Offseason Roster Thread 2025-26

[jaysblue]

Trade market options:

- Bryon Buxton (5 WAR in 126 games). 

- Ketel Marte (4.6 WAR in 126 games).

- Brendan Donovan (2.9 WAR in 118 games).

- Luis Roberts (1.3 WAR in 110 games). 

Buxton or Marte would be huge additions. I think the price tag on Buxton could be reasonable. I just can't see the Twins asking for the moon given the context. 

Donovan would be a nice addition to the infield. Not as flashy with the bat as Buxton or Marte, but he would be a really solid 3 WAR addition, and who knows maybe Popkins unlocks some more potential with his bat where he becomes a 4 WAR guy. 

Roberts is a reclamation project. Don't feel like giving up a lot for him, but would roll the dice on him since the upside could be huge (4-5 WAR potential). Otherwise, you get a frustrating 1-2 WAR season out of him. 

[jaysblue]

As crazy as it would sound, Eugenio Suárez might not be a bad option if his price tag has dropped, where you can get him on a one or two-year deal. His market pretty much has been quiet. 

3.8 WAR last season with 49 HR's. When you look at his career, he always has been a 3-4 WAR guy surprisingly (outside of 2020 and 2021). 

Can rotate him at 3B/DH. 

If the Jays can't bring back Bo or sign Bellinger, Suarez might not be a bad alternative if the price is right. 

[Terminator]

3 minutes ago, jaysblue said:

As crazy as it would sound, Eugenio Suárez might not be a bad option if his price tag has dropped, where you can get him on a one or two-year deal. His market pretty much has been quiet. 

3.8 WAR last season with 49 HR's. When you look at his career, he always has been a 3-4 WAR guy surprisingly (outside of 2020 and 2021). 

Can rotate him at 3B/DH. 

If the Jays can't bring back Bo or sign Bellinger, Suarez might not be a bad alternative if the price is right. 

He's criminally underrated but I worry about the fit after signing Okamoto

[ValiantJaysFan]

At this point tbh trade options look better than FA. Steven Kwan would fit this team nicely and will likely age better than Tucker or Bo. 
 

Bo never intended to sign here guys, I called it years ago. He’s never wanted to be here and always thought he deserved to be paid like he’s Jeter in his prime. I’d be shocked if he were back.

[jaysblue]

5 minutes ago, Terminator said:

He's criminally underrated but I worry about the fit after signing Okamoto

Yeah, same here - but from the sounds of it, Okamoto would play a mix of third base and left field defensively. It also really depends on who else is brought in. In that case, you could potentially make it work with both Okamoto and Suárez on the roster. 

 

[Terminator]

-BNS is pumping the brakes on Bo to the Jays, though that's not surprising since he pumps the brakes on everything.

-Rosenthal thinks Bo going to the Phillies and doesn't seem to think the Jays are that in on him.

[max silver]

10 hours ago, Stangstag said:

This just makes me even more angry that we let the Dodgers steal the WS from us when it was RIGHT. THERE.

Hopefully they get bounced in the DS this year and we don’t need to hear any more “threepeat” nonsense 

The goddamn Dodgers specialize in kicking the Blue Jays and their fanbase in the nuts. They get first dibs at basically all of the free agents the Blue Jays front office are serious about signing (Ohtani, Tucker, Yamamoto, Sasaki and even Teoscar) and to make matters worse they did just enough to squeak out a world series title in a series where they were largely outplayed. FFS.

[JaysFan99]

16 minutes ago, Terminator said:

-Rosenthal thinks Bo going to the Phillies and doesn't seem to think the Jays are that in on him.

I don't believe anything but a Passan tweet from now on.

[Terminator]

I could see Bo leaving for sure. From a practical sense it might be the best move.

If you sign someone to a 7 year, 210 million dollar deal, you want to add a serious amount of wins to the team.

But I'm not sure how much better he is than Clement. Steamer600 gives Clement 2.2 WAR but it credits his defense with almost nothing when he's actually one of the best infielders in the game. It does the same thing with Varsho for some reason.

Bo has a 3.6 WAR Steamer600 but it gives him better defense than it does Clement which is crazy town. If you balance those out more the WAR gap closes in a hurry.

[JaysAllMighty]

I like Clement at 2nd base, and he clan play any position if needed.  Great athlete and he deserves it.  

If he falters then Jays can look at other options.

IMO we still need a closer.

[Laika]

34 minutes ago, Terminator said:

I could see Bo leaving for sure. From a practical sense it might be the best move.

If you sign someone to a 7 year, 210 million dollar deal, you want to add a serious amount of wins to the team.

But I'm not sure how much better he is than Clement. Steamer600 gives Clement 2.2 WAR but it credits his defense with almost nothing when he's actually one of the best infielders in the game. It does the same thing with Varsho for some reason.

Bo has a 3.6 WAR Steamer600 but it gives him better defense than it does Clement which is crazy town. If you balance those out more the WAR gap closes in a hurry.

Maybe more of a Bo vs Gimenez thing

Steamer says Gimenez is fine and will be a 95 wRC+ bat but he was a 70 last year and 83 the year before. 

Clement's projection range is wild. 78 wRC+ from The Bat and 100 from Steamer. 

Logically Bo covers off THREE separate risks:

• That Ernie is a bench player who just had a good run from 2024-2025. He's 30 soon, so this is possible. 
• That Gimenez just cannot hit anymore. Obviously possible. 
• That Okamoto won't transition to MLB. Obviously possible. 

Without Bo the Blue Jays can only cover one of these downsides, probably by sliding Barger to 3rd and moving other parts around. You also don't really want Barger to be a critical depth piece for both the OF and IF, and he presently is one in the OF because Santander is a pile of poo. 

[rydermike]

Bo concerned about playing on turf

https://www.thescore.com/news/3456988

 

[Laika]

1 minute ago, rydermike said:

Bo concerned about playing on turf

https://www.thescore.com/news/3456988

 

Dude should a) sign somewhere else and b) learn how to slide 

[Laika]

Bo Bichette: cannonballs into Austin Wells at Yankee Stadium 

"why would the Skydome turf do this to me"

[John_Havok]

1 hour ago, jaysblue said:

Trade market options:

- Bryon Buxton (5 WAR in 126 games). 

- Ketel Marte (4.6 WAR in 126 games).

- Brendan Donovan (2.9 WAR in 118 games).

- Luis Roberts (1.3 WAR in 110 games). 

Buxton or Marte would be huge additions. I think the price tag on Buxton could be reasonable. I just can't see the Twins asking for the moon given the context. 

Donovan would be a nice addition to the infield. Not as flashy with the bat as Buxton or Marte, but he would be a really solid 3 WAR addition, and who knows maybe Popkins unlocks some more potential with his bat where he becomes a 4 WAR guy. 

Roberts is a reclamation project. Don't feel like giving up a lot for him, but would roll the dice on him since the upside could be huge (4-5 WAR potential). Otherwise, you get a frustrating 1-2 WAR season out of him. 

Doesn't Ernie project at 3 fWAR at 2b? So really Donovan wouldn't be a needle mover. Marte... yeah. 

Buxton is a freak of nature. Just oozes skills and results..... when he isn't hurt, which is alot. When you google "Byron Buxton injury history" it says something when there's a "next page" option. 

[Olerud363.354]

1 hour ago, jaysblue said:

As crazy as it would sound, Eugenio Suárez might not be a bad option if his price tag has dropped, where you can get him on a one or two-year deal.

I wonder if Okamoto, Barger or even Suarez could play second, the same way Bo played second in the World Series.  None of these guys have the greatest range, but Bo on one knee didn't have the greatest range either. 

In the playoffs if we assume that 'elite' players are going to have disproportionate success, then we should assume awful hitters will have disproportionate failure.  So perhaps even more important than getting  a guy like Bo, is avoiding guys like IKF and Straw.   So can Barger or Okamoto handle second for 2/3 of a game the same way Bo did?  And if so that is probably something you want to do occasionally in the regular season before trying it in ALCS game 5 or something.  

[Olerud363.354]

2 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Doesn't Ernie project at 3 fWAR at 2b? So really Donovan wouldn't be a needle mover. Marte... yeah. 

You want to avoid the next IKF in the playoffs.  So build the team with a plan that still works if any combination of two players get injured. 

[Carlos Danger]

1 hour ago, jaysblue said:

Trade market options:

- Bryon Buxton (5 WAR in 126 games). 

- Ketel Marte (4.6 WAR in 126 games).

- Brendan Donovan (2.9 WAR in 118 games).

- Luis Roberts (1.3 WAR in 110 games). 

Buxton or Marte would be huge additions. I think the price tag on Buxton could be reasonable. I just can't see the Twins asking for the moon given the context. 

Donovan would be a nice addition to the infield. Not as flashy with the bat as Buxton or Marte, but he would be a really solid 3 WAR addition, and who knows maybe Popkins unlocks some more potential with his bat where he becomes a 4 WAR guy. 

Roberts is a reclamation project. Don't feel like giving up a lot for him, but would roll the dice on him since the upside could be huge (4-5 WAR potential). Otherwise, you get a frustrating 1-2 WAR season out of him. 

AZ has taken Marte off the market. 

[Orgfiller]

2 minutes ago, Olerud363.354 said:

I wonder if Okamoto, Barger or even Suarez could play second, the same way Bo played second in the World Series.  None of these guys have the greatest range, but Bo on one knee didn't have the greatest range either. 

In the playoffs if we assume that 'elite' players are going to have disproportionate success, then we should assume awful hitters will have disproportionate failure.  So perhaps even more important than getting  a guy like Bo, is avoiding guys like IKF and Straw.   So can Barger or Okamoto handle second for 2/3 of a game the same way Bo did?  And if so that is probably something you want to do occasionally in the regular season before trying it in ALCS game 5 or something.  

No, lol. All of those guys are fringy (at best) at third, they would look awful in the middle infield. Bo for all his defensive flaws still has a decade of experience at the hardest defensive position that isn't catcher, it's not surprising he can look passable at 2B over a small sample size. Their range would be exposed, Barger's cannon of an arm wouldn't do him very much when he's seeing balls roll past him up the middle.

[jaysblue]

7 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Doesn't Ernie project at 3 fWAR at 2b? So really Donovan wouldn't be a needle mover. Marte... yeah. 

Buxton is a freak of nature. Just oozes skills and results..... when he isn't hurt, which is alot. When you google "Byron Buxton injury history" it says something when there's a "next page" option. 

Donovan wouldn’t be a true needle-mover, but he offers a solid 3 WAR floor, with upside if Popkins can unlock a bit more with the bat. He brings strong on-base skills with moderate pop and would represent a clear offensive upgrade over both Clement and Giménez.

Clement may project around 3 WAR at second base, but given his journeyman track record, some regression is a fair expectation. Giménez, meanwhile, could become a real offensive drag over a full season.

Donovan’s versatility is also a big plus. He can move between the outfield, third base, shortstop and second base, giving the Jays flexibility with lineup construction and allowing them to shift Okamoto between left field and third base as needed.

[max silver]

1 hour ago, Terminator said:

He's criminally underrated but I worry about the fit after signing Okamoto

Yeah Suarez is a really tough fit for the Blue Jays with all of Okamoto, Clement and Barger being likely to receive playing time at the position. 

[jaysblue]

9 minutes ago, Olerud363.354 said:

I wonder if Okamoto, Barger or even Suarez could play second, the same way Bo played second in the World Series.  None of these guys have the greatest range, but Bo on one knee didn't have the greatest range either. 

In the playoffs if we assume that 'elite' players are going to have disproportionate success, then we should assume awful hitters will have disproportionate failure.  So perhaps even more important than getting  a guy like Bo, is avoiding guys like IKF and Straw.   So can Barger or Okamoto handle second for 2/3 of a game the same way Bo did?  And if so that is probably something you want to do occasionally in the regular season before trying it in ALCS game 5 or something.  

I wouldn't want any of those guys playing second base, unless in an emergency. 

If Suarez is brought in, he’d likely handle most of the time at third base, with Okamoto shifting to left field and occasionally filling in at third or first when Vladdy or Suarez needs a day off or moves to DH.

[glory]

I've mentioned this before, I think a bigger issue is the lack of IF depth. The middle infield is Clement/Gimenez, two players who are likely to be below average offensively with limited power. The only player currently on the bench who can play an infield position is Davis Schneider, and the Jays preferred giving 40 plate appearances to freakin' IKF in playoff/World Series games rather than put him there, so I don't think they view him as IF depth. Then there is Jimenez who is out of options and made of glass, and the minor league depth involves Kasevich and nothing else unless I'm forgetting someone. They probably need to add an infielder somewhere, unless they are bullish on Jimenez and view him as the primary utility option (may not be a bad idea since he projects reasonably well for that role but highly volatile from a performance standpoint). So while the Jays do need an OF with some team control, they probably need an infielder as well. 

[Funky]

We need one more bat.  Looking at the lineup as is Vlad won’t see any type of pitch to hit as there is no one scary to hit behind him unless Santander rebounds or Barger has a big breakout.  We will effectively be holstering our biggest gun without  another big bat.  

 

 

[jaysblue]

15 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Buxton is a freak of nature. Just oozes skills and results..... when he isn't hurt, which is alot. When you google "Byron Buxton injury history" it says something when there's a "next page" option. 

That's hilarious.

Given Buxton’s age and injury history, I don’t think the Twins could realistically demand a massive return. 

[Rafters]

Some rumours of Bichette to Mets for 3 yr deal 3 yrs 126mill🫣

[max silver]

32 minutes ago, Laika said:

Dude should a) sign somewhere else and b) learn how to slide 

That's a weird concern given the fact that the Rogers Centre infield is largely dirt at this point. I don't imagine the short stop/second baseman would even spend a lot of time running around on the turf aside from plays where they need to come in towards the plate.

[Fearthedoc]

Well Bo is officially a Met 

[jaysblue]

5 minutes ago, glory said:

I've mentioned this before, I think a bigger issue is the lack of IF depth. The middle infield is Clement/Gimenez, two players who are likely to be below average offensively with limited power. The only player currently on the bench who can play an infield position is Davis Schneider, and the Jays preferred giving 40 plate appearances to freakin' IKF in playoff/World Series games rather than put him there, so I don't think they view him as IF depth. Then there is Jimenez who is out of options and made of glass, and the minor league depth involves Kasevich and nothing else unless I'm forgetting someone. They probably need to add an infielder somewhere, unless they are bullish on Jimenez and view him as the primary utility option (may not be a bad idea since he projects reasonably well for that role but highly volatile from a performance standpoint). So while the Jays do need an OF with some team control, they probably need an infielder as well. 

After reading your post and the more I think about it, Brendan Donovan would be a perfect fit here. 

[glory]

Bo to the Mets for 3/126. Did not see that coming.