If there was one team that generated a lot of excitement in Major League Baseball in 2025, it was the Toronto Blue Jays. The Canadian franchise won the American League pennant and came close to dethroning the Dodgers in the World Series, but the Los Angeles team had that little bit of luck to win their second consecutive crown.
Nevertheless, there was a sense that the Blue Jays have the necessary pieces to compete again in October against the best teams in MLB, starting with the Yankees, their great divisional rivals, and the Dodgers, undoubtedly the team to beat because of the dynasty they have built around Shohei Ohtani.
The big question is whether Toronto will get each of its players to perform at their best, as they did in the 2025 postseason. So far, the front office has done a spectacular job and has managed to strengthen the roster in almost every area, putting together a highly competitive squad with many options for manager John Schneider.
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The Blue Jays’ end to the World Series was cruel, as they had victory in their hands in front of their home crowd at Rogers Centre and let it slip away by the smallest of margins. But far from lamenting, the management immediately got to work to come back strong in 2026.
The signing of pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers, along with Shane Bieber‘s decision to exercise his option with the team for next season, were the team’s first moves. Now Cease and Ponce will be in a strong rotation alongside Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Trey Yesavage, with Eric Lauer and Bowden Francis waiting in the wings.
The rest of the team maintains a similar base to 2025: Alejandro Kirk behind the plate; Vlady Guerrero Jr., Andres Gimenez, Ernie Clement and Addison Barger in the infield; Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Daulton Varsho and Myles Straw in the outfield; and George Springer and Anthony Santander as designated hitters.
The most notable departure is Bo Bichette, who is still a free agent and it is not known what destination he might take before the start of the next campaign.
Christmas wishes
Toronto still has room to close a big free agent signing. For several weeks now, management has been moving to achieve that final touch, scouring the market for an impact hitter, whether an infielder or an outfielder, to back up Vlady Guerrero Jr. and George Springer.
One of the names linked to the Blue Jays is Kyle Tucker, perhaps the highest-profile free agent available. Adding a Gold Glove-caliber outfielder with the ability to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases would be one of the Blue Jays’ wishes, but his price tag (he is looking for a contract worth more than $300 million) keeps him away from Rogers Centre.
Other targets on the wish list include Bichette and Alex Bregman. The former has a sentimental bond after seven seasons with the team, while the latter would fit perfectly as a third baseman to free up the outfield for Addison Barger.
One last wish for the Blue Jays could be the addition of a reliever (the return of Sean Doolittle would fit) or the offensive recovery of Anthony Santander, a man who in 2025 was far from the one who hit 105 home runs and drove in 286 runs in his last three seasons with the Orioles.
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