Whit Merrifield says the Blue Jays' offence got sick in 2026. He's half right, and the half he missed is the expensive one.

Speaking this week on the 6ix Inning Stretch podcast, the former Jays infielder compared the lineup's problems to an illness that infects one hitter and spreads through the clubhouse.

Poor approaches spread. So do poor mechanics, according to Merrifield, who spent a season and a half in the organization across 2022 and 2023.

The results back up the alarm. Toronto finished last in the majors in runs scored, a long way from the lineup that carried the club to the World Series in 2025.

But approach isn't what the stat sheet flags. The Blue Jays ranked top 10 in the league in batting average, so finding hits was never the problem.

Power was. Toronto hit the fewest home runs in baseball, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s nine homers became one of the sport's biggest stories.

Anthony Santander and Addison Barger barely played in 2026

If anything spread through that lineup, it was the injured list. Santander missed the entire season, and Barger played just nine games.

Alejandro Kirk missed two months at the start. George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Jesus Sanchez and Guerrero all took their turns on the IL, too.

Blaming the approach for that mess is like blaming the playbook when half the offensive line is standing on the sideline in street clothes.

Merrifield does have a point on one hitter. Ernie Clement's uber-aggressive approach was the closest thing to a contagion the Jays carried.

And the guy knows hitting. He batted .280 over his career with 218 stolen bases, led the AL in steals three times and twice led the majors in hits.

He was a three-time All-Star, including with Toronto in 2023. He also reached the playoffs in both of his seasons wearing a Jays uniform.

Still, the diagnosis is off. A team that strings singles together and never clears the fence doesn't need an approach fix, it needs sluggers.

So how fast can Ross Atkins find them? Free agency opens five days after the World Series, leaving roughly a month of activity before a probable lockout.

The Blue Jays can attack that window or wait out a new CBA. Waiting sounds safe, right up until the cure signs somewhere else.