Grading the Toronto Blue Jays' 2025-26 Offseason

[Bryan Jaeger]

The Toronto Blue Jays rode their narrow World Series defeat into an aggressive offseason push. Their front office put the pedal to the metal and hasn't let up. Sadly, though, for a third straight year, they pursued the top free agent available, only to be outbid by a bigger-market foe. This time, it was Kyle Tucker; it seemed he was choosing between the Blue Jays and the New York Mets before the Los Angeles Dodgers swooped in. 

The Mets then quickly signed Bo Bichette before a reunion in Toronto could come together. Despite those two swings and misses, the Blue Jays still flexed their financial muscles over the offseason. They beefed up their pitching staff by signing Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, and Cody Ponce. Offensively, the Blue Jays needed power bats, so they went overseas to sign Kazuma Okamoto, then traded for Jesús Sánchez. 

These acquisitions bolster a team that was already strong, but the bullpen could have used an upgrade at the closer position. Jeff Hoffman struggled mightily in his first full season as the ninth-inning arm. He posted a 4.37 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 68 innings. The righty also allowed 15 home runs, the second most in his 10-year career, as well as a one-out solo home run to Miguel Rojas in the top of the ninth to tie up Game 7 of the World Series. Hoffman will likely resume his duties as the closer, but things could change during spring training.

The Blue Jays have shown a willingness to improve, but are they a better team than the one that was two outs away from ending its 32-year World Series drought? They may not have added the big name that fans desired, but yes, the Blue Jays are a better team.

Grading Every Blue Jays Offseason Move

Free Agent Signing: Dylan Cease for seven years, $210 million 
The Blue Jays quickly found their weapon to bolster their pitching staff. This signing is the largest free agent deal in Blue Jays history, surpassing George Springer's six-year, $150 million contract during the 2020-21 offseason. Of course, both contracts are modest compared to Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s monstrous $500 million extension. The big question is, did the Blue Jays overpay for a 30-year-old pitcher with control issues? 

The righty brings a powerful arm that has been durable over his last five seasons. In each of those seasons, Cease has struck out more than 210 batters. Though he has the skills to strike out batters, he struggles with his control, averaging 3.68 walks per nine innings over this time span. Walks weren't the only issue, with his ERA fluctuating from 3.47 to 4.58 in four of the five seasons, excluding his 2022 campaign, in which he pitched like a genuine ace and posted a 2.20 ERA. Up-and-down surface-level performances mean the fireballer has never earned an MLB All-Star appearance.

Yet, Cease was the best starting pitcher available this offseason, and to acquire him quickly, the Blue Jays had to pay him more than expected. His $30 million annual salary is more than Max Fried's ($27.25 million) and Garrett Crochet's ($28.33 million) annual salaries, both of whom signed their deals last offseason. This comparison makes Cease's contract look like an overpayment for a pitcher who has never won a postseason start (four appearances) with an 8.74 ERA in October.

The Blue Jays already had a strong starting rotation returning, so adding Cease wasn't a priority. An arm was needed to allow Eric Lauer to return to a long-relief role, though. All season, the question will be: Could the team have acquired Tucker if they had saved some of the money Cease received by, say, adding someone like Ranger Suárez instead? 

Suárez signed a five-year contract worth $130 million ($26 million annually) and has posted extremely comparable numbers to Cease, though Suárez doesn't have the durability or the strikeout skills that Cease possesses. The Blue Jays acquired the better pitcher, but if their power numbers don't improve from last season (11th in home runs), fans will wonder what might have happened if Tucker had landed in Toronto.

• Signing Grade: B+

Free Agent Signing: Cody Ponce for three years, $30 million
If Ponce can maintain the excellence that he displayed in Korea last season, then the Blue Jays hit a home run with this free agent signing. Last season, he won the KBO MVP Award after striking out 252 batters and posting a 1.89 ERA over 180 2/3 innings. The 31-year-old does come with some reason for hesitation, though. 

Ponce's last time pitching in MLB was in 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, when he posted a 7.04 ERA and a 36:11 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 38 1/3 innings. In between his time in MLB and the KBO, Ponce tried his hand in Japan. He was solid in 2022 and '23, posting ERAs of 3.35 and 3.66, respectively, but in 2024 the wheels fell off. During that season, he posted a 6.72 ERA and only struck out 56 batters across 67 innings.

The KBO is known for having great contact hitters, so for Ponce to post a 36 percent strikeout rate, a 0.94 WHIP, and hold batters to a .197 batting average against him was quite the feat. There's little pressure on Ponce in his return to MLB, as the Blue Jays just need him to be a quality back-of-the-rotation pitcher. Kevin Gausman, Cease, rookie phenom Trey Yesavage, and (hopefully) Shane Bieber should be the top-end arms. 

• Signing Grade: B

Rule 5 Draft Pick: Spencer Miles
The Blue Jays selected Miles in the Rule 5 draft this offseason from the San Francisco Giants. Although he was drafted in 2022, the righty has only thrown 14 2/3 innings in the minor leagues. The injury bug has been the 25-year-old's worst nightmare. He missed the entire 2023 season, needing back surgery, and only pitched seven innings in 2024 before requiring Tommy John surgery. 

The injury situation makes selecting Miles a low-risk, high-reward move for the Blue Jays. This acquisition only cost the team $100,000 to have a look at a right-handed pitcher who can throw a mid-to-upper 90s fastball that sinks before reaching the plate, resulting in groundballs. The prospect returned last season to throw in the Arizona Fall League, where he struck out 12 batters in 8 2/3 innings.

As a Rule 5 pick, Miles will need to be on the Blue Jays' active 26-man roster all season long or else be offered back to the Giants. He will face competition from Angel Bastardo, who is in the same situation as another Rule 5 pick in Blue Jays camp. They won't both make the Opening Day roster, making spring training a head-to-head battle for a roster spot.

However, with the Blue Jays' bullpen depth, it's possible neither prospect makes the team out of camp. That said, the news that Yimi García will miss the beginning of the season may have opened the door for Miles or Bastardo to break camp with the Blue Jays. The pressure just intensified for the two prospects.

• Signing Grade: N/A (minor move)

Trade: Chase Lee for Johan Simon
Lee was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. The swap occurred because the Tigers needed to move Lee to open a spot on their 40-man roster after signing Kyle Finnegan. The 27-year-old reliever gives the Blue Jays another bullpen depth arm with MLB experience.

Lee is a sidearmer who posted a 4.10 ERA and 36 strikeouts over 37 1/3 innings last season in his MLB debut. It's a good trade for the Blue Jays to acquire depth in the bullpen after they struggled in that department in 2025. Their bullpen finished 16th in ERA (3.98) and 14th in WHIP (1.28) among MLB teams. Simon is only three years younger than Lee, but he spent three seasons in Rookie ball before finally advancing to Single A, High A, and Double A last season. So, the Blue Jays didn't give up much value to acquire an MLB-ready bullpen arm with the potential to play a significant role.

• Signing Grade: N/A (minor move)

Free Agent Signing: Tyler Rogers for three years, $37 million
Acquiring Rogers may wind up being the most impactful offseason move during this upcoming campaign. The Blue Jays' bullpen's 2025 struggles that I mentioned above make the signing of Rogers monumental. He was consistently outstanding throughout his seven-year career with the San Francisco Giants, before being traded to the New York Mets at last season's trade deadline. He continued to shine in New York.

In 2025, Rogers posted a 1.98 ERA, a 0.94 WHIP, and a 38:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 77 1/3 innings. His success is due to his insanely low release point (1.33 feet off the ground). The submarine pitcher will continue to pitch in the setup role in which he's been highly effective throughout his career. In his seven seasons, he's converted 154 of 168 hold opportunities. This is the kind of stability the Blue Jays desperately needed in their bullpen last season, especially late in games. 

• Signing Grade: A+ (Is there a grade higher than A+?)

Free Agent Signing: Kazuma Okamoto for four years, $60 million
The Blue Jays' power numbers last season left much to be desired. They finished in the top five among MLB teams in most offensive categories; however, they tied for 11th in home runs (191). Before they traded for Sánchez, Okamoto was the only power bat the Blue Jays added this offseason. 

He does bring a big bat with him over from Japan, where he's hit more than 30 home runs in six out of the last eight seasons. He was on pace to exceed 30 long balls last season, with 15 halfway through the season, but injuries derailed that plan. 

Okamoto will be compared to Bichette all season long. Offensively, the former should provide more power, even if the latter is the better hitter overall. However, defensively, the Japanese slugger holds a massive edge. Bichette's glove was a liability; he was tied for the worst outs above average (-13) among all MLB shortstops last season. Okamoto will be handling third base, but he can also handle first base if Guerrero needs a day off or a DH day. The main question revolving around Okamoto is how quickly he will adjust to the American game and pitchers.

• Signing Grade: A-

Trade: Jesús Sánchez for Joey Loperfido
The Blue Jays desperately needed a power bat after Anthony Santander underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder; he is expected to be out for five to six months. The trade cost the Blue Jays a promising player with future value, but it was a necessary move. Sánchez had played six seasons with the Miami Marlins before being sent to the Houston Astros at last season's trade deadline.

He's not the biggest power bat to have in the lineup, with between 13 and 18 home runs in each of the last five seasons, but the potential he possesses is why the Blue Jays acquired the right-handed bat. Sánchez ranked in the 93rd percentile last season in average bat speed (75.9 mph). This metric shows he's not going to get cheated on a swing. History tells us he'll probably only hit 15 home runs, but there might not be anyone else on the roster (besides Guerrero) that offers this kind of power potential. Sánchez closely resembles Addison Barger at the plate. 

Losing the switch-hitting Santander does hurt the lineup's flexibility, but the Blue Jays gained another weapon against right-handed pitchers. Sánchez will platoon with Davis Schneider or Myles Straw, and with the Blue Jays wanting to keep their World Series momentum going, acquiring a bat like Sánchez was a smart move.

• Trade Grade: B

Blue Jays Offseason Overall Grade: A-

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