Offseason Roster Thread 2025-26

[Brownie19]

4 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Who, on the starting 9, is Donovan better than on the current roster?

He'd just be a depth add and would replace Leo Jimenez.  He'd take at bats away from Gimenez, Clement, Okamoto and Barger to some extent.  He'd provide offensive insurance.

He's got 2 years left before he hits the FA market.  What's he cost us?  Stanifer maybe?  Arias?  Probably depends if they want someone who's close, or more of a lottery ticket.

[JaysForever]

23 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

He'd just be a depth add and would replace Leo Jimenez.  He'd take at bats away from Gimenez, Clement, Okamoto and Barger to some extent.  He'd provide offensive insurance.

He's got 2 years left before he hits the FA market.  What's he cost us?  Stanifer maybe?  Arias?  Probably depends if they want someone who's close, or more of a lottery ticket.

Donovan would be an everyday player and a lefty bat for the top of the lineup.

 

You then rotate Gimenez, Clement, Barger, and Okamoto for 3 spots.

 

Against lefties, Clement, Okamoto, and the better of Barger or Gimenez.

Against righties, Barger, Gimenez l, and the better of Okamoto or Clement.

Whoever is left over becomes a pinch hitting option off the bench late in games.

 

This probably means Schneider is out. And the bench is Straw, Heisman, and Lukes with who ever is left out amongst the players above. Schneider is probably included in the trade. I am more wondering what kind of prospects you have to give up. Throwing in a surplus outfielder is not a problem since the jays have too many of them.

[jaysblue]

37 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Who, on the starting 9, is Donovan better than on the current roster?

Donovan isn’t a flashy, headline-grabbing addition, but he checks a lot of boxes that this roster could really use.

First, the bat plays. He’s a proven above-average offensive contributor (119 wRC+ last season), which is meaningfully better than what the Jays got from several regulars. Clement posted a 98 wRC+ in what was arguably his best season, while Giménez was closer to a 70 wRC+. Over a full season, that gap matters. Donovan consistently gets on base, limits wasted plate appearances, and helps avoid lineup dead zones.

Second, he raises the floor of the lineup. He’s not here to replace stars or cap upside. He’s here to reduce volatility. If regression hits, injuries pile up, or certain bats go cold (which always happens), Donovan gives you a reliable offensive baseline rather than forcing replacement-level production into everyday roles.

Third, the versatility is real value. Donovan can handle second base, third base, shortstop in a pinch, and both corner outfield spots. That flexibility matters over 162 games and becomes even more important in October when matchup optimization and roster maneuvering are critical. It also allows the Jays to move pieces like Okamoto between LF and 3B more freely.

Donovan may only project as a 2.5–3 WAR player, but that’s exactly the kind of value that stabilizes good teams and helps them withstand regression and injuries. He doesn’t lower the ceiling—he makes it far more likely the Jays actually reach it.

 

[Orgfiller]

38 minutes ago, John_Havok said:

Who, on the starting 9, is Donovan better than on the current roster?

Clement and Davis Schneider against RHP. He has a career 130 wRC+ against RHP, 88 against LHP so even the floor is not too bad if you're "stuck" with him having to stay in the game in a pinch hitting opportunity that doesn't pan out.

The real question is, is he worth the floor raise for the price of acquisition? Certainly the team's depth becomes insane if he's added into the mix, without taking away a guy like Clement or Barger in the process. Even DS could be expendable in such a deal, the team clearly doesn't value him as much of an asset.

[jaysblue]

31 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

He'd just be a depth add and would replace Leo Jimenez.  He'd take at bats away from Gimenez, Clement, Okamoto and Barger to some extent.  He'd provide offensive insurance.

He's got 2 years left before he hits the FA market.  What's he cost us?  Stanifer maybe?  Arias?  Probably depends if they want someone who's close, or more of a lottery ticket.

I agree he’d function as offensive insurance, but I think calling him just a depth add undersells the impact a bit. Over a full season, he’s likely playing his way into regular at-bats somewhere given his versitility, especially once injuries, regression, and matchup usage inevitably kick in. That playing time doesn’t have to come disproportionately from one guy. It’s more about smoothing out risk across the roster.

And that insurance matters. If Giménez struggles offensively again, Clement regresses, Okamoto has an adjustment period, or Barger hits a rough stretch, Donovan gives you a credible fallback without dropping to replacement-level production. That’s real value, not just redundancy.

On cost, with two years of control, I don’t think it’s nothing but it also shouldn’t be premium. Someone in the Stanifer/Arias tier feels about right, depending on whether the other team wants proximity or upside. You’re not paying star prices. 

Overall, he’s the kind of move that doesn’t look flashy on day one but quietly improves roster resilience over 162 and that tends to matter more than we think.

[max silver]

1 minute ago, jaysblue said:

I agree he’d function as offensive insurance, but I think calling him just a depth add undersells the impact a bit. Over a full season, he’s likely playing his way into regular at-bats somewhere given his versitility, especially once injuries, regression, and matchup usage inevitably kick in. That playing time doesn’t have to come disproportionately from one guy. It’s more about smoothing out risk across the roster.

And that insurance matters. If Giménez struggles offensively again, Clement regresses, Okamoto has an adjustment period, or Barger hits a rough stretch, Donovan gives you a credible fallback without dropping to replacement-level production. That’s real value, not just redundancy.

On cost, with two years of control, I don’t think it’s nothing but it also shouldn’t be premium. Someone in the Stanifer/Arias tier feels about right, depending on whether the other team wants proximity or upside. You’re not paying star prices. 

Overall, he’s the kind of move that doesn’t look flashy on day one but quietly improves roster resilience over 162 and that tends to matter more than we think.

I agree that Donovan would be far more than a depth player and he would deepen the lineup nicely against right handed pitching. Baseball Trade Values has him valued at $30 million surplus which seems awfully high as that's equivalent value to Nimmala for instance. 

[jaysblue]

Honestly, when you look at what this Blue Jays team could use right now, a prime Ben Zobrist feels like the ideal fit. One of my favourite players from the last decade. 

[Jays24]

2 hours ago, Stangstag said:

Interesting choice of words...

I took that as "I didnt want to come back."  He was about to take the Phillies offer if not for the Mets.  Just gonna wait for the "so happy to get out of Canada" comments lol

 

[Pendleton]

Donovan is useful enough to just about any team and cheap for the next couple years, you would think they would have no trouble getting a great haul for him. It makes one wonder why that trade hasn't happened yet, maybe their asking price is massive, or maybe they felt they had maximum leverage once Bregman and Bo signed? 

[Carlos Danger]

5 hours ago, Laika said:

I mean this team is notably better

Scherzer was a bum. Bassitt was a solid 2 win pitcher. Cease and Ponce are 5-6 WAR projected, combined. Huge gap. 

Okamoto is a 1.5 win downgrade from Bo (or 1 win on some projection systems)

Rogers is a lot better than Dominguez 

People just seem to be a bit frazzled because the OFFENSE is maybe not quite as good, but a lot of than hinges on Okamoto who has wRC+ projections that are pretty dang close to Bichette for 2026

 

Quote

Cease and Ponce are 5-6 WAR projected, combined. Huge gap. 

What is the WAR breakdown between the two?

[Stangstag]

28 minutes ago, Jays24 said:

I took that as "I didnt want to come back."  He was about to take the Phillies offer if not for the Mets.  Just gonna wait for the "so happy to get out of Canada" comments lol

 

Yes. And Now Whit Merrifield said on podcast that the relationship with Bo and the front office/coaching staff was strained going back a couple years…

Could be one of these things:

1. Dante Bichette and his role with the team

2. Front office telling him he’s not a longterm shortstop 

3. Hitting struggles in 2024

4. Don Mattingly’s “soft demotion”

It sounds like Bo wasn’t coming back here unless we massively overpayed.

[JaysForever]

27 minutes ago, Pendleton said:

Donovan is useful enough to just about any team and cheap for the next couple years, you would think they would have no trouble getting a great haul for him. It makes one wonder why that trade hasn't happened yet, maybe their asking price is massive, or maybe they felt they had maximum leverage once Bregman and Bo signed? 

The Cards are in rebuild mode so I imagine deal would happen before the start of the year.

They have 2 players on the market which are good fits for the Jays. Donovan and Jojo Romero.

[Jays24]

6 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

Yes. And Now Whit Merrifield said on podcast that the relationship with Bo and the front office/coaching staff was strained going back a couple years…

Could be one of these things:

1. Dante Bichette and his role with the team

2. Front office telling him he’s not a longterm shortstop 

3. Hitting struggles in 2024

4. Don Mattingly’s “soft demotion”

It sounds like Bo wasn’t coming back here unless we massively overpayed.

A few more negative stories about him wanting to not be here and we might hear some boos and Bo chants when he plays here lol

[Nexii]

5 hours ago, Laika said:

I mean this team is notably better

Scherzer was a bum. Bassitt was a solid 2 win pitcher. Cease and Ponce are 5-6 WAR projected, combined. Huge gap. 

Okamoto is a 1.5 win downgrade from Bo (or 1 win on some projection systems)

Rogers is a lot better than Dominguez 

People just seem to be a bit frazzled because the OFFENSE is maybe not quite as good, but a lot of than hinges on Okamoto who has wRC+ projections that are pretty dang close to Bichette for 2026

I'm trying to remember where the Jays ranked in projected WAR during the last offseason. We certainly weren't 3rd in the league.

It's kind of insane how far ahead the Dodgers are over everyone though... 7 wins over the Yankees is mindblowing

[newhere]

It's obvious the team is much better to start this season than last season. It's very reasonable to expect them to legitimately compete for the division and the World Series. So I should be looking forward to it, but I'm just not. I don't really care how the Blue Jays or any team does at this point, which has never happened to me in an off-season, so it's weird and I can't pinpoint the reason. 

[bronson44]

1 hour ago, Jays24 said:

I took that as "I didnt want to come back."  He was about to take the Phillies offer if not for the Mets.  Just gonna wait for the "so happy to get out of Canada" comments lol

 

Bo is too smart for that.

 

[jaysblue]

I hope I don't get tarred and feathered for this...

On paper, the Blue Jays heading into 2026 are clearly a better team than they were last season. The roster looks deeper and better constructed overall, especially when you factor in the starting rotation with Cease, Bieber, Ponce and Yesavage replacing Bassitt, Berrios, Francis and Scherzer from last Opening Day. There’s a real case that this is a stronger, more complete group.

That said, the AL East is still absolutely brutal. Teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox can never be written of. They have the resources, talent base, and ability to add quickly if things start breaking their way.

And then there’s the Baltimore Orioles. With the amount of young talent they still have, they’re probably the biggest wild card in the division. A team like that can realistically jump from a ~75-win profile to a 90-win contender almost overnight if their young bats all click at the same time and they get decent pitching. 

So yes, the Jays look better and that’s encouraging but nothing in this division comes easy. Being improved doesn’t automatically mean being comfortable, and that’s exactly why health, depth, flexibility, and continued aggression still matter. Plus anything could happen in baseball as we've seen. 

I bet $100 on the Jays to win the World Series again and also bet $50 on them to win the AL, so I am a believer. We saw how this team played in October. It's just getting to October which is always the tough part and winning the division, so they avoid playing in the Wild Card round. 

[Eat My Shatkins]

Phucking AL East 

Fangraphs AL projections:

1. Yankees

2, Blue Jays

3. Mariners

4. Red Sox

5. Orioles

 

lol

[Stangstag]

26 minutes ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

Phucking AL East 

Fangraphs AL projections:

1. Yankees

2, Blue Jays

3. Mariners

4. Red Sox

5. Orioles

 

lol

We can still nab a wildcard spot and dunk on the Yankees in the DS.

[Nexii]

Yea lol when the projection is all 3 wildcards will come out of the AL East.

It would have happened in 2025 if Baltimore didn't underperform so badly

[Carlos Danger]

4 hours ago, Eat My Shatkins said:

Phucking AL East 

Fangraphs AL projections:

1. Yankees

2, Blue Jays

3. Mariners

4. Red Sox

5. Orioles

 

lol

Yea, if Orioles get it going with their additions and everyone they have coming back from injury.. They could probably woop up on us a bunch of games every series.

[Brownie19]

13 hours ago, jaysblue said:

Honestly, when you look at what this Blue Jays team could use right now, a prime Ben Zobrist feels like the ideal fit. One of my favourite players from the last decade. 

Zobrist's peak season was 8.7 WAR and his prime years were 5+ WAR.   Obviously we could use that right now...

We actually don't need his versatility - this team has tons of that already.

[mphenhef]

13 hours ago, Stangstag said:

Yes. And Now Whit Merrifield said on podcast that the relationship with Bo and the front office/coaching staff was strained going back a couple years…

Could be one of these things:

1. Dante Bichette and his role with the team

2. Front office telling him he’s not a longterm shortstop 

3. Hitting struggles in 2024

4. Don Mattingly’s “soft demotion”

It sounds like Bo wasn’t coming back here unless we massively overpayed.

It seems to me Whit is a bit of a Sh*t disturber.  I don't know if I believe much of what he has to say.

[ValiantJaysFan]

Like I’ve been saying for years and years now, Bo was never ever coming back. I might be the only one but I’m so happy he’s gone, guy has rubbed me the wrong way for a long time. Going back to those comments he made in San Francisco it became even more obvious. He didn’t want to be here at all, no matter what he said in front of the cameras. He’s been busting to get out of here and I’m sure was making unreasonable asks for any potential extension from Atkins since Vladdy signed.

Everyone is raving about how he “played on one leg” in the World Series. Yeah, of course he did. It was the greatest showcase possible for him going into free agency. Now let’s see how “gRiTtY” he is after he’s got his bag. 
 

Maybe I just see the worst in people but my god this guy was pretty obvious wasn’t he? 

[Brownie19]

1 hour ago, mphenhef said:

It seems to me Whit is a bit of a Sh*t disturber.  I don't know if I believe much of what he has to say.

I was going to say the same thing.  There are tons of players giving the Blue Jays high praise in recent years.  It's becoming more evident that Whit is the outlier who has sour grapes and can't let it go.

[ValiantJaysFan]

1 minute ago, Brownie19 said:

I was going to say the same thing.  There are tons of players giving the Blue Jays high praise in resent years.  It's becoming more evident that Whit is the outlier who has sour grapes and can't let it go.

Remember when Whit got traded here and he wasn’t gonna come because he was refusing his Covid shot or something? Lol. Guy looked like he thought was so above being a Blue Jay, doesn’t surprise me to hear him making comments like this.

[Stangstag]

12 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

I was going to say the same thing.  There are tons of players giving the Blue Jays high praise in recent years.  It's becoming more evident that Whit is the outlier who has sour grapes and can't let it go.

Then wouldn’t he have said Bo wanted to go back and the front office didn’t want him? That would’ve stirred s*** more and made them look worse

I believe what he says about a fracture between Bo and the FO. It seemed evident in Bo’s attitude these past couple seasons.

[Olerud363.354]

32 minutes ago, Brownie19 said:

I was going to say the same thing.  There are tons of players giving the Blue Jays high praise in recent years.  It's becoming more evident that Whit is the outlier who has sour grapes and can't let it go.

Not entirely sure this is true though.  I heard his comments on Bo, and they were pretty tame without many details, just sort of an 'all sides guy' 'both parties might be better moving on'.  

I watched a few episodes of his pod-cast, which I think is done together with a lady reporter from Toronto?  Not entirely sure as I have consumed this on sort of facebook/twitter feeds so just get bits and peaces.  Sometimes has interesting things to say but never to negative really.  Could be wrong.  Saw one funny episode where Whitt was talking about having ADD in the outfield and trying to get a glimpse of TVs on the concourse to see football games, and mentioned he was happy to have Varsho or Keimier catch everything. 

Like I said, haven't seen every episode or anything,  just what I saw was pretty light hearted. 

[Olerud363.354]

21 minutes ago, Stangstag said:

I believe what he says about a fracture between Bo and the FO. It seemed evident in Bo’s attitude these past couple seasons.

Comrade Andrew Stoeten had actually had a pretty good take.  Just said Bo had injuries, questions about how well he'd age, and may have not been receptive to a position change (before getting foreced into it with the injurty)...  Stoeten also went scorched earth on Rosie whatserface.  Saw a couple of people saying she's the worst person they ever met.  lol.  I guess she has a feud with the front office.  Don't have a subscritption to Toronto Star so not sure what she said.  She also didn't vote for John Schneider. 

[Laika]

Don't overreact to Whit and Bo and all of this

It would be reasonable and rational for Toronto to not have Bo high on their preference list this offseason for a huge contract, or as an extension priority before this offseason, and it would be reasonable and rational for Bo Bichette to be a bit put off by that and for friction to exist.