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The State of the Blue Jays' Roster Entering the 2026-27 Offseason

Bryan Jaeger
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Bryan Jaeger

Jays Centre Contributor
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Normally, free agents can start signing with teams five days after the World Series concludes. However, this offseason will be different. With a strike looming, teams might hesitate to make big moves until a new collective bargaining agreement is agreed upon. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Toronto Blue Jays' 40-man roster.

Under Contract

All of these players are signed through at least 2028, when Berríos's, Rogers's, and Ponce’s contracts expire. Berríos is highly unlikely to exercise his opt-out. With his injury history over the last two seasons, he'd be crazy to give up his guaranteed $49 million remaining over the next two seasons. He's also not expected to return from the injured list until mid-to-late next season, depending on his recovery.

Arbitration Eligible

These players will either be Blue Jays next season or be non-tendered.

Each of these players is likely safe to return except Francis and Arrighetti. Francis missed the entire season due to Tommy John surgery, and his health will factor into whether the team non-tenders him to free up a 40-man roster spot. He’s shown flashes of success, but the Blue Jays have several players who could join the roster and stay healthy.

Arrighetti is also an option to non-tender, as he was a massive disappointment after the Blue Jays acquired him from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline. He posted a 6.35 ERA over seven appearances (two starts). His one benefit is that he offers MLB experience at a discount, though it hasn’t been very successful. 

Schneider could also be a non-tender candidate, but the Blue Jays love their utility players, so he makes sense to hold onto for depth. He was a strong offensive producer when he first came up, slashing .276/.404/.603 in 141 plate appearances during his rookie season (2023). However, he's been more forgettable at the plate since then, hitting .195 over the last three seasons. It may be time to move on from Schneider and add someone who can be more reliable at the plate. 

As hard as it is to believe, Clement could also be a candidate to be non-tendered. He'll be 31 at the start of next season and took a significant step backward both offensively and defensively in the second half this past season. It could be time for the Jays to give their younger players more playing time and cut a player who was a liability down the stretch. 

Players Not Yet Arbitration Eligible

Of these players, Martin, Klein, and possibly Rodriguez are the earliest DFA candidates. Martin was a feel-good story this season, making his MLB debut after nine minor league seasons. However, he’ll be 31 at the start of next season and won’t be on the Opening Day roster. The Blue Jays have plenty of younger players with the same skills, if not better, to take that spot on the 40-man roster. 

Klein and Rodriguez have had roller-coaster seasons in the minors. They provide depth, but other prospects or free agents could deliver more consistent performances.

Impending Free Agents

The Blue Jays are returning a majority of this season’s team. They are losing some older players, including Straw, if they don’t exercise his club option.

The Blue Jays face a significant roster crunch this offseason. They must add eight of the nine players on their 60-day injured list back to the 40-man roster (Corbin, who is set to reach free agency, is the exception). They have nine players eligible for free agency, but none of them are must-re-sign options.

Bieber, Sewald, and possibly Taillon are the only free agents to consider re-signing. Bieber posted his second-worst ERA (4.37) of his nine-year career, but he started only 11 games. He began the season on the injured list due to right elbow inflammation. He returned June 23, but less than two months later, he was back on the IL, this time with a right teres major injury. When healthy, Bieber is a steady producer.

Sewald was a great acquisition when the Arizona Diamondbacks designated him for assignment. He posted a 0.63 ERA over 14 1/3 innings after joining Toronto. However, he hasn’t finished any of the last three seasons with an ERA under 4.30. He’s 36, but would be a discount veteran arm.

Taillon has been a solid contributor over his 10 MLB seasons, and posted a 3.60 ERA with Toronto after the Chicago Cubs designated him for assignment before the trade deadline. However, he made only three starts because he spent two stints on the IL. He went for surgery shortly after the season ended. The Blue Jays need rotation depth, so if healthy (a big if), Taillon would make sense to re-sign.

Neither of the other pitchers is worth bringing back because of their age, injury history, or poor performance. However, if Scherzer decides to not hang up the cleats yet, it'd likely be because the Blue Jays are willing to re-sign him.

Straw was a great defensive outfielder in a platoon role, but the Blue Jays are deep in the outfield, especially with Santander and Barger returning. So Straw isn't worth $8 million just for his glove and contact hitting. 

The Blue Jays also need to consider how many eligible players are worth protecting from the Rule 5 draft. To protect them from being selected, the Blue Jays would need to add the prospects to their 40-man roster. The notable minor leaguers eligible are:

Perry seems like a lock to protect after an outstanding season, posting a 2.50 ERA and 117 strikeouts over 82 2/3 innings combined across Single, High, and Double A. He could be another young starter to contend for an Opening Day rotation spot with a solid spring.

Guerra and Stanifer have shown signs of success, but will the Blue Jays have enough room to protect all three? Stanifer is the odd man out to keep, but he hasn’t shown enough for another team to select him and keep him on their roster all season.

Winckowski is in an interesting circumstance. He's pitched in the majors for four seasons for the Boston Red Sox, but he was designated for assignment and non-tendered in the offseason. The Blue Jays signed him to a two-year minor-league contract. The righty underwent an internal brace procedure in December and returned in late August for a rehab stint.

He is healthy and could be stretched out as a starter. Even though he signed a two-year contract, he spent all of the 2026 season in the minors, making him eligible for the Rule 5 draft. With his MLB experience, he could be an option for other teams if he's healthy. The Blue Jays also need to decide between Harry and Kasevich. 

Harry had a breakout season in 2026, slashing .298/.343/.495 with 14 home runs over 429 plate appearances. A team will likely select him if the Blue Jays don’t protect him because he can play both middle infield and all three outfield positions. Kasevich is a utility infielder who slashed .282/.364/.363, but he’s a contact hitter, and the Blue Jays don’t need more of that. He has a solid glove, but with the tough task of keeping their roster to 40 players, the Blue Jays can risk losing Kasevich. 

The last time there was a lockout, there wasn’t a Rule 5 draft. The Blue Jays still added prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them, but it’s unclear how a lockout would affect the draft this time. Toronto will likely be aggressive in free agency as well. However, any major moves may be delayed until the owners and players agree on a CBA. 

The Blue Jays have several ways to navigate their 40-man roster questions, but they'll prioritize a power bat or two in free agency. Toronto can’t repeat finishing last in runs and home runs among MLB teams. The AL East will remain competitive, so the Jays need to take a massive step forward offensively if they want to return to the postseason. Also, after this season's plethora of pitching injuries, depth with MLB experience will be a target. 


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