Blue Jays eye versatile Jazz Chisholm Jr. in search for offence

The Toronto Blue Jays are prioritizing offence as they explore all areas of the off-season market and while they see adding to the outfield as the cleanest fit, they’re taking a long look at available infielders, too.

Having already expressed interest in free-agent second baseman Brandon Lowe as the GM Meetings opened, they met Wednesday with representatives for Jazz Chisholm Jr., and are monitoring what the Arizona Diamondbacks do with Ketel Marte, who landed on the restricted list this season and has no-trade protection as a 10-and-5 player.

All of that is standard operating procedure for the Blue Jays as they gauge where the opportunities lie for them in the coming weeks. But Chisholm, intriguingly, is open to a versatile defensive role in which he moves between multiple positions, including the outfield, after being used almost exclusively in the infield, mostly second base, by the New York Yankees over the past two-and-a-half seasons.

The 28-year-old initially broke into the majors as an infielder with the Miami Marlins, but was moved to centre field in 2023 and stayed there until they sent him to the Yankees at the 2024 trade deadline. In New York, he played two games in centre while logging 74 at third base and 237 at second, where in 2026, his defence was eight outs above average.

That positional flexibility, along with his power-speed profile, match up well with traits the Blue Jays value and could potentially jolt an offence that ranked last in the majors with 648 runs. And unlike Lowe, who mashed 35 home runs for the Pittsburgh Pirates and offers the type of production they’re seeking, Chisholm isn’t saddled with a qualifying offer, so the team that signs him won’t have to surrender a compensatory draft pick.

Could Ketel Marte be a fit in Toronto?

Marte, owed $76 million over the next four seasons, would cost both money and trade assets, but his price should be lower than when the Blue Jays checked on him in previous winters, as he was placed on the restricted list after an initially unexplained no-show for an August game at Boston. That strained his relationship with the club, which may be more willing to trade him, although the switch-hitting second baseman, a three-time all-star, controls the process having reached 10 years of big-league service, five consecutive with his current team. 

That Marte’s wife is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first cousin could entice him to accept the Blue Jays as a trade destination, should the other elements line up. Another big-ticket trade option could be Texas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager, although he’s owed $157.5 million over the next five years, likely making him prohibitively expensive.

The Blue Jays have Guerrero, Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez, Kazuma Okamoto, Josh Smith and Charles McAdoo for the infield along with Addison Barger, who can toggle between right field and third base, so any adds there would create surplus, even with the DH spot open.

Their outfield mix includes Barger, Nathan Lukes, Brett Bateman, Anthony Santander, McAdoo and Davis Schneider. A reliable right-handed hitter like Seiya Suzuki, whom they are pursuing and appears to be one of their clearest fits, makes sense. Another target is Teruaki Sato, who like Barger is a left-handed hitting third baseman/outfielder, but has enough upside to negate concerns about roster redundancy.

Like Suzuki, Randy Arozarena bats right-handed and fits their offensive needs. Agent Scott Boras described him as “a model of consistency and he’s done it in a market (Seattle) where right-handed hitters go to die. He is 20-20 every year, multiple all-star teams. I think you’d say he was Seattle’s best hitter this season. Essentially, this rose has no thorns. And all the teams, frankly, they’re feeling really randy.”

Maybe so, but the slew of deal-making expected before the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1 is yet to begin. As the GM Meetings conclude Thursday, the Blue Jays’ preference list may still be somewhat uncertain, but their determination to add offence in some form remains clear.

Short hops:

• The Blue Jays intend to add a starter and they’ve done lots of background work on Kaima Taira, the intriguing five-foot-eight, 209-pound righty who posted a 1.36 ERA in 146 innings with the NPB’s Seibu Lions. Taira isn’t visiting the cities of interested clubs since he’s currently in Japan and instead, “we’re doing a lot of Zooms with all the teams and that’s how they’re doing the introductions,” said Boras, his agent. “He’s got a fastball that few major-leaguers have. It has very late movement, and it’s up in the zone. He has the ability to be an upper-level pitcher in a rotation, no question.” …

• Has the way the Blue Jays handled Kazuma Okamato’s transition to the big-leagues and helped Yusei Kikuchi find his way helped their perception among Japanese players? “Toronto has a vast sports-science process, an international process,” replied Boras. “I can’t think of any Japanese pitcher I’ve had that’s interacted with the Blue Jays and has not had a great experience.”

• A good line from Boras on Max Scherzer’s future that hints at his plans but doesn’t provide a definitive answer: “If you saw Scherzer’s last game, I think you understand he’s far from maxed out.”