Leo Morgenstern

On Friday, the Associated Press reported that nine teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, will pay the competitive balance tax for the 2025 MLB season. Toronto's bill came in at $13,609,719 on a $286,135,551 CBT payroll. The Blue Jays avoided paying the luxury tax in 2024, so they were able to reset their penalties. That means that, unlike the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Astros, and Rangers, the Blue Jays did not face a higher charge for having exceeded the CBT threshold in consecutive seasons. However, they will still pay the fifth-highest luxury tax bill in the league, and their top pick in next year's draft will be moved back 10 spots because their payroll exceeded the third threshold of $281 million. In 2026, the third threshold will rise to $284 million, but the Blue Jays are already well past that number, according to RosterResource. With an estimated CBT payroll of around $294 million, there is a very good chance that Toronto will be over the fourth (and highest) luxury tax threshold by the end of next season. Featured image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images. View full rumor

According to Sportsnet's Shi Davidi, the Toronto Blue Jays were awarded 24% of the $128.2 million postseason revenue player pool. That works out to approximately $30.8 million. A full share of the pool was set at $354,118, and Davidi notes the Blue Jays gave out 70 full shares. That adds up to $24.8 million, suggesting the Jays gave out an additional $6 million in partial shares and/or special awards. Covering the news for The Athletic, Dodgers beat writer Fabian Ardaya explains that most team staff members, "such as team media relations directors, grounds crew members, traveling secretaries and others," cannot receive shares, but the players can vote to give them cash awards instead. Team executives are not eligible for any payments from the postseason revenue pool. Featured image courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images. View full rumor

From his debut in 2019 until his triumphant return for the 2025 World Series, Bo Bichette had never played anywhere other than shortstop in his major league career. However, after he played a handful of games at second base in the Fall Classic, it seems there might be more of the keystone in his future. Earlier today, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that Bichette has informed teams that he is, in Feinsand's words, "ready, willing and able" to make the move to second full-time. Defense has never been Bichette's strong suit, and it doesn't come as any surprise that some (or perhaps even most) of his potential suitors would prefer that he change positions. What's more noteworthy is that Bichette is prepared to make that change. Ross Atkins suggested earlier this winter that, if playing shortstop were a sticking point for Bichette, it would not deter the Blue Jays from re-signing him. Still, this is a significant development for Toronto. On the one hand, Bichette's preparedness to switch positions can only drive up his price. On the other hand, it might be good news for the Jays if they were hoping to play Andrés Giménez at shortstop full-time in 2026 and beyond. Featured image courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images. View full rumor

The Toronto Blue Jays confirmed their signing of reliever Tyler Rogers this evening. As reported, the contract is a three-year pact with a vesting option for 2029. The right-hander will earn a guaranteed $37 million over the course of the deal, including a $1 million buyout on the $12 million vesting option. To make room for Rogers on the 40-man roster, the Blue Jays designated fellow reliever Justin Bruihl for assignment. The southpaw appeared in 15 games for Toronto this past season, allowing 10 runs (eight earned) in 13.2 innings. He struck out 18 but walked seven. Bruihl also gave up two runs (one earned) in his lone postseason appearance. Given his poor performance in 2025, this DFA hardly comes as a surprise. However, losing Bruihl would be a hit to Toronto's left-handed relief depth. If Bruihl passes through waivers, he will most likely elect free agency. If that happens, the Blue Jays could attempt to re-sign him on a minor league deal. Featured image courtesy of Rick Osentoski, Imagn Images. View full rumor

Editor’s Note: This is the first Jays Centre article by five-time MLB All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. We’re always looking for eager new writers to join our staff, whether you’re a Home Run Derby champion or just the reigning ALCS MVP. If you’d like to learn more, please click here, fill out the form, and someone will reply with more information. LeBron James? Are you kidding me? Earlier this week, Sports Reference published year-in-review website trend data for the 2025 MLB season. You know, the season where I made my fifth consecutive All-Star team and led the Blue Jays on their deepest postseason run of my lifetime. No big deal. I was honoured to have the most-viewed baseball player page throughout the country, despite Showboat Ohtani’s best efforts. In 2023 and ‘24, that World Series-stealing free agent tease had the most-viewed Baseball Reference player page across most of the Great White North. In 2025, Canadians finally made the right call (even if Jordan Baker, home plate umpire in Game 7 of the World Series, did not). In every province and territory, no Baseball Reference player page got more hits than my own. per Baseball Reference (2023, '24, '25) I wish I could say the same across all the Sports Reference platforms. Instead, I was shocked, appalled, and frankly hurt to see a different name plastered from sea to sea to sea. A name we’ve all seen plastered everywhere for the last two decades. LeBron James had the most-viewed Sports Reference page in most of the country. LeBron James! It would be one thing if it were Auston Matthews or Scottie Barnes. Heck, I’m not mad to see Hamilton's own Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on there. You do you, Yukon. But you’re telling me that while I was bringing our home and native land together with earth-shattering grand slams (and my award-winning personality), y’all were looking up LeBron’s plus/minus? While almost half the country was tuning in to watch me dominate in the World Series, the other half just needed to know LeBron’s field goal percentage? All I can say is thank god for Prince Edward Island. You guys are real ones. If I could take my talents to Charlottetown, believe me, I would. per Baseball Reference I don’t do it for the recognition. I don’t do it for the fame. But LeBron?? Come on, Ontario. Come on, Canada. What happened to elbows up? What happened to Canada first? I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed. View full article

The Blue Jays already have the kind of rotation depth most teams can only dream of, with Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, José Berríos, and Eric Lauer on their starting pitching depth chart. Yet, Sportnet's Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith suggest they might not be finished bolstering that group. According to Davidi and Nicholson-Smith, the Jays are "open to adding further pitching capable of starting." One name they're interested in – who should be 'capable of starting' – is Brad Keller. The right-hander pitched out of the Cubs' bullpen in 2025, making 68 appearances with a 2.07 ERA and 2.93 FIP. However, he was primarily a starter for the first several years of his career. Pitching for the Royals from 2018-23, Keller started 114 games with a 4.28 ERA and 4.35 FIP. He averaged 5.2 IP per start. Last month, Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported that Keller was generating interest "as both a starter and reliever." It's not hard to see why. He revitalized his career as a full-time reliever last year. It's tantalizing to think about him maintaining some of that newfound dominance while taking on a starter's workload. For the Blue Jays, Keller would only transition back to the rotation as a last resort. In a best-case scenario, he would take on a high-leverage bullpen role and repeat his success from 2025. He would only need to stretch out if multiple names ahead of him on the depth chart suffered injuries. Still, the fact that he could stretch out in such a way would make him a nice insurance policy. If Keller is looking for a team that's going to give him a guaranteed opportunity to start again, the Blue Jays are out of luck. But if he's willing to start the year in the bullpen while staying prepared to stretch out if needed, he could be just the pickup this pitching staff needs. Featured image courtesy of Matt Marton, Imagn Images. View full rumor

According to Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Blue Jays are considering trading one of their surplus outfielders for a reliever. Rosenthal and Sammon named Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, and Joey Loperfido as the most likely trade chips. Addison Barger, Davis Schneider, or even Daulton Varsho would bring back a stronger return, but that's precisely why the Jays would be less inclined to trade them. Varsho will be the everyday center fielder in 2026, while Barger and Schneider are promising bats with the flexibility to play both the infield and the outfield. Rosenthal and Sammon's report shouldn't come as a surprise. The Jays have a bit of a logjam as it is on their outfield depth chart, and they're likely to add at least one more bat before the offseason is done. Speaking to reporters, including our own John Bonnes, at the Winter Meetings, manager John Schneider said he'd like the team to add "a bat of some sort." Schneider also identified the arm barn as an area of need. He said that adding a "high-leverage bullpen arm" is a priority. So, it stands to reason that the team would look to solve two problems at once. GM Ross Atkins could clear up the outfield logjam and bolster the bullpen in one transaction. Of course, that doesn't mean the Blue Jays will be eager to part with any of their outfielders. Lukes and Straw were key contributors to last year's squad. They would be missed on the field and in the clubhouse. Trading Loperfido would mean selling low on a former top prospect. What's more, if Atkins is really hoping to land a high-leverage reliever, he would need to throw one or more prospects into a potential deal as well. So, what do Jays fans think of this rumour? Will the team trade an outfielder this winter, and if so, which one? Share your thoughts in the comments. Featured image courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images. View full rumor

Shoulder and back injuries kept Anthony Santander out for most of the 2025 season and playoffs. It was a disappointing start to his Blue Jays tenure. From 2022-24, the man known lovingly as Tony Taters hit 105 home runs for the Orioles, posting a 123 wRC+ and 8.1 FanGraphs WAR. In his first year with Toronto, the switch-hitter swatted just six homers in 54 games, with a 61 wRC+ and -0.9 fWAR. However, the Jays are hoping a healthy Santander can look more like the Silver Slugger they signed to a five-year, $92.5 million contract last winter. Manager John Schneider addressed reporters on Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. DiamondCentric's John Bonnes was on hand for the event. "Tony is going to be huge for us," said Schneider. "He's a big part of what we're doing." The skipper continued, "I've told him this: 'I don't want you to think you have to do anything you don't do well. You don't have to come back and hit .300 with 50 homers to make up for last year.' We need Tony to fit in the way we know he can when we signed him." As for the shoulder subluxation that forced Santander to the injured list in May and the back tightness that forced him off the ALCS roster in October, Scheider doesn't seem to be concerned. "Shoulder is good. Back is good. He's just feeling normal," the manager explained. He went on to express hope that Santander will have a regular spring training. Schneider acknowledged that the veteran is a "notorious slow starter," but seemed optimistic that he can "hit the ground running" in 2026. Featured image courtesy of Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images. View full rumor

Earlier this afternoon, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters at the Winter Meetings (including our own John Bonnes) that his coaching staff for 2026 has been finalized. "We have filled [the] assistant hitting coaching job," he said. "We have kind of backfilled [former bench coach Don Mattingly's] spot in a variety of ways. I'm giving those guys time to finalize with the teams they were with, and you'll have that full list really soon. One is internal, and two from outside." Sportnet's Shi Davidi reports that former White Sox catching coach Drew Butera is one of the two external additions. The other is former Rangers minor league hitting director Cody Atkinson, according to Mitch Bannon of The Athletic. Bannon also notes that Eric Duncan was promoted to the major league coaching staff from within the organization. He was previously Toronto's director of position player development. Presumably, Atkinson is the new assistant hitting coach, but it is not yet official what roles any of the Blue Jays' new coaches will be taking on. View full rumor

Add the Toronto Blue Jays to the list of teams that have checked in on six-time NPB All-Star Kazuma Okamoto. In addition to the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, the Blue Jays reportedly have interest in signing the slugging infielder, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Okamoto, 29, is DiamondCentric's no. 15 free agent this winter, projected to sign a four-year, $68 million contract. He has been one of NPB's most prolific sluggers over the last eight years, leading the Central League in home runs three times. Some evaluators have questions about his third base defense, suggesting he really belongs at first base or DH, but he would need to stick at the hot corner to make sense for the Blue Jays. The Yomiuri Giants posted Okamoto in mid-November, giving him until January 4 at 5:00 pm ET to sign with an MLB club. That date is significant, because the Blue Jays might not know by then whether or not they will be able to re-sign star shortstop Bo Bichette. So, what do you think about this rumour? Would you like to see the Blue Jays pursue Okamoto, or should they look elsewhere to upgrade the offense? Voice your thoughts in the comments below. Featured image courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images. View full rumor

After signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to kick off their offseason, the Blue Jays find themselves with a surplus of starting pitchers. Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage are locks for the 2026 rotation, as is Cease. That leaves one spot left for Ponce and José Berríos, unless the Jays are planning to use a six-man cycle. Berríos, who has started more games than any other pitcher in MLB over the last eight years, has three years and just over $64 million remaining on his contract. Yet, it seems unlikely the Jays would have committed $30 million to Ponce, the reigning KBO MVP, if they weren't going to give him a chance to start. One way to clear up the rotation logjam could be a trade, and to that point, The Athletic's Mitch Bannon reports that the Blue Jays are "willing to listen" to trade offers for Berríos. That doesn't mean a deal is likely, especially since Berríos is coming off a down year that ended with an elbow injury. In other words, it might be hard to find a taker for the veteran and his contract. Still, a Berríos trade is now a possibility that Jays fans must at least consider. So, do you think the Jays should shop Berríos? Which teams do you think might be interested, and what would you be looking for in return? Have your say in the comments below! Featured image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images. View full rumor

Last week, my boss here at DiamondCentric asked me to prepare “a truly killer piece” for the Monday after American Thanksgiving. Well, here goes. You’ve seen a lot of articles on our website about Bo Bichette lately. The general consensus? The Blue Jays need to do whatever it takes to re-sign him. Sure, we’ve considered backup plans, but they’re backup plans for a reason. Bringing Bo back is the goal. But maybe it shouldn’t be. I started writing this article just to see if I could. I wasn’t always planning to publish it. After all, I’ve been calling on the Jays to re-sign Bichette as much as anyone. I didn’t want to write this title if it was only going to be clickbait. I needed to find an argument I believed in. Before long, I’d found several. Now, I should mention that I started writing this article early last week, before the Blue Jays signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million contract. My primary argument, at the time, was that signing a pitcher like Cease should be Toronto's number one priority. I'm feeling pretty good about that argument right now. Here's what I wrote: ***** Toronto’s top priority this winter absolutely needs to be pitching. The 2025 Blue Jays' offense was one of the best in the league, even subtracting Bichette’s performance. The pitching staff, on the other hand, was closer to average (if not slightly below) with a 4.19 ERA (19th) and 11.7 FanGraphs WAR (21st). To be fair, those stats are full of noise. More than a quarter of last year’s innings went to pitchers no longer in the organization, while arms like Trey Yesavage and Louis Varland should play much bigger roles in 2026. So, perhaps a better way to explain why the Blue Jays need pitching is to lay out their projected lineup and pitching staff for next season. Let’s start with the position players: Position Projected Starter C Alejandro Kirk 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2B Ernie Clement SS Andrés Giménez 3B Addison Barger RF Anthony Santander CF Daulton Varsho LF Nathan Lukes/Davis Schneider DH George Springer That’s a complete lineup. Is it a great lineup? No. Bichette’s absence leaps off the page. But there is at least an average major leaguer at every position. I can’t say the same for the starting rotation: Position Projected Pitcher SP1 Kevin Gausman SP2 Shane Bieber SP3 Trey Yesavage SP4 José Berríos SP5 Eric Lauer Kevin Gausman is a great pitcher, but for a team with World Series aspirations, he’s ideally a number two starter, not an ace. He’ll also be 35 next year. Shane Bieber has that ace upside, but he hasn’t pitched a full season since 2022, and the Bieber we saw last year looked more like a mid-rotation arm. Trey Yesavage remains something of a question mark. Could he blossom into Toronto’s ace? If last October was any indication, the answer is an emphatic yes. But that’s his ceiling, not his 50th percentile projection. As is the case with Bieber, a mid-rotation arm is the expectation here, and anything more is gravy. As for José Berríos, I think we’re looking at a back-end innings eater as the most likely outcome in 2026 – presuming his elbow is healthy enough for him to keep racking up innings. Once again, the upside for more is there, but the version of Berríos we saw last season isn’t someone you want starting a postseason game. Finally, we come to Eric Lauer, who simply cannot have a guaranteed role in Toronto’s rotation if this team is serious about returning to the World Series. It’s not that he wasn’t great last season, but he has not proven he can hold down a full-time starting job. On top of that, he’s more valuable as a swingman; the Jays should plan to use him as a multi-inning lefty in the bullpen, but he will inevitably move into the rotation at some point as injuries pop up. All that to say, the Blue Jays would benefit tremendously from adding a true ace to put at the top of their rotation, sliding everyone else down a spot. No single addition at any position would improve this team more than adding, say, Dylan Cease (Editor's Note: ding ding ding!), Tatsuya Imai, Framber Valdez, or Ranger Suárez (DiamondCentric’s top four free agent starters). If the Blue Jays want to get back to the playoffs and challenge for another title, bringing in a new number one starter should be their number one priority. ***** Well, mission accomplished! So what now? The Blue Jays should have plenty of Mr. Rogers’ money to spend after their hugely successful run to the World Series. They can still afford to re-sign Bichette after landing Cease. But I haven’t talked about the bullpen yet. This ‘pen needs help: Position Projected Pitcher CL Jeff Hoffman RP Louis Varland RP Yimi García RP Brendon Little RP Braydon Fisher RP Yariel Rodríguez RP Mason Fluharty RP Tommy Nance After Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland, I’m varying degrees of nervous about every player in that table. And considering the only two names I feel good about are Hoffman, who gave up more homers than any other AL reliever last year, and Varland, who only has one season of experience as a full-time reliever, this is clearly a high-volatility group. It’s not that there’s nothing to like about this bullpen. Every one of those pitchers flashed great stuff at some point in 2025. The problem is that relievers are wildly unpredictable, and this group especially so. Thankfully, the Jays have options. Or, I should say, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher, and Mason Fluharty have options, as does Varland. In addition, Tommy Nance is a DFA candidate. So, GM Ross Atkins has the flexibility to add several arms to this bullpen. He could (and should) go after one of the big-name free agent closers: Edwin Díaz, Devin Williams, or Robert Suarez. He could (and should) also pursue one or two more proven veterans, such as Seranthony Domínguez, Emilio Pagán, or Tyler Rogers. Bo Bichette is a more valuable player than anyone Atkins could add to the bullpen. I’d rank him above anyone they could have signed for the rotation too, be it Cease, Valdez, Imai, or Suárez. That’s why he’s the No. 2 free agent on DiamondCentric’s top 50. Yet, a starter like Cease knocking Lauer out of the rotation or, say, a closer like Díaz knocking Nance out of the bullpen would improve this team more than Bichette taking playing time away from the likes of Clement/Barger/Schneider/Lukes. It’s not just a question of who the Jays are adding; who they’re replacing matters just as much. Of course, Toronto’s front office should have the resources to prioritize improving the rotation, the bullpen, and the lineup equally. Even so, I could argue that Bichette shouldn’t be Toronto’s top target. Why? Because he’s only No. 2 on DiamondCentric’s top 50 free agents list, and the Blue Jays have the money, the clout, and the roster flexibility to set their eyes on No. 1. Kyle Tucker is the best free agent on the market. We’re projecting him to sign a 10-year, $360 million deal. That’s more than twice the guaranteed money we’re projecting for Bichette (seven years, $175 million). That massive contract projection is a reflection of Tucker’s MVP-caliber talent. As much as I love Bo, it’s hard to argue that Tucker isn’t the superior player. He won’t hit for quite as high an average, but his power, discipline, and speed are superior, as is his defense, albeit at a less valuable position. Tucker would also be a better fit for Toronto’s lineup. The Jays’ two best hitters, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, both hit right-handed. They have plenty of lefties, but no one who’s a sure thing to make a serious impact from the left-hand side. Turning to defense, adding Tucker would mean Barger and Schneider would see more of their reps in the infield, while Lukes would be relegated to a smaller role. But none of that is meaningfully different from what would be the case if the Jays signed Bichette – just replace the word “infield” with “outfield.” Ross Atkins finds himself in the best position he’s ever been in to convince ownership to spend big and convince superstar free agents to sign north of the border. He needs to capitalize. Re-signing Bo Bichette would be a great move. The Blue Jays would be far better with him than without him, and the fans would be thrilled to have him back. At the same time, re-signing Bichette isn’t the best move Atkins can make. There are other ways he can improve his team even more, and he needs to consider all of them. (Signing Cease was one such move.) So, I’m not saying no to Bo. But maybe re-signing him isn’t the absolute, ultimate, be-all end-all, must-do, no question top priority we’ve been treating it as. Maybe there’s another path. View full article

Speaking on MLB Network yesterday, Jon Morosi reported that the Arizona Diamondbacks are "actively listening" to trade offers for All-Star second baseman Ketel Marte. He added that no deal is imminent, but multiple teams have checked in, including the Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. As Morosi points out, Marte has limited no-trade rights in his contract with Arizona (a deal that runs through 2030, with a player option for 2031). However, neither Philadelphia nor Toronto is on the list of teams to whom he could reject a trade. So, how do Jays fans feel about the club potentially trading for Marte? Do you think it's a realistic possibility? Would you be happy to have Marte in Toronto if it means Bo Bichette is signing elsewhere? Have your say in the comments below. Featured image courtesy of Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images. View full rumor