Myles Straw’s 2027 Club Option Is Looking Like an Easy Choice

On a 2026 Toronto Blue Jays roster that’s largely underperforming expectations, outfielder Myles Straw is appearing to be a bright spot in an otherwise stagnant lineup. Offensively, Toronto has had issues putting together rallies and scoring high run totals, so they’ve found themselves with a record of 19-24 through their first 43 games.

With underwhelming performances from mainstay outfielders like George Springer and Nathan Lukes (both with injury stints as well), Straw has proven himself to be one of the most underrated and valuable players on Toronto’s roster.

While the Blue Jays have gone through stretches of poor performances and have suffered many injuries, he’s been consistent on all sides of the ball and has been putting very good at-bats together this season. Straw has truly been (surprisingly) one of the better overall players for the 2026 Blue Jays.

The Acquisition

Straw was acquired by the Blue Jays before the 2025 season alongside international bonus pool money in exchange for a player to be named later from the Cleveland Guardians. This move was initially met with a mixed reaction from Blue Jays fans, as it was widely believed that Straw was a below-average player that didn’t bring much to the team but the bonus money was a good trade chip.

Little did they know that the Blue Jays’ leadership had made yet another great move.

That offseason, the marquee international free agent from Japan was Roki Sasaki, whom the Jays were rumoured to be very interested in acquiring with this money. Sasaki ended up signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and joined some fellow countrymen in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which put more of a target on Straw’s back from some of the Toronto faithful.

Toronto was taking on a big contract when acquiring Straw, as Cleveland had inked him to a five-year, $25 million extension with the Guardians only retaining a total of $2 million. It’s also important to note that the Jays had already struck a deal with Cleveland to acquire Andrés Giménez, who also had a lofty seven-year, $106.5 million contract; this may have contributed to the stigma that Straw was yet another cash dump to Toronto.

However, Straw couldn’t have defied expectations any better in 2025 and he was a crucial part of their run to the World Series. Although not as a star player, Straw’s defense, speed, and solid bat brought him versatility in high-pressure moments where he was able to endear himself to Blue Jays fans.

‘Kilometres’ Straw

In 2025, Straw posted a .262 batting average and a .313 on-base percentage which were both his best performances since 2021 and his .367 slugging rate was a career-high. He hit 14 doubles, four home runs, and drove in 32 RBI alongside 12 stolen bases in 13 attempts.

With the bat, he was surprisingly solid. Although his bat wasn’t the most powerful, there were three games in which straw notched multiple extra-base hits including one two-home-run performance against the Rangers on August 16.

His 33.1% squared-up rate and 17.3% whiff rate ranked him near the top of MLB and he turned himself into a tough out near the bottom of Toronto’s lineup. His hitting, however, was merely a bonus tool on top of his superhuman talent on the defensive side of the ball. He was one of just 12 outfielders with 10+ OAA in one outfield position thanks to his heroics in center field.

This was Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s main way of employing Straw’s skillset, as in 34 of Straw’s 137 games in 2025 he was a late-game defensive replacement and didn’t get a single plate appearance – that’s nearly a quarter of his games played. He was so valuable and successful on defense partly because of his incredible speed. Straw had a 29.4 ft/s average sprint speed in 2025, which ranked in the 95th percentile leaguewide.

In 2026, he’s been more of the same Straw we saw last season, albeit with more prowess at the plate. Through his first 36 games, he’s slashing .290/.367/.420 with a pair of home runs and six RBI while being on pace to set career highs in his walk rate (11.3%), strikeout rate (13.8%), and wRC+ (124). He currently ranks second on the Blue Jays (min. 50 PA) in batting average, only sitting behind the all-time single-season postseason hit leader in Ernie Clement.

Put simply, Straw’s been incredible for the Jays, even if he’s not making his way into the starting lineup every single night.

Club Option(s)?

Built into Straw’s contract with the Guardians were two club options for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, valued at $8 million and $8.5 million, respectively. With current center fielder Daulton Varsho becoming an unrestricted free agent following the current campaign and his future in Toronto uncertain at the moment, Straw’s options are looking better and better.

If he can continue to perform the way he has over the last year or so, Toronto would be getting an absolute steal by picking up at least one of these club options, even if Straw continues to be a bench player with occasional starts. Varsho is making $10.75 million this season and will more than likely get a lot more in free agency so Straw is certainly a financially superior option, especially if he keeps bringing his unique set of skills to the field.

There are nine players currently on the Blue Jays payroll who will earn more than Straw’s $8 million club option next season, so it’s not as if he’d be breaking their bank. Additionally, given its affordability and Toronto’s wealth of outfielders under long-term team control like Addison Barger, Nathan Lukes, and Davis Schneider, Straw’s deal will be very valuable to the Blue Jays.

Overall, Toronto made a very good choice to pick him up last year and he’s paid dividends for the team since joining the organization. Why wouldn’t you bring back a decent hitter who plays incredible defense and has elite speed? Straw’s proving himself to be an all-around talent and it’d be ridiculous for the Blue Jays to not take a flyer on his services for next season.