How Should the Blue Jays Address Their Budding Surplus?

There isn’t a whole lot of certainty when it comes to the Jays’ outfield this season.

As it’s constructed right now, Anthony Santander, Daulton Varsho, and Addison Barger seem to be the plan going from left to right, with George Springer as an emergency option. Myles Straw, Davis Schneider, and Nathan Lukes will provide versatility off the bench, with Schneider likely platooning with Barger and Straw replacing Santander defensively.

With the Jays hoping to get a healthy season from Santander, this really leaves Nathan Lukes without a regular spot.

It also furthers the chances that MLB-ready (or soon-to-be) players like Joey Loperfido, Jonatan Clase, RJ Schreck, Yohendrick Pinango, or Eloy Jimenez (who likely will primarily be a DH) see playing time. With Varsho’s contract expiring after 2026, realistically, any outfielder on the team could be available, but the likeliest options are Lukes and Loperfido.

So, what makes Lukes and Loperfido two of the likeliest options? Toronto has an overabundance of lefty outfielders.

Barger, Loperfido, Lukes, Shreck, and Varsho are all lefties, so if there’s a southpaw on the mound, there’s automatically going to be a disadvantage for the Jays. Not to mention Andres Gimenez, another lefty who will more often than not be starting for the team.

Loperfido still has one minor league option, so the team could opt to send him to Triple-A Buffalo at the start of the season, but the outfield there will likely be just as crowded. So, moving him while he’s still young (he turns 27 in May) makes the most sense.

Lukes on the other hand is now entering his age-32 season, and he could probably get a solid piece in return. Another option is to trade Santander, but with him under contract until 2030 and coming off a season in which he slashed .175/.271/.294, there aren’t going to be very many suitors. Not without the Jays attaching some pretty significant sweeteners at least.

So, in a scenario in which the Jays trade one or both Lukes and Loperfido, who or what should they be targeting? Bullpen arms.

Toronto’s relief corps in 2026 looks pretty similar to 2025 (with Seranthony Dominguez’s departure being the biggest subtraction and Tyler Rogers replacing him), but you can never have too many pitchers.

Toronto is actually projected to be sixth in MLB in fWAR for relief pitchers, but sixth isn’t first. They’ve made a couple of other moves too, but Connor Seabold, Josh Winckowski (injured), Nic Enright (injured), Chase Lee, Spencer Miles, and Jorge Alcala don’t really move the needle.

Below, we’ll list some external names, go over pros and cons of each target, and see if an outfielder might be something the team in question could need.

Part Two: The Targets

Carlos Estévez (RHP) – Kansas City Royals

A free agent after 2026, Estevez might be on the move, with the Royals potentially needing to shed salary. Getting rid of their closer would be a huge move, but Kansas City’s outfield is kind of a mishmash at this point, so they seem like an ideal trade partner for Toronto.

Estevez would cost a lot, as he’s coming off a season in which he recorded 42 saves with a 2.45 ERA. However, his fastball velocity has dropped 1.6 mph over the past four seasons, and almost every hit he allows is in the air (he was in the bottom one percent in ground-ball percentage last season, not helpful for an elite defensive infield).

Still, his fastball, slider, and changeup are all strong pitches, and having another reliable pitcher at the back end would be a massive help. Toronto has enough depth that trading one or two of their outfielders wouldn’t significantly impact their roster, even if Estevez is gone after 2026.

Adrián Morejón (LHP) – San Diego Padres

One of the most underrated arms in baseball, Adrian Morejon would immediately become the No. 1 lefty option in the Jays bullpen and could battle for the closer role.

Coming off a monster season in which he recorded a 2.08 ERA in 75 games, the southpaw leans primarily on a sinker that averages almost 98 mph, and he complements that with an 87 mph Slider and 90 mph changeup.

Remarkably, he walked only 17 batters last season (in 73.2 innings) and has walked only 38 over the last two seasons combined.

He excels at everything the team is looking for: giving up weak contact, generating whiffs, and not giving up free passes. As of right now, San Diego’s starting left fielder is Ramon Laureano, so they’re definitely in the market, but his price will be just as high, if not higher than Estevez.

JoJo Romero (LHP) – St. Louis Cardinals

With the Cardinals starting their rebuild, someone like JoJo Romero seems to be another name on his way out. While he isn’t the impact name like the previous two, he would still add a little more support to the team’s lefty relievers.

Speaking of Little, he unfortunately struggles in the same way Brendon Little does, as his 11.4 walk rate puts him in the bottom eight percent of baseball (Little was in the bottom one percent). What pairs well with the Jays, however, is a very high ground-ball% (95th percentile) and low average exit velocity (91st).

His slider is his killer pitch, as it had a run value of +9 (the same as Kevin Gausman’s splitter) in 2025, and opponents hit just .181 against it. Having another high-walk lefty reliever might not be the best choice, but it would definitely help the team. Likewise, the way Toronto is built would only help him.

In the end, a move for one (or more) of these arms would put the exclamation point on an already eventful offseason for Toronto.