Offseason Roster Thread 2025-26

[Pendleton]

5 minutes ago, BTS said:

Surprised there were no takers for Imanaga on the trade market. He's only 31, and 3/57 isn't a huge commitment. Frankie Montas got 2/34 last year and he's awful. 

 

I would agree that I'd still expect someone to take a proven innings eater at that cost. However, I was looking at his savant page when I saw this news earlier, and to me it shows a guy who could really fall off at any time. There's some scary red flags there in terms of lack of fastball velocity and generally getting hit rather hard. He's propped up by an elite walk rate and high end chase rate - which for me adds up to a guy who will be toast if the league adjusts to not chasing his breaking stuff outside the zone. 

 

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/shota-imanaga-684007?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb

 

 

 

 

[Spanky__99]

37 minutes ago, Ryu In My House said:

re-signing Seranthony Domínguez to a three-year, $27 million contract ($9 M AAV) would complete a high-leverage relief core capable of closing out playoff games.

[abola2121]

2 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

Seriously, we have other options in the form of guys returning from the IL and prospects who could realistically make the jump before the middle of next season. 

[mphenhef]

I haven't seen any news on Bieber opting out.  Do you suppose this means the Jays and him are in talks on an extension?

[bluejaysinternNo5]

Imanaga needs to go to San Fran or Detroit to suppress his HR numbers.

[Pendleton]

16 minutes ago, mphenhef said:

I haven't seen any news on Bieber opting out.  Do you suppose this means the Jays and him are in talks on an extension?

I'm just assuming the opt out is a foregone conclusion, there's no chance he takes a 16M guarantee. Someone would offer a much larger one year pillow contract if he wants to go that route, otherwise he can still get a massively larger total guarantee. 

[G-Snarls]

33 minutes ago, mphenhef said:

I haven't seen any news on Bieber opting out.  Do you suppose this means the Jays and him are in talks on an extension?

There's no way they're not trying to extend him 

Deadline for option/opt out decisions is Nov. 6. Though there's no way he's going to take it.  

It does seem like a piece of business this FO would try to get done as soon as possible. He can't negotiate with anyone but the Jays for 2 more days. 

[glory]

22 minutes ago, mphenhef said:

I haven't seen any news on Bieber opting out.  Do you suppose this means the Jays and him are in talks on an extension?

If Bieber wants to stay then it’s certainly a possibility that they are working on something. He gets $4M if he opts out, so seems like a foregone conclusion that he will if he and the Jays aren’t working on something now. 

[Pendleton]

1 minute ago, G-Snarls said:

There's no way they're not trying to extend him 

What's the deadline for him to decide on the option?  I mean there's no way he's going to take it but just curious too. 

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-offseason-dates-rules-and-terms

Looks like five days after the WS ends 

[Brownie19]

1 hour ago, Pendleton said:

 

I would agree that I'd still expect someone to take a proven innings eater at that cost. However, I was looking at his savant page when I saw this news earlier, and to me it shows a guy who could really fall off at any time. There's some scary red flags there in terms of lack of fastball velocity and generally getting hit rather hard. He's propped up by an elite walk rate and high end chase rate - which for me adds up to a guy who will be toast if the league adjusts to not chasing his breaking stuff outside the zone. 

https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/shota-imanaga-684007?stats=statcast-r-pitching-mlb

I don't disagree, but it's hard to fake a 0.99 WHIP over 144 IP (1.01 WHIP over 318 IP for his career)

[Terminator]

I don't understand why Bieber would sign an extension now when he's so close to FA.

I suppose some guys like to sign early in hopes that they can beat the market by signing before the dust settles. Perhaps you'll see some of that this year with the pending labor negotiations.

And I suppose if the team is pushing for it, he might as well listen. But I'd be surprised if he signs unless the Jays knock his socks off. But even then, it probably wouldn't hurt to talk to other teams.

[Pendleton]

8 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

I don't disagree, but it's hard to fake a 0.99 WHIP over 144 IP (1.01 WHIP over 318 IP for his career)

 

Yeah no arguing he's been successful by many measures, I just think there's less confidence about his ability to sustain it when you start looking under the hood. He's had the benefit of pitching his home games in one of the most pitcher friendly environments. Again like his counting stats, the home/road splits aren't necessarily showing a current deficiency, but more so just the potential to blow up. A career xFIP of 3.67 at home vs 4.42 on the road is notable. 

[mphenhef]

1 hour ago, Pendleton said:

I'm just assuming the opt out is a foregone conclusion, there's no chance he takes a 16M guarantee. Someone would offer a much larger one year pillow contract if he wants to go that route, otherwise he can still get a massively larger total guarantee. 

This is what makes me think they might be discussing an extension.  I would have expected the opt out to be announced already, but my thinking is perhaps the Jays have asked him not to do so yet as part of extension negotiations (like perhaps they add more in the years following in exchange for him picking up the option for the first year or something along that line.

[Spanky__99]

2 hours ago, abola2121 said:

Seriously, we have other options in the form of guys returning from the IL and prospects who could realistically make the jump before the middle of next season. 

Dude?

[jmomcc]

I don't think i'd sign any bullpen. If we are good at the deadline, trade for it. 

[L54]

4 hours ago, John_Havok said:

Feelings about Bassitt aside, the fact that he's a grinder, a great clubhouse guy, willing to do whatever it takes and shove his ego aside... from a pure skills/cost perspective, is there really room for him?

He's going into his late 30's, while his stuff and location has remained steady-ish... would it really be surprising for that to decline a tick or two next year?  That's question 1. 

Question 2 - what's his role? Backend starter or swingman? In either case, what level of money are you wanting to commit to that role? It sure wouldn't be 21 million per year. So... what do you offer him...10? 10m would be fine for a backend starter but for a swingman?? 

Question 3 - is there even room for him as a backend starter or swingman? Berrios is already performing like a 4/5 at his #2 salary. Lauer is probably going to slot in the rotation at around 5m. Is he a #3? Is he a 4/5? How much can you rely on him being the version we saw first vs the version we saw in the latter part? Somewhere in between?

The way I see it right now, Gausman in the #1, Yesavage is the 2, Lauer is probably the 3 and Berrios is the 4, or call berrios the 3 and Lauer the 4... whatever. That leaves one spot open and the rotation doesnt need a #5, it needs a #1 that shoves everyone else down. Bassitt isn't that, so I don't think there's a spot for him in the rotation, really. And you don't want the kind of salary he's going to command in the pen. 

As much as you hate to lose him in the clubhouse, he doesn't really fit on the roster unless he agrees to a major pay cut and a drastically reduced role as a swingman / fill-in starter. I doubt that happens. Time to move on from Bassitt. 

I’m with you I’m not seeing the fit either unless it’s at a drastically reduced cost. He would be great as the fifth starter but obviously that’s the spot thst Berrios is going occupy next season 

[abola2121]

53 minutes ago, Spanky__99 said:

Dude?

I'm more or less agreeing with you?

[Brownie19]

15 hours ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

Whats the latest on Tiedemann? Hopefully he's ready to go by spring training. 

I guess the low bar for expectations on him is that he actually stay healthy all season and still has electric stuff in AAA. But it sure would be nice if he came out of nowhere and shoved in 2026 as a legit MLB starters option by May or June.

 

Blue Jays LHP prospect Ricky Tiedemann (elbow) is expected to be fully healthy for spring training.

One of baseball’s premier pitching prospects before undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2024, Tiedemann progressed to throwing off a mound late last season but never returned to minor league action. The 23-year-old southpaw’s swing-and-miss raw stuff makes him an intriguing name to watch in Grapefruit League action, though he’s unlikely to reach Toronto before the latter part of next season barring any setbacks.

[John_Havok]

11 minutes ago, L54 said:

I’m with you I’m not seeing the fit either unless it’s at a drastically reduced cost. He would be great as the fifth starter but obviously that’s the spot thst Berrios is going occupy next season 

I guess there's a non-0 chance that Berrios bounces back a bit with recovery from whatever elbow thing was bothering him starting in the mid-to late part of the season. his May/June was actually pretty solid and more in line with his norms

But the continual/gradual decline in stuff over the past is rather noticeable, especially the breaking balls. 

But yeah, if I'm Atkins I'm not relying on Berrios to be the #3, he's a 4/5. 

 

[Eat My Shatkins]

6 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

Blue Jays LHP prospect Ricky Tiedemann (elbow) is expected to be fully healthy for spring training.

One of baseball’s premier pitching prospects before undergoing Tommy John surgery in August 2024, Tiedemann progressed to throwing off a mound late last season but never returned to minor league action. The 23-year-old southpaw’s swing-and-miss raw stuff makes him an intriguing name to watch in Grapefruit League action, though he’s unlikely to reach Toronto before the latter part of next season barring any setbacks.

Such electric stuff and still so young.

Hopefully he and Stanifer are so good next season at AAA that they can't be denied and force their way onto the MLB roster at some point, even as relievers to start, if need be.

[John_Havok]

4 minutes ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

Such electric stuff and still so young.

Hopefully he and Stanifer are so good next season at AAA that they can't be denied and force their way onto the MLB roster at some point, even as relievers to start, if need be.

Barring injury/off-season trades, it would have to be a pen debut or spot start most likely.  Gausman, Trey and Berrios are locks for the rotation, Lauer will have every chance at it, as will Bowden Francis if his shoulder is recovered. of course there will be the usual dumpster dives/minor league signings too. There's also no way they don't sign or trade for 1 top-ish of the rotation arm because if they don't, they're dumn. 

That doesn't leave much space for Ricky T or Stanifer really at any point except for fill-ins or injury-replacement, and that's actually a really good place to be. 

[Brownie19]

3 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Barring injury/off-season trades, it would have to be a pen debut or spot start most likely.  Gausman, Trey and Berrios are locks for the rotation, Lauer will have every chance at it, as will Bowden Francis if his shoulder is recovered. of course there will be the usual dumpster dives/minor league signings too. There's also no way they don't sign or trade for 1 top-ish of the rotation arm because if they don't, they're dumn. 

That doesn't leave much space for Ricky T or Stanifer really at any point except for fill-ins or injury-replacement, and that's actually a really good place to be. 

depth is good baby!

[John_Havok]

I think a more pressing question for the FO is centered around Barger rather than Bassitt; not a question of whether he'll be there or not, but whether his emergence would pump the brakes on signing a guy like Kyle Tucker for the OF. 

Does Barger check enough boxes to forgo a serious push to sign Tucker?

Hypothetically... chasing down Tucker would be great, BUT if they do, they likely don't have money for Bo plus a front line pitcher. I think their target splashes are going to be either Bo or Tucker plus a top-end pitcher. 

So it's like... Barger + Bo at, lets say around 25 million AAV, plus front line pitcher at 25-30 million AAV... is that better than Barger + Tucker at 30ish million AAV and front line pitcher at 25-30 AAV? 

There's lots of domino effects that would happen if they signed Tucker instead of Bo regarding Springer, Santander and the DH spot, not to mention Lukes and Clement, since signing Tucker would put barger at 3rd most days, pushing Clement to 2b, and making Lukes LH bench bet kinda ... not overly useful backing up 2 LHH, a switch hitter and Springer, the RH backup OF would be more in play (aka Schneider/Straw). 

Keeping Bo at 2b, stickong barger in RF and Clement at 3rd would be doable, creates fewer issues for Lukes, but really Lukes' role shouldnt be a factor in whether or not you sign a guy like Tucker. 

There's so many moving parts and what-ifs and this-is-what-happens-if-X-guy-signs that it's hard to discuss it all in a single post. 

[Laika]

Too bad they ever signed Santander. He's already making the roster awkward.

Presently, having signed nobody, the depth chart would have Lukes OF Santander OF Barger 3B Clement 2B Springer DH

Sign Bo and you are incentivized to bench Santander already. Like, are you REALLY taking time away from any of the other dudes? 

Same result if you sign Tucker. 

What a plug. Horrendous signing in hindsight. And foresight I guess. Dude has a lot to make up for. 

[Laika]

Also, keep in mind that Atkins likes to plan ahead to fill holes.

Varsho, Springer, and Gausman are free agents after 2026. 

Given the awkwardness Santander presents for any kind of bat signing, I would not be surprised to see a bat traded. And it might be a little bit of a gut-punch trade where a 2025 favourite is sent somewhere. Nathan Lukes should probably be trade bait... Ernie Clement has real, significant value now but he's almost 30. 

I would personally find Ross Atkins and chop his legs off if he did it, but on paper you can justify a Clement sell-high and you should be trying to sell-high on Lukes

[SeranthonySantander]

16 minutes ago, Laika said:

Also, keep in mind that Atkins likes to plan ahead to fill holes.

Varsho, Springer, and Gausman are free agents after 2026. 

Given the awkwardness Santander presents for any kind of bat signing, I would not be surprised to see a bat traded. And it might be a little bit of a gut-punch trade where a 2025 favourite is sent somewhere. Nathan Lukes should probably be trade bait... Ernie Clement has real, significant value now but he's almost 30. 

I would personally find Ross Atkins and chop his legs off if he did it, but on paper you can justify a Clement sell-high and you should be trying to sell-high on Lukes

Does Atkin know ernie is the most liked person in the clubhouse?  That would be a hit to the vibes.  The return would have to be skubal.

[jaysblue]

6 minutes ago, Laika said:

Also, keep in mind that Atkins likes to plan ahead to fill holes.

Varsho, Springer, and Gausman are free agents after 2026. 

Given the awkwardness Santander presents for any kind of bat signing, I would not be surprised to see a bat traded. And it might be a little bit of a gut-punch trade where a 2025 favourite is sent somewhere. Nathan Lukes should probably be trade bait... Ernie Clement has real, significant value now but he's almost 30. 

I would personally find Ross Atkins and chop his legs off if he did it, but on paper you can justify a Clement sell-high and you should be trying to sell-high on Lukes

I don't think Lukes brings that much back in a trade. Teams know what he is at the age of 31.

As for Clement, his defensive versatility is definitely valuable. Again, other teams know what he is with the bat and aren't going to buy high on his Postseason run. 

You might be able to trade Lukes for a reliever at most. You're not selling high on a 31-year-old outfielder with little power, who needs to be platooned and coming off a 103 wRC+ season. I don't want to see Lukes starting in their OF on Opening Day. 

Think Clement is more valuable to the Jays whether as a 3B or 2B or super utility guy, even if his bat does regress. 

 

[jmomcc]

34 minutes ago, Laika said:

Too bad they ever signed Santander. He's already making the roster awkward.

Presently, having signed nobody, the depth chart would have Lukes OF Santander OF Barger 3B Clement 2B Springer DH

Sign Bo and you are incentivized to bench Santander already. Like, are you REALLY taking time away from any of the other dudes? 

Same result if you sign Tucker. 

What a plug. Horrendous signing in hindsight. And foresight I guess. Dude has a lot to make up for. 

Could you get Santander to cross train at first base? Then at least you could play him there when Vlad DHs or rests and put Springer in RF. 

[Laika]

14 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

I don't think Lukes brings that much back in a trade. Teams know what he is at the age of 31.

As for Clement, his defensive versatility is definitely valuable. Again, other teams know what he is with the bat and aren't going to buy high on his Postseason run. 

You might be able to trade Lukes for a reliever at most. You're not selling high on a 31-year-old outfielder with little power, who needs to be platooned and coming off a 103 wRC+ season. I don't want to see Lukes starting in their OF on Opening Day. 

Think Clement is more valuable to the Jays whether as a 3B or 2B or super utility guy, even if his bat does regress. 

 

There is a market for fundamentally sound baseball players, even if they are platoon guys like Lukes. 

There is always a team like the Reds or whatever trying to trade for respectable bats. Heck, last offseason they traded a pick and a recent draft pick for Gavin freaking Lux, who is like a crummier version of Lukes. 

All I am saying is people should be prepared for the gang to get slightly broken up.

Lukes for a quality reliever might even be a good trade! 

 

[Laika]

Just now, jmomcc said:

Could you get Santander to cross train at first base? Then at least you could play him there when Vlad DHs or rests and put Springer in RF. 

I am sure they will, he has a small amount of 1B experience already I think