field can be an unforgiving environment for pitchers, Freeland wouldn’t mind a change of scenery when he chooses his next destination.

The 33-year-old isn’t a master strikeout pitcher, unlike Ray, but he still showed strength in walk rate (98th percentile) and chase rate (83rd percentile) last season. Whichever team signs the starter can lean into these strengths and turn him into a pitcher who can command a large arsenal – Freeland throws four-seam fastballs, curveballs, cutters, changeups, sweepers and sinkers – while relying on deception.

Currently, the Colorado native is projected to command a three-year, $31.48-million contract, according to Spotrac. This is the best-case scenario for a starter with a rather volatile performance throughout his MLB career.

Some of the comparable pitchers to Freeland are Kyle Hendricks, Nick Martinez and Colin Rea, and they have all signed a one-year deal when they entered free agency. Based on this trend, Freeland will most likely receive one-year contract offers this winter to prove himself, as opposed to receiving a long-term deal.

Sometimes, teams and players have to get creative during the offseason for their futures. That may look like doing the unexpected and making the best of a situation. Kyle Freeland may not be the prize now, but he could turn into one, so long as he figures out how to get his groove back with a new team next year.