The Toronto Blue Jays are pursuing offensive additions for 2027 while looking for smaller gains in how they use the players already on their roster, general manager Ross Atkins told Sportsnet at the general managers’ meetings in Las Vegas.

Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that Toronto is engaged on Seiya Suzuki and Terauki Sato and has expressed interest in Brandon Lowe, according to people who have spoken with the club. The Blue Jays also intend to add starting pitching, but their off-season planning extends beyond acquisitions.

Atkins said the team needs to find “every eighth of a win” through decisions such as lineup construction, bullpen deployment, pinch-hitting, pinch-running and baserunning opportunities over the 162-game season.

A central priority is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Atkins told Sportsnet the first baseman has already met with the club’s hitting staff and strength and conditioning coaches and is “fired up and on a mission.”

An outfield addition is “the more natural fit right now,” Atkins said, although Toronto is not limiting its search to that position.

Suzuki is coming off a five-win season with the Chicago Cubs, according to Sportsnet. His maximum exit velocity of 112.9 m.p.h. in 2026 would have ranked behind only Guerrero’s 116.3 among Blue Jays hitters. Sato, a left-handed hitter who plays right field and third base, hit 39 home runs with a .306 batting average for Japan’s Hanshin Tigers.

Either addition would require Toronto to reconsider how its existing pieces fit. After declining Myles Straw’s 2027 option, Atkins named Brett Bateman, Nathan Lukes and Addison Barger as centre-field possibilities. Barger has not played a professional game at the position, Davidi reported.

The designated-hitter opening following George Springer’s departure offers more lineup flexibility. So does the possibility of using Ernie Clement at several positions rather than primarily at second base, where he played last season.

That helps explain Toronto’s interest in Lowe, who hit 35 home runs for Pittsburgh while improving defensively, according to Sportsnet.

The final deployment plan remains unsettled. Atkins said he would have a better assessment of the opportunities once the roster is set. Any additions could leave Toronto with overlapping options — players it could either trade or retain to give the coaching staff more choices before and during games.

Sources