Blue Jays shop for a Myles Straw replacement after no-cost buyout. Here are some options - Toronto Star
The Cleveland Guardians will cover Monday's $1.75-million buyout, making Straw a free agent.
The offence-hungry Blue Jays are in the market for a more productive outfielder than glove-first Myles Straw.
The Blue Jays aren’t necessarily breaking up with Myles Straw, but they have at least decided to start seeing other people.
The Jays had until 5 p.m. Monday to pick up the $8-million (U.S.) club option on Straw’s contract for the next season. They declined to do so, which means the 32-year-old outfielder is now a free agent.
Straw isn’t walking away empty-handed. The 12th-round pick from the 2015 draft received a $1.75-million buyout, and the Jays aren’t on the hook for it. That will be paid by the Cleveland Guardians, who moved him to Toronto in a salary dump prior to the 2025 season.
The decision to decline Straw’s option was announced along with a slew of other Jays roster moves just before free agency officially opened Monday.
Seven players — including pitchers José Berríos and Cody Ponce, and outfielder Addison Barger — were reinstated from the 60-day injured list because that designation doesn’t exist during the off-season. Pitcher CJ Van Eyk cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo, while outfielder Rudy Martin Jr. elected free agency.
The Jays remain in the market for someone with Straw’s skill set and are expected to pursue a right-handed platoon partner for Brett Bateman in centre field. Ideally the candidate can playing left and right field as well, offering similar alternatives to Barger and Nathan Lukes.
Straw does all of that, but he’s a liability with the bat. While the nine-year veteran had some decent runs in Toronto, he also had a well-below-average .637 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against lefties in 2026. The Jays need more offence and replacing Straw with a superior bat is an easy way to improve.
Versatile free-agent outfielder Tyrone Taylor would be the most logical replacement. The 32-year-old hit .279 with an .827 OPS in 97 games for the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs last season, and was even more lethal against lefties with a .921 OPS.
Taylor can play all three outfield spots, and he’s not the only option available. The oft-injured Luis Robert Jr. is a free agent, too, along with Ramón Laureano and Lane Thomas. Additional names will surface in trade talks.
This roster spot won’t likely be filled for quite some time. With top free agents the priority as teams attempt to fill their biggest holes before the inevitable lockout begins on Dec. 2, most lower-tier players are unlikely to find new homes until a new collective agreement is reached.
That means Straw will have to remain patient. The Jays’ decision to at least temporarily sever ties hardly came as a surprise, considering his hefty price tag for a glove-first reserve. Whether they offer to bring him back at a lower price will depend on who else they could get.
All that matters now is that the Jays intend to explore their options. Without any firm commitment from Toronto, Straw would be wise to do the same.
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Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on X: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca.
