5 ways the Blue Jays can (internally) improve on offense in 2027

In 2025, the Blue Jays rode an elite offense all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. Toronto led MLB in batting average (.265), OBP (.333) and hits (1,461), while ranking third in OPS (.760) and fourth in runs scored (798).

In 2026, the Blue Jays took a step back in just about every department.

Toronto hit .247 (ninth in MLB) with a .310 OBP (25th) and a .691 OPS (28th) while scoring the fewest runs (648) and hitting the fewest home runs (152).

Entering this offseason, the Blue Jays have a clear need for more thump, and they’ve reportedly shown interest in top free agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki as well as Brandon Lowe, Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Ketel Marte.

But with a fairly thin free-agent class, the Blue Jays should also be looking inward for improvements. Here are five ways to do that.

It all starts with Vlad

Plenty has been written about Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s disappointing '26 campaign. The 27-year-old six-time All-Star posted his worst offensive season, finishing with a .260/.332/.356 slash line and only nine homers in 609 plate appearances. He didn’t hit his first (and only) home run at Rogers Centre until mid-September.

Guerrero also posted a career-worst 90 OPS+ with only 57 RBIs, his career low for a 162-game season. After averaging 31.8 homers from 2021-25, the '22 AL MVP runner-up’s power outage was one of the top storylines of the season across the league.

There were still silver linings. Guerrero posted career lows in strikeout rate (13.3%, 92nd percentile) and whiff rate (20.1%, 76th percentile), while his average bat speed (76.3 mph, 92nd percentile) remained elite.

But for the Blue Jays to put a comeback campaign together in 2027, they need their $500 million star to rediscover his swagger.

Walk, don’t run, to first

Since walking an AL-best 632 times in 2016, Toronto has mostly been a middle-of-the-pack team in the base-on-balls department. From 2022-25, the Blue Jays ranked between ninth and 13th in the sport in walks.

But in 2026, Toronto’s 459 walks and 7.6% walk rate were both 29th. For context, the Cubs led the way with 674 walks and a 10.6% clip. Kazuma Okamoto’s 59 walks were the most on the team. In '25, Guerrero led with 81.

As a team, the Blue Jays posted a 32.9% out-of-zone swing rate, highest in the AL. Turn some of those bad swing decisions into walks, and you just may find yourself scoring more runs and winning more games.

Fewer punchouts from Okamoto

By all accounts, Kazuma Okamoto’s rookie season in MLB was a success. The 30-year-old swatted 33 home runs with 92 RBIs and a .762 OPS, all of which led the team. The former Nippon Professional Baseball star finished seventh in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

But in one key way, Okamoto’s first season in MLB represented a huge step back from his Japanese career: strikeouts.

Okamoto struck out 183 times in 2026, 10th most in MLB and 88 more times than any other Blue Jay. His 28.8% strikeout rate was ninth percentile, while his 32.8% whiff rate was seventh percentile.

The good news is this hasn’t always been an issue for Okamoto. His career high in NPB had been 132 back in 2019, and in recent years he averaged closer to 100. As he continues adjusting to big league pitching, cutting back on strikeouts will be key.

More production from catchers

One of the biggest areas of regression for the Blue Jays from 2025 to 2026 came from their backstops.

In 2025, Blue Jays catchers hit .278, second in MLB, with a .767 OPS (T-5th), 161 hits (2nd) and by far the fewest strikeouts (85). In 2026, they hit .238 (13th) with a .674 OPS (21st) and 134 hits (12th).

Alejandro Kirk hit .278/.351/.415 in 2026, very much on-par with his two All-Star campaigns in '25 and '22. The big difference came with his catching partner.

Tyler Heineman hit a career-best .289 in 64 games with Toronto in 2025, but after he began 2026 batting just .154 through 33 games, the Blue Jays designated him for assignment and traded him to the Angels.

Brandon Valenzuela, whom Toronto had acquired from San Diego at the ‘25 Trade Deadline, debuted in April and played in 91 games, 12 more than Kirk. Valenzuela struggled mightily down the stretch, posting a .182 average in the second half.

Capitalize with runners on

If the Blue Jays walk more, Okamoto strikes out less and the catchers get more hits, they will all still need to be driven in.

In 2025, Toronto hit an MLB-best .292 with runners in scoring position, with a .361 OBP (2nd), .449 SLG (3rd), .810 OPS (2nd) and an AL-leading 559 RBIs.

In 2026, the team hit .243 (23rd) with a .311 OBP (29th), .377 SLG (28), .688 OPS (28th) and 447 RBIs (28th).

That’s a trend the Blue Jays will want to reverse in a big way going into next season.