TORONTO -- Welcome to the winter of baserunning. It’s not as exciting as hitting the ball 450 feet, but until the Blue Jays figure out how to do that more often, they’re about to obsess over running the bases.
Over and over again, Ross Atkins and John Schneider brought up baserunning following their 79-83 finish, last in the American League East. Some of this team’s problems will have simpler solutions, like adding some big bats capable of producing something greater than singles, but baserunning feels like the big existential issue they want to wrestle with.
“Baserunning is something that we need to be better at,” Atkins said, the first thing he singled out. “It is a clear opportunity. We have guys that can run. We have guys that can steal bases and advance better. We need to be better as decision-makers and be more aggressive in that area.”
They should, too. This team’s flaws in 2026 lead to a long list, but baserunning ranks right near the top.
By the numbers
When we think of baserunning, everyone’s mind jumps to stolen bases. The Blue Jays ranked 27th in the league with just 75 in 2026, and this isn’t a new problem, either.
The Blue Jays haven’t ranked in the top 20 in baseball in steals since 2021 (12th with 81), and haven’t stolen 100 bases as a team since 2013 (112). Only two players stole double-digit bases this past season, too, in Andrés Giménez (20) and George Springer (12).
Looking deeper at the Blue Jays’ baserunning metrics, it’s more of the same. According to Baseball Savant, they ranked 20th in baseball with a value of -3 baserunning runs, and graded out poorly when it comes to taking extra bases which result in scoring. Not only were the Blue Jays a poor basestealing team, but they didn’t go from first to third well, and too often, their bursts of aggression were ill-timed.
What they're saying
There are ways to win without elite baserunning, but unless they completely overhaul their offensive identity, the Blue Jays truly need it.
“We were [high] in hits but low in walks,” Schneider said. “You’re relying on hits. Then that’s where the baserunning part comes in. If you’re relying on hits, you’ve got to advance and score on those hits. It’s been a very weird blend of things on the offensive side.”
Last season, the Blue Jays’ coaching staff decided just prior to the midway point of the schedule that their baserunning wasn’t good enough, and began to crank up those conversations with players. It worked, too. Think of the 2025 Blue Jays, and one of the first images that comes to mind is Springer running as hard as he can, taking the extra base whenever possible. That became contagious, but somewhere along the way it was lost.
“Some of it is personnel-driven, right? [Alejandro Kirk] is not going to win any races,” Schneider said. “But being more efficient with advancing on hits, taking more shots on stolen bases with guys who can and just not giving outs away on the bases.”
What are the next steps?
The boring part -- but perhaps the most important part -- is internal improvements. The Blue Jays need to identify their good baserunners and develop some new leaders in this area.
“Ernie [Clement], Giménez and now [Brett] Bateman, they’re elite runners,” Atkins said. “Those guys can lean into that. That’s not on them, that’s on us to figure out how we push them into those areas for base advancements, stealing bases and putting more pressure on teams.”
The big names atop the free-agent market are a mixed bag on this front. Seiya Suzuki, whom Toronto is expected to pursue, is a below-average baserunner and that trend could continue in the wrong direction through his 30s, but he represents the power upside the Blue Jays desperately need, so that’s a minor issue and nothing more. Randy Arozarena is coming off a solid baserunning season, with stolen-base totals of 26 and 31 the past two seasons.
An interesting addition to the conversation? Jazz Chisholm Jr., whom Blue Jays fans know well from his time with the Yankees. The 28-year-old could take up a fascinating place on the free-agent market, with his 30-30 season in 2025 but a down year in ‘26. He’s one of the best-graded runners available, though, and the Blue Jays will leave no stone unturned as they try to resurrect this piece of their identity.