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  • Toronto Blue Jays Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest Toronto Blue Jays free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Matthew Lenz
    Earlier this week, the Toronto Blues were reported to be in "every market" and specifically to be interested in landing a high-end reliever. Reporters from the Athletic previously named Pete Fairbanks,  Devin Williams, Phil Maton, and "other similar relievers" as possibilities. Now, we have another name to add to the list.
    Francys Romero is reporting that the Toronto Blue Jays have "emerged as a strong suitor" for Raisel Iglesias. The 36-year-old has been among the game's best for nearly a decade and hasn't shown signs of slowing down.
    Iglesias appeared in 70 games for the Atlanta Braves during the 2025 season, throwing 67 1/3 innings in relief. The right-hander recorded a FIP of 3.31 and produced a 21.4% K-BB%. Converting 29 of 34 saves, Iglesias generated a Win Probability Added (WPA) of 1.04 in 2025. Given his age, MLBTR anticipates a short-term deal, netting $32 million over two seasons.
    Of the names mentioned, which would you prefer the Jays to add? Let us know in the comments!
    Leo Morgenstern
    Major League Baseball introduced a brand-new award last night and bestowed the inaugural prize on Toronto Blue Jays superstar Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladdy is MLB's very first Entertainer of the Year.
    It's a well-deserved honour for one of the most delightful personalities in the sport, both on the field and off. Guerrero was not present at the awards show on Thursday, so his godfather, Hall of Famer Pedro Martínez, accepted on his behalf.
    In other Blue Jays awards news, Guerrero was also named to the All-MLB First Team, winning over Athletics first baseman Nick Kurtz. In even more of a surprise, Bo Bichette earned Second Team honours, beating out shortstops like Geraldo Perdomo, Trea Turner, Francisco Lindor, and Jeremy Peña.
    Featured image courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images.
    Jesse Burrill
    The Blue Jays coaching staff has already seen some changes this offseason.
    Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports that Blue Jays assistant hitting coach Hunter Mense is leaving the team and will be joining the San Francisco Giants as their hitting coach.
    Mense had been with the Blue Jays since the 2022 season. Working with hitting coach David Popkins and fellow assistant coach Lou Iannotti, Mense coached the Blue Jays to a .330 wOBA in 2025, the third highest in baseball.
    In San Francisco, Mense will reunite with the Giants' new manager Tony Vitello, whom Mense previously played for at the University of Missouri.
    For the Blue Jays, this marks the second departure from the big league staff, as bench coach Don Mattingly stepped away from the team earlier this month. 
    Featured image courtesy of Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images.
    Matthew Lenz
    Yesterday, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to be suitors for former Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks. Today, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic confirmed and expanded on that rumor.
    Bannon reported that the teams are targeting high-leverage relievers in free agency and identified Devin Williams, Phil Maton, and "other similar relievers" in addition to Fairbanks.
    Williams struggled through 67 appearances for the Bronx Bombers, logging 62 innings pitched in relief. Though he posted a career-high 4.79 ERA, his 2.68 FIP suggests he was better than the surface stat indicates. On the other hand, his K-BB rate of 25.0%, which would be considered low for most pitchers, was below his career average. If we can point to one thing as the reason for his struggles, it would be his league-worst 55.2% strand rate—a number roughly 20 points below his career norm and typically not predictive from one season to another. MLBTR projects him to net $68 million over four years.
    Maton appeared in 63 games between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers in 2026. He recorded a strong 2.79 ERA backed by an even better 2.60 FIP. Additionally, he posted a solid 23.4% K-BB rate. MLBTR named him an honorable mention on their top 50 free agents list, but didn't provide a contract prediction.
    Who are other high-leverage relievers you'd like to see the Blue Jays pursue? Let us know in the comments!
    Leo Morgenstern
    Speaking to DiamondCentric's John Bonnes at the GM Meetings on Wednesday, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said the Jays "definitely, definitely have interest" in extending Daulton Varsho, who is entering his final season of arbitration eligibility.
    "The interest is definitely there," said Atkins. "I can't say enough about Daulton, the player, the person, the teammate. He checks all the boxes we're looking for."
    The GM did not want to speak about any potential negotiations, but from his tone, it certainly seems like an extension for Varsho will be one of the team's priorities this winter.
    Varsho, widely considered one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, is coming off an injury-shortened but highly promising 2025 campaign. Tapping into his power like never before, he hit 20 home runs in 71 contests, with a career-best .833 OPS, .341 xwOBA, and 123 wRC+. He finished with 2.2 fWAR and 2.8 bWAR in less than half a season of games. 
    Featured image courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images.
    Matthew Lenz
    The Toronto Blue Jays aren't resting on their laurels after an exciting postseason run that saw them bring the superpower Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink.
    After Bo Bichette elected free agency and Shane Bieber opted in to a team-friendly deal, the Blue Jays are in a position to be aggressive this offseason. From the General Manager meetings in Las Vegas, NV, Shi Davidi and Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet are reporting that the Toronto Blue Jays are "in every market".
    Citing multiple player agents, it's expected for it to "be easier for them to get players", and that the organization is "hungry" and "acting like big boys".
    While no players are named in the report, the Blue Jays have already been linked to Bichette, Kyle Tucker, Munetaka Murakami, and Pete Fairbanks. Additionally, Chris Bassitt has expressed interest in returning to the club.
    Do you think the Blue Jays will be aggressive this offseason? Let us know what you think in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    The Toronto Blue Jays will have a busy offseason as they've already been linked to a few of the biggest names on the market, including a reunion with infielder Bo Bichette. Now, we can add one more name to the list.
    Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic is reporting that the Blue Jays are "expected to be suitors" for reliever Pete Fairbanks.
    Fairbanks appeared in 61 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025, logging 60 1/3 innings pitched. The reliever registered a 3.63 FIP and posted a 16.8% K-BB rate. Despite collecting 27 saves as the Rays' primary high-leverage reliever, he posted a miniscule WPA of 0.06. The Rays declined $11 million club option, paying him a $1 million buyout and making him a free agent. He's the 44th-ranked free agent according to MLBTR, and they predict he'll net $18 million over two years on the open market.
    Do you think the Blue Jays should pony up for a high-leverage reliever to bolster their bullpen? Let us know in the comments!
    Matthew Lenz
    The Toronto Blue Jays will have money to spend this winter and have choices to make on how they spend it. The team will undoubtedly try to bring back infielder Bo Bichette while also targeting pitching. However, a Japanese infielder who was recently posted may also be in the fold.
    Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet has linked the Toronto Blue Jays to Japanese infielder Munetaka Murakami. As of the posting of this, teams will have 44 days to reach an agreement with the superstar from Japan.
    The 25-year-old Munetaka profiles as a big bat with a decent amount of swing-and-miss. Do you think the Blue Jays should target him?
    Leo Morgenstern
    The AL Silver Slugger Award winners were announced on Friday, with George Springer taking home the prize at DH. This is his third career Silver Slugger, after previously winning in 2017 and '19 with the Astros. 
     
    Springer led the AL's primary designated hitters in home runs (32), runs scored (106), stolen bases (18), and FanGraphs WAR (5.2). His victory over fellow finalists Yandy Díaz and Brent Rooker comes as little surprise.
     
    Springer was also a finalist for a Silver Slugger as an outfielder but lost to Aaron Judge, Riley Greene, and Byron Buxton. Toronto's other two finalists, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, came up short as well, with Nick Kurtz claiming the honors at first base and Bobby Witt Jr. winning at shortstop. 
    Meanwhile, the Blue Jays lost the Silver Slugger Team of the Year Award to the Yankees, who won for the second year in a row.
    Featured image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
    Matthew Lenz
    Turns out good things happen after you take the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink in the World Series. The Toronto Blue Jays are rewarding their manager following one of the best (and most-watched) Game 7s in decades.
    Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet is reporting that the Toronto Blue Jays have picked up manager John Schneider's 2026 option and are discussing an extension with their skipper. As is usually the case, the financial details of the option weren't made public. He was signed to a three-year contract after taking over for Charlie Montoyo in the middle of the 2022 season.
    Despite his recent success, many fans have been critical of Schneider's in-game decision-making. Even in the World Series, his use of pinch runners for some of the team's best hitters was heavily scrutinized. However, he's led the Blue Jays to a 303-257 (.541 win percentage), three playoff appearances, and the organization's first division title in a decade. His postseason record is 10-12.
    Picking up his option was a no-brainer, but do you think he's earned an extension? Let us know in the comments!
    Featured image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    To no one's surprise, the Blue Jays have extended the $22.025 million qualifying offer to All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette.
    Bichette technically has until November 18 to decide whether or not to accept the offer, but it's all but a guarantee that he will reject it and seek a long-term contract in free agency.
    Once he rejects the offer, any team that signs Bichette – except for the Blue Jays – will have to forfeit a draft pick (and possibly also international bonus pool space). That could give Toronto a leg up on the competition for his services. 
    Featured image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    Don Mattingly is leaving the Blue Jays. As first reported by the New York Post's Jon Heyman, Mattingly, who served as Toronto's bench coach for the past three seasons, is stepping down from his role. However, he is not yet retiring and would consider taking on a role with a new team. 
    To that point, Phillies insider Jim Salisbury reports that Philadelphia has had internal discussions about bringing Mattingly on as a bench coach. It's not yet clear if Mattingly would be willing to take on the same role with a new organization.
    Featured image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
    Leo Morgenstern
    In pleasantly surprising news, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reports that Shane Bieber has exercised his player option with the Blue Jays for the 2026 campaign. The right-hander will collect a $16 million salary instead of a $4 million buyout. 
    Because of that buyout, Bieber would have only had to earn $12 million on the open market to match his guarantee from the Blue Jays. Thus, many thought it was a foregone conclusion that he would opt out and return to free agency. Instead, the 2020 AL Cy Young winner will return for at least one more year (and one more shot at a title) with Toronto.
    Featured image courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images.
    Brock Beauchamp
    We're looking for contributors to write Blue Jays content over the offseason!
    First, feel free to reach out via email at brock.beauchamp@jayscentre.com or reply to this article.
    Writing Articles
    If you’ve ever wanted an audience for your Jays takes, this is the perfect place. While we generally lean into analytics and analysis, we also take a “come as you are” approach to baseball and give writers a lot of leeway to write about the game in a way that interests them. That could manifest in historical pieces, previews, or regular series. It’s a matter of finding your niche in the fandom and carving out a space for it. 
    Making Videos
    We're also looking for videographers! Most of our content is on the shorter side (3-7 minutes), though we have space for plenty of different formats and ideas. Like the writing side of the site, we usually lean into analytics, but it's not the only path we're open to exploring.
    It is also noteworthy that we pay our content creators. It’s certainly not enough to quit your day job. So don’t do that. However, it might be enough to show that we value your time, talent, and effort.
    If you know someone who might be interested in creating Blue Jays content as a side job, please share this with them!
    Leo Morgenstern
    The Baseball Writers Association of America announced the finalists for its big four end-of-season awards today: MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, and Manager of the Year. While no Blue Jays players will be taking home any of the BBWAA hardware, skipper John Schneider is in the running for the AL's highest managerial honour. 
    His fellow finalists are Stephen Vogt of the Guardians and Dan Wilson of the Mariners.
    As a reminder, the finalists for the BBWAA awards are not nominees. The winners are decided upon immediately following the regular season, and the three finalists in each category are simply the three highest vote-getters. 
    The 2025 Managers of the Year will be announced on November 11 on MLB Network.
    Featured image courtesy of John E. Sokolowski, Imagn Images.
    Matthew Lenz
    Less than 24 hours after a devastating Game 7 World Series loss, the Toronto Blue Jays have been informed that two players will be testing free agency rather than sticking with the organization.
    Pitcher Ryan Borucki (outrighted on September 18th) and infielder Michael Stefanic (outrighted June 7th) elected free agency today.
    Burocki appeared in 39 games in 2025, pitching 35.0 innings between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Blue Jays. Signed to a minor league pact after being released by the Pirates, only four of those innings came with Toronto, where he allowed zero earned runs and posted a 5:4 K:BB ratio.
    Stefanic played nine games for the Blue Jays, mostly at second base, in 2025. Over 25 plate appearances, he recorded four hits (all singles) with one run scored. He appeared at second base in nine games and briefly at shortstop.
    Both players are likely looking for minor league contracts to get another shot at a big league roster in 2026. Do you think the Blue Jays should re-sign either player as depth? Let us know in the comments!
     
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