Myles Straw's $8 million club option is one of the Blue Jays' first offseason decisions.

The Blue Jays' season wrapped up Sunday, and the offseason officially begins five days after the World Series concludes. That deadline is when Toronto must decide on Straw's option.

The good news for the club is that declining it comes with just a $1.75 million buyout.

Long story short, they shouldn't activate it. A salary cap remains a major sticking point in ongoing CBA negotiations, and committing $8 million to a fifth outfielder without knowing whether a cap gets implemented could handcuff future moves.

The player profile doesn't help the case either. Straw offers solid at-bats and avoids strikeouts, but carries limited power and a career 80 wRC+, the prototypical fifth outfielder rather than an $8 million piece.

Why the defensive decline complicates things further

His 2025 season was one of his better ones, matching a career high with four home runs in 337 fewer plate appearances, though it still only produced a 91 wRC+, backed by Gold Glove caliber outfield defense.

This season told a different story. He hit .241 with three home runs for an 83 wRC+.

After the Daulton Varsho trade opened up more playing time, Straw actually found some success at the plate, hitting .272 with a 106 wRC+ across 140 plate appearances, including 12 of his 19 doubles that season.

But his defense slipped significantly. He posted 18 Defensive Runs Saved, 9 Outs Above Average, and 8 Fielding Run Value across 698.1 innings in 2025. This year, across more innings at 760.2, those numbers fell to 2 DRS, 5 OAA, and 3 FRV.

For a player whose entire value proposition is built on elite defense, that's a genuinely concerning drop.

None of this means Toronto should cut ties completely. Bo Bichette specifically credited Straw and Ernie Clement as major reasons behind the closeness of the 2025 team before his own departure.

Toronto has lost plenty of locker room leaders since last year's Game 7 heartbreak, and that clubhouse value carries real, if hard-to-measure, worth.

The real question comes down to whether a leader with a weak bat and declining defense deserves a roster spot over someone who could provide more on the field.

Right now, nobody in the system looks ready to match Straw's clubhouse value while offering more production. Decline the option, then bring him back on a short-term, low-cost deal until someone emerges to take his spot.