TORONTO -- Until the Blue Jays can tear up the floors and begin to renovate this roster via free agency and trades, they’re stuck watching postseason baseball like the rest of us.
These coming weeks will be spent obsessing over how they can squeeze every bit of extra potential out of the players already on this roster. Some of these internal upgrades are obvious, like the pending return of Addison Barger for what the Blue Jays hope is a full, healthy 2027, or the likely move of Spencer Miles from the bullpen to the rotation.
Those are easy wins. Some of the other question marks are more complicated, and will shape how the Blue Jays attack their offseason when the fun really begins.
1. Who is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.?
Publicly, the Blue Jays have thrown their full support behind Guerrero after his career-worst season, with just nine home runs and a .688 OPS. General manager Ross Atkins shed some light on this, and made it clear that they didn’t see the league making any glaring adjustments to Guerrero, he just lost a “feeling” that he needs to get back.
“He’s such a dynamic athlete and hitter that it’s a really complex problem,” Atkins said. “Everyone in here can probably emulate his rhythm, his tempo, that toe tap and how he creates that momentum and rhythm. It’s a really impressive thing to watch. As he lost a little bit of that rhythm and timing over the course of pretty early in the season, it started to impact his confidence. Once it impacted his confidence, the in-game adjustments and in-season adjustments became very difficult.”
Privately, the Blue Jays need to be very honest with themselves. Do they truly believe that Guerrero will bounce back to hit 30-plus home runs with an .875 OPS next season, or is there concern? That will shape their offseason and how they build the lineup around Guerrero, because the 2026 version of this lineup was the worst in baseball.
Atkins also made it clear that Guerrero was not injured in 2026, at least nothing structural beyond the usual soreness and tightness all players experience. They believe they’ve identified the problem, but like Atkins says, it’s “complex,” and the solution might be, too.
2. Is Ernie Clement the starting second baseman?
Clement’s game just felt a bit out of sync this season. His bat looked great early, but his defense surprisingly lagged behind. Then, it flipped about four months into the season. Clement entered August with a .738 OPS, but put up just a .442 OPS in August and September. All things considered, is that enough to hold a guaranteed starting job?
“He’s got to earn every bit of that,” Atkins said. “It’s not just writing down, ‘OK, we’re covered,’ but he always has [earned it]. When he’s been given an opportunity, he’s run with it. We’re always trying to complement every player the best that we can. Ernie can be an everyday, impactful player. He can also be a player who plays [most] games and plays at a really high level, and because we’re such a good team, he isn’t the guy that’s being pencilled in every day.”
The 2025 postseason and ’26 World Baseball Classic appearance were factors, especially for a player with Clement’s all-out playing style. He’s due an arbitration raise from $4.6 million, though, so consider this a flexible roster spot. If the Blue Jays add another infielder, Clement has the athleticism to play every infield spot. Somehow, some way, he’s going to find his way into just about every game next season.
3. Can the Blue Jays count on anything from Anthony Santander?
Two years, 54 games and a .175 average. Santander’s five-year, $92.5 million deal isn’t off to a great start.
He rehabbed from shoulder surgery late into 2026, but it never felt like Santander was a realistic option to return. He’s expected to be fully healthy heading into 2027, though, and the Blue Jays need to figure out how he fits this roster.
“We want Tony to be thinking about playing the outfield and being an option for us there,” Atkins said, “having as much flexibility as possible.”
Atkins says he’d prefer to keep the DH spot open. That could allow the Blue Jays to cycle players through, something that wasn’t always an option with George Springer taking up that spot the past couple of seasons. Santander still feels like the best bet to have the most starts at DH next season, but at this point, the Blue Jays need to consider any contributions from him a bonus.