The Blue Jays need power for 2027, and Michael Conforto's rebound year with the Cubs makes him a bargain bat worth chasing this winter.

Toronto's outfield picture is shaky right now. Anthony Santander is still a question mark for 2027, and Addison Barger is recovering from end-of-season elbow surgery.

The Blue Jays already cycled through 16 outfielders in 2026. Nine of them hit left-handed.

Another lefty? Yes. But Conforto brings the one thing this lineup kept begging for all season.

The 33-year-old hit 15 home runs with 45 RBIs in 113 games for Chicago. His .800 OPS was his best in six seasons.

That came right after a horrendous 2025 with the Dodgers. Los Angeles left him off the roster for its World Series run.

Conforto's fastball damage fits the Blue Jays' DH hole

The swing is still alive. In early September, he turned on one and sent it 411 feet to dead center, pushing his OPS to .820 at the time.

Fastballs are his bread and butter. He hit .288 against them last season, piling up 16 extra-base hits off the heater.

His 119 wRC+ would have ranked fourth among Toronto's regulars in 2026. That's a top-four bat on a team that couldn't find enough of them.

With George Springer no longer filling the DH spot full-time, the at-bats are there. He could handle righties at DH or come off the bench late as a pinch-hitter.

The glove is the catch. He played 57 games at DH for the Cubs and 46 in the corners, mostly in right field.

His arm hasn't been the same since shoulder surgery in 2022. Throwing runners out used to be a weapon, and now it's mostly a memory.

Which brings up Jesús Sánchez. Toronto made a similar bat-first bet in 2026, and a guy who arrived as a plus defender turned into a disaster in the field.

Running that experiment again in right field would be a bad idea. Conforto belongs in the batter's box, not chasing balls into the corner every night.

Think of him like a good can opener. Use it for the one job it's built for and it's great, but don't try to hammer nails with it.

The money is the best part. He made just $2 million last season after the Cubs signed him off a minor league deal, a year after earning $17 million.

Spotrac projects him in the $7 million to $8 million per season range. That's pocket change for a club with over $80 million to potentially spend.

The timing could help too. With a thinner free-agent pool and a new CBA yet to be finalized, hitters may get pushed toward shorter deals.

A short deal for a fastball hunter isn't a franchise-altering move. But for a lineup this short on thump, how many better options are actually out there?