New Year's Resolutions for the Toronto Blue Jays

For the first time in quite a while, it feels hard to say goodbye to the old year to welcome in the new, at least from a Blue Jays perspective. The 2025 Blue Jays gave us so many reasons to love them, and who knows if 2026 will be the same?

That being said, every new year brings new possibilities. Who knows? Maybe the next 365 days will be even better than the last for our boys in Blue Jays blue. Many of DiamondCentric's top free agents remain unsigned, and plenty of exciting trade candidates are still available, too. Hopefully, the Blue Jays aren't done surprising us this offseason as they look to build another World Series contender for 2026.

With that in mind, here are three things I'd like to see the Toronto Blue Jays strive for in the new year.

Sign a Big Bat

The Blue Jays have already had a productive offseason, but all their additions so far have been for the pitching staff: Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers. Now, it's time to turn to the offense. As my colleague Jim Scott suggested yesterday, it's possible that Toronto's position player group could perform better in 2026 than in 2025, even without any additions. Yet, I don't just want the Jays to be good this year. I don't just want them to be better than they were last year. I want them to be the best team they can possibly be. The Blue Jays built up a ton of momentum with last year's playoff run, and they need to keep building on it. As I've written before, GM Ross Atkins has never been in a better position to convince ownership to spend, and he's never been in a better position to convince star free agents to pick Toronto. 

In my heart of hearts, of course I want Bo Bichette back, but I'll be happy with another star addition – especially if it's Kyle Tucker. What I won't be happy with is the Blue Jays going into 2026 without addressing the Bichette-shaped hole in their lineup.

Make a Difficult Trade (or Two)

I don't want to say goodbye to anyone from last year's team, which is why I'm glad I'm not Ross Atkins. He hasn't given himself much of a choice. 

The Blue Jays have too many starting pitchers. I value depth as much as the next guy, but I also value roster flexibility and having numerous back-end bullpen options. Simply put, I just don't see how this team can go into 2026 with all seven of Cease, Ponce, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, José Berríos, and Eric Lauer on the roster. 

Needless to say, Cease and Ponce aren't going anywhere. Neither should Yesavage. Gausman and Bieber could be dealt, but really, it's Berríos or Lauer who makes the most sense.

Unlike Berríos, Lauer has already demonstrated he can thrive in a swingman role. What's more, Berríos holds more value as a starter, presuming the Blue Jays eat some of the money remaining on his contract. So, that's why Berríos's name has come up most often in trade rumors over the last several weeks.

Presuming the Blue Jays follow through with resolution number one, they're also going to have a logjam on the position player side. If they sign Bichette, Tucker, Alex Bregman, etc., they're almost certainly going to have to trade one of Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Myles Straw, or Addison Barger. Again, it won't be easy to part with any of those guys, but a team only has so much playing time to go around.

Win the World Series

Yes, I know this is a lot to ask. Of course it is. But the 2025 Blue Jays already came as close as a team can come to winning a World Series without actually winning a World Series. So, if I'm setting goals, I don't really have a choice but to set my sights on the ultimate prize. 

It's not as if it's unrealistic. Sure, the Dodgers still look like the favorites for another year in a row. Yet, as things stand, I don't see why the Blue Jays can't be the favorites to repeat as AL champions. And if they make it back to the Fall Classic, I don't see any reason why they can't win it all.