#toronto-blue-jays

#toronto-blue-jays

Anyway, Santander's 2025 wasn't great. A natural slow starter, Santander struggled in the first month or so, before getting hot for just under two weeks. Then, the injuries started, as he played through a hip and shoulder injury in May, ending up on the injured list. He stayed there until the final four games of the season, and was removed from their American League Championship Series roster due to a back injury.

When news of the trade broke, it was met with surprise and criticism, but made sense given Cleveland's unwillingness to pay Giménez's ascending salary. He earned a seven-year, $106.5 million extension following a 2022 breakout season that featured a starting spot in the All-Star Game, a career-high 17 home runs, and a sixth-place finish in the AL MVP voting. After the 27-year-old's offensive production dropped off over the next two

It may take a little while for the Toronto Blue Jays and their fans to recover a bit after failing to land Kyle Tucker and bringing back Bo Bichette. After all, many believed that the Blue Jays could have capped off their impressive offseason with one more big splash. Adding Tucker or reuniting with Bichette would have added a difference maker back into the Toronto lineup heading into 2026, making them clear World Series favorites as a result.

If the Blue Jays were to sign either Zac Gallen or Framber Valdez, the latter they've been linked with recently, they'd lose two additional picks due to those two players declining qualifying offers. But with their starting rotation all but settled, it just doesn't seem likely. Dylan Cease was added earlier this off-season and because the Jays signed him, they've lost a couple of picks.

Lantigua, 27, initially signed with the Jays out of the Dominican Republic during the 2016 amateur signing period. The righty-hitting utilityman played his way to Triple-A by the end of the 2022 season. He spent the next two full seasons with their top affiliate in Buffalo before qualifying for minor league free agency. Lantigua signed with the Phillies last winter and again played the majority of the year in the International League.

It was so long ago, but Fluharty had a terrific start to his big league career. Over his first 18.1 innings pitched, the lefty had a 1.96 ERA and 2.97 FIP, with a 26.2 K% and 7.7 BB%. After a few outings in June, Fluharty began to struggle on Jun. 8. From that date until Jun. 30, the final game he pitched in before he was optioned, Fluharty gave up 12 earned runs in 7.1 innings pitched.

If the 2026 season started today, the Toronto Blue Jays would be well-positioned to compete for a World Series title - but adding another reliever would certainly help. The 2025 squad came within two outs of winning it all before Jeff Hoffman blew the save in the ninth inning of Game 7. Most of the biggest bumps on the road to that point were also bullpen-related, usually in the form of a costly home run in a big spot.

With the Toronto Blue Jays being one of the more active teams this offseason, they have been able to make various moves to bolster their roster ahead of the 2026 MLB season. So far, the Blue Jays have added notable players in Kazuma Okamoto, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, and of course rotation stalwart Dylan Cease and many believe that they are not done just yet.

Let's remember where the Blue Jays were when Lauer made his first start on May 17. They were two game under .500. Max Scherzer had only thrown three innings and wasn't set to rejoin the rotation for at least another month. And Bowden Francis was floundering as the number five starter. But at Rogers Centre, in that game against the Detroit Tigers, Lauer pitched three innings of three hit ball and allowed one run in an eventual 2-1 walk-off win for the Blue Jays.

The past three months have seen the front office make sizeable additions to the roster in Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, and, most recently, Kazuma Okamoto. While names such as Bo Bichette, Seranthony Dominguez, Yariel Rodriguez, Nick Sandlin, Justin Bruihl, and recently DFA'd Paxton Schultz are no longer with the organization or off the 40-man, it makes you wonder what's next for the team.