Eugenio Suárez finished 2026 on fire, and that should put him squarely on the Blue Jays' radar. Anthony Santander shouldn't stand in the way.

His full-season .740 OPS doesn't tell the story. An oblique strain in April and a hit-by-pitch to the hand in late June dragged down his first half.

Once healthy, he took off. He posted an .852 OPS in August before his September surge.

Over those two months, he hit 12 homers and drove in 35 runs. That looked a lot more like the slugger who hit 49 home runs in 2025.

He still finished with 26 homers, which would have ranked second on the Jays behind Kazuma Okamoto.

So what's the hold-up? Anthony Santander.

Anthony Santander shouldn't block a Eugenio Suárez signing

Suárez is a full-time DH at this stage, and Santander appears set for that role. But the incumbent missed all of 2026 after one setback after another.

Banking on him would be a gamble. He's played just 54 games in two years with Toronto.

The free agent has his flaws. He's a poor defender at third base and strikes out a lot.

DH solves the first problem. Surrounding him with Toronto's contact-oriented hitters helps soften the second.

Sign him, and let Santander earn his at-bats. A proven 30-homer bat shouldn't go elsewhere because a contract that hasn't worked yet is in the way.

Passing on Suárez for Santander is like skipping a sure bus because a cab might show up. It might, but you'll probably end up walking.

The price should be reasonable, too. A slugger with 351 career homers likely won't break the bank at this stage.

He shouldn't be Toronto's only offensive addition. But if the interest is mutual, Ross Atkins would be wrong to let a broken contract cost him a working bat.