3 mistakes the Blue Jays made at the 2025 Winter Meetings

"After coming off a finish where the Toronto Blue Jays were two outs away from winning their first World Series since their back-to-back 1992 and 1993 championship victories, there is tons of excitement for the upcoming season. They quickly addressed one of their offseason needs by signing Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract and Cody Ponce, the Korean Baseball Organization's MVP, to a three-year, $30 million contract."

"Both players are added to an already stout-looking starting rotation. The two signings join Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and 2025's end-of-season rookie sensation, Trey Yesavage. This rotation is so good that it should scare to the rest of MLB when Yesavage looks to be a team's number four starter. Even though the Blue Jays addressed their rotation, they left the Winter Meetings with two more dire needs unaddressed."

"The Blue Jays' bullpen was a major weakness this past season, especially down the stretch. Overall, during the regular season, the pen ranked 16th in ERA (3.98) and 14th in WHIP (1.28). Jeff Hoffman struggled in his first season as a full-time closer, when he posted a 4.37 ERA, a 4.90 FIP, and gave up 15 home runs over 68 innings. The righty also blew seven of his 40 save opportunities, but the one upside was his 84:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio."

The Blue Jays came within two outs of a World Series title and entered the offseason seeking reinforcement. The team signed Dylan Cease for seven years/$210 million and KBO MVP Cody Ponce for three years/$30 million, significantly upgrading a rotation that also includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and rookie Trey Yesavage. The rotation projects as elite with depth into a potential No. 4 starter. Major roster gaps remain after the Winter Meetings, most notably a high-leverage bullpen arm. The bullpen ranked 16th in ERA (3.98) and 14th in WHIP (1.28), and closer Jeff Hoffman produced concerning late-season numbers.

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