Thursday, November 05

TORONTO -- If you were a professional matchmaker, you’d want to set up Seiya Suzuki and the Blue Jays on a date. They are, at least on paper, a perfect match. 

Whether there’s a spark, that’s for the coming weeks and months to decide, but Suzuki represents everything the Blue Jays are looking for in free agency -- a star-caliber outfielder with the potential to hit 30-plus home runs on top of excellent defense. 

This feels like George Springer all over again, such an obvious fit between player, team and need. Prior to 2021, Springer represented the big splash alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and the young core, a new star to power a team on the rise. Suzuki’s fit is just as obvious, but the Blue Jays have already arrived … and fallen again. All of the flaws exposed in ’26 can so clearly be helped by Suzuki. 

Can this work, then, or are we falling to the trap of something that feels too obvious on paper?

• The top bat in this free-agent class? These 7 have a case

On the field: Suzuki is a seamless fit

This organization needs to develop a star outfielder. Until that happens, they’re going to have to keep paying for them (Springer, Anthony Santander) or trading elite prospects for them (Daulton Varsho). 

The Blue Jays need to add power to a lineup that ranked dead last in runs scored (648) and homers (152) this year. The easiest place to do that is in the outfield, where Suzuki primarily plays in right, and he checks off all of the defensive boxes that may be shakier with other power bats. Suzuki was worth +7 fielding runs saved a year ago (tied for 17th in MLB) and graded out well above average with his range, jumps and throwing arm. 

The simple version: Suzuki’s defensive value rests an inch below that of Nathan Lukes, who is excellent in the field. 

Offensively, Suzuki is coming off a season in which he hit .270 with 26 home runs and an .841 OPS, but he also reached base at a .368 clip, rounding out his profile nicely. At 32 years old, though, we need to consider how Suzuki’s bat will age. Springer is a useful example again here, as he struggled at points through his mid-30s before a surprise resurgence in 2025 at age 35. If Suzuki signs a four- or five-year deal, there will likely be some decline involved. 

Suzuki’s average exit velocity dipped a bit in 2026 compared to recent seasons with the Cubs, but his average bat speed (73.3 mph) stayed locked in place. His baserunning isn’t a strength, and that’s something the Blue Jays are hyperfocused on, but he’s a quick enough runner (think Ernie Clement’s speed), and the bat should do more than enough to overshadow any issues on the bases.

The dollars: Doable for the Blue Jays

Early projections tend to frame Suzuki’s annual salary in the range of $20 million to $25 million. The line between a fourth and fifth year could be important, too, just as the sixth year was important for Springer.

Financially, there is no issue here for the Blue Jays. Beyond the larger salaries for Guerrero and Dylan Cease, the Blue Jays’ books don’t have much ugly money on them in the coming five years. This team has spent aggressively, too, and Suzuki is well within that reasonable range. 

• Cubs extend qualifying offer to Suzuki

Keep an eye on Randy Arozarena’s market, too. Whether it’s Arozarena or Suzuki who signs first, one deal will directly impact the other as they exist in their own tier of free-agent outfielders.

One big factor: The Japanese market

Suzuki and Kazuma Okamoto have a relationship from their time playing together on Japan’s national team and against one another professionally in Japan when Suzuki starred for Hiroshima. Recruitment won’t be a problem here. 

The Blue Jays are also actively looking to expand their presence in the Japanese market. At some road games in 2026, there were more Japanese reporters covering Okamoto than Canadian reporters covering the Blue Jays.

“We’re certainly looking to leverage that from a business perspective as well,” said club CEO and president Mark Shapiro. “Our understanding coming in is that it’s not a one-year process. It takes multiple years. We’re going to have a contingency going over to Japan this offseason. I might make a trip as well, following that up. We hope to have that be part of our business strategy moving forward.”

In the 1970s and ’80s, the Blue Jays had such a strong, valuable presence in Latin America. They’re working to recreate this in Japan and Korea, and Suzuki lines up perfectly, at least on paper.

Next Tuesday, Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae is releasing her first book, “Before I Let You Go: My Life in Broadcasting, Baseball, and Beyond”.

If you’re reading this, you’re a Blue Jays fan, which means you already know and love Hazel’s work on Toronto broadcasts. What you don’t see on TV each night is the work that goes into that job, building the trust and relationships with players and coaches throughout the season. From being born in the Philippines to becoming one of the most accomplished and recognized sports broadcasters in Canada, the book will tell the story of Hazel’s career, with some Blue Jays stories along the way.

Pre-orders are available now on Amazon Canada and through Indigo, or you can contact your local bookshop.

Buy yourself a copy, but buy a few copies for holiday presents, too. I have an extra copy on the way for my mother, who thinks that working with Hazel is the coolest part of my job, not interviewing Major League players. She’s probably right.

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