#toronto-blue-jays

#toronto-blue-jays

But now comes the task of trying to backfill those innings from departing starting pitchers like Scherzer and Chris Bassitt. The Blue Jays could shop at the top of the market for free agents like Dylan Cease or Framber Valdez, or they could go the Scherzer 2.0 route and target a veteran starting pitcher on a one-year deal to supplant those innings. One pitcher who might make sense for the Blue Jays is another elder statesman of the league: Justin Verlander.

Tyler Heineman is projected to earn a salary of $1 million in 2026, and considering how well he played last season, he could represent the easiest decision of the offseason. 1 more Blue Jay could be on non-tender chopping block after three others have left Daulton Varsho, Eric Lauer, and Ernie Clement are "no-brainer" picks to be retained at higher salaries next season, and Heineman should be nearly as easy a call for the front office.

Considering what Lauer did for the Blue jays in 2025, it only makes sense that he'll get a raise in 2026. But even if he is set to double his earnings, it still might end up as one of the best contracts the Blue Jays could have on their payroll in 2026. Lauer made $2.3 million last season in a swing role that saw him start 15 games for the Blue Jays and pitch 13 times out of the bullpen.

The team is going to be heavily involved in the free agent market, already being considered the favourite to land Kyle Tucker. There's also a strong chance they'll be active on the trade market, as was the case last season. General manager Ross Atkins has already noted that they've engaged with other teams about trades, but there are a few prospects the Blue Jays should look to avoid trading. Let's take a look at three of them.

Jeff Hoffman, Anthony Santander and Max Scherzer were three of the bigger names on the free agent market last offseason and the Toronto Blue Jays brought all three players into the fold ahead of the2025 campaign. All three guys were expected to play big roles for the Blue Jays and while Hoffman and Scherzer certainly left their mark on the team, Santander left a lot to be desired. However, they weren't the only players who the Blue Jays added to the team in the offseason.

O'Hearn was an eighth-round draft choice of the Kansas City Royals in 2014, and he made his MLB debut on July 31st, 2018. He fared well in his first taste of major league action and finished the year batting .262 with 10 doubles, 12 homers, 30 RBI, and a .950 OPS. He was seen as a potential core piece for the rebuilding Royals.

According to the Fangraphs depth chart, the Blue Jays rank lower in shortstop ( 21st), centre field (18th), left field (16th), second base (15th) and third base (12th) this offseason, indicating that the team will have to bring in players who can boost their rankings to the top half by spring training, ideally. The depth chart reaffirms that not having an all-star like Bo Bichette has left a massive dent in Toronto's roster, proving that the Blue Jays can't remain complacent in bidding for well-rounded players.

Myles Straw may be suited for a role as a Major League Baseball General Manager when his playing days are over. The Toronto Blue Jays outfielder is putting in the work this offseason by trying to make the team better and he's doing it in ways that's catching the attention of many Blue Jays fans online. Over the weekend Straw was playing the role of "active recruiter" as he was trying to entice one of the biggest names on the market to join the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays' catching depth isn't quite as deep as it used to be after trading away Danny Jansen and Gabriel Moreno over the course of past few seasons. That bet ended up paying off for Toronto as the team saw its heights with a catching tandem of Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman in 2025. Both catchers played well, but a large part of the Blue Jays' success on the catching side came from Kirk excellently executing every aspect of his position, from framing to offence. The fact that the Blue Jays always put Kirk in the lineup for almost the entirety of the 2025 postseason run was a testament to their faith in the main catcher.

Scouts are comparing Imai to Kodai Senga, who signed with the Mets for five years and $75 million prior to the 2023 season. Senga was an All-Star in his first year in MLB but has dealt with injuries on and off for the last two seasons. When he's been healthy, he's been very good, as he's been worth 6.7 bWAR with a 3.00 ERA, 320 strikeouts and 285 innings pitched in 52 games.

Still, the Blue Jays are certainly in the market for a high-leverage reliever, with Seranthony Domínguez reaching free agency. There'd be immense upside by signing Díaz, who's coming off another sensational performance in 2025, where he logged 28 saves in 31 attempts and pitched to a dominant 1.63 ERA (second-lowest among qualified major-league relievers) as well as a 2.28 FIP, striking out 38 per cent of his batters faced (second-highest among MLB relievers).

Another day, another awards snub. That's how the offseason has gone so far for the Toronto Blue Jays. First Ernie Clement and Alejandro Kirk were robbed of the catcher gold glove awards. And the Blue Jays as a team should have taken home that trophy as well. Now John Schneider was robbed of Manager of the Year as it was revealed he lost to Stephen Vogt of the Cleveland Guardians.

And not just for next season, but two, three, four (you see where this is going) years from now, too. The current rotation for 2026 includes Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos and Eric Lauer. But there isn't much certainty in terms of dependable depth beyond that starting five, with the likes of Bowden Francis, Adam Macko, Lazaro Estrada and Easton Lucas already on Toronto's 40-man roster as options.

"The first time in 32 years, I was hoping it would end like that this past World Series. I was ready to give up my crown, I really was. I was ready to relinquish it. I had held it for 32 years ... man, it was this close, this close," Carter said.

One of the narratives emerging from the World Series (notably in Canada) is that the better team didn't necessarily win the World Series. Some fans are right to point out that the Dodgers won the World Series despite not really breaking out the offensive lumber. In fact, for all of Shohei Ohtani's greatness, he only hit .217 if you strip out his otherworldly performance in Game 3.

It's been just under a week since Shane Bieber decided he wanted to have a second shot at winning in Toronto and exercised his contract option to remain with the Blue Jays in 2026. The $16 million deal will get the 30-year-old through the 2027 season on a team friendly deal, in the hopes that he can cash in big time the following year.

The Major League Baseball season has been over for more than a week. Falling short in Game 7, the Toronto Blue Jays will surely go big in free agency. They need a pitcher, another bat, and a handful of relievers. More importantly, they need to re-sign Bo Bichette for the cornerstone shortstop (or second baseman) to remain a Blue Jay for life.