Projecting the Toronto Blue Jays 2027 Opening Day Lineup

It is truly baffling the drop-off that the Toronto Blue Jays had offensively this season, as they went from one of the best teams in baseball in 2025 to easily the worst in 2026. So, it seems safe to say that the front office will be going after a proven bat or two in the coming months.

One thing that everyone has learned is that Blue Jays president of baseball operations, Ross Atkins, is willing to be aggressive, and with over $100 million off the books, he has money to spend.

Ultimately, Toronto probably needs two elite hitters to join the lineup, as they will have to replace designated hitter George Springer, and an upgrade at second base seems necessary, especially when looking at how the Blue Jays finished 2026 compared to the rest of the majors.

• Runs Scored: 30th
• Home Runs: 30th
• RBI: 30th
• Drawn Walks: 29th
• .248 Batting Average: 9th
• .310 On-Base Percentage: 25th-27th
• .381 Slugging Percentage: 26th
• .691 OPS: 28th/29th

Taking all of that into consideration, there are two soon-to-be free agents that would do the hitting lineup and wonders, as they would completely change the face of this offense.

Predicted Starting Lineup Next Year Highlights Two Major Acquisitions

There are a pair of available players who will be highly sought after, but again, Atkins is very willing to spend the money to get them, and the hitting lineup is his primary concern.

It might seem strange that after Ernie Clement was selected to his first All-Star team in 2026, he could be out of the role of everyday at-bats, as his demise was impossible to comprehend in the final months. With Brandon Lowe now available, that should be who suits up at second, if they can get him.

To fill the DH spot with Springer is leaving open, while also adding depth to the outfield, it would be a game changer to see Seiya Suzuki wearing the blue and white next year.

1. CF Brett Bateman
2. DH Seiya Suzuki
3. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
4. 2B Brandon Lowe
5. C Alejandro Kirk
6. 3B Kazuma Okamoto
7. LF Nathan Lukes
8. RF Addison Barger
9. SS Andres Gimenez

There are a couple of things that are for certain regarding next season, and that includes Brett Bateman as the leadoff man, as he has been phenomenal since stepping into the role after the trade deadline.

While many would like to see Kazuma Okamoto hitting higher in the lineup, he thrived in the middle of the order, and with Addison Barger likely to be ready to go after his elbow surgery, the Jays' outfield is totally set.

At the end of the day, Atkins has to be aggressive to bolster this lineup, and if not Suzuki or Lowe, he has to find an answer somewhere. If they pull this off, the team will be right back at the top of the AL East.