The Toronto Blue Jays front office is already working to improve their roster for the 2026 season.
Team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins held a press conference on Thursday morning, where they discussed plenty of topics, including the Blue Jays’ epic run to the World Series.
Both Shapiro and Atkins made it clear that they aren’t hanging their hats on the Jays’ success in 2025 and are instead going to continue to do whatever they can to bring a World Series Championship to Toronto.
While there are some uncertainties moving forward, particularly with free-agent Bo Bichette, other areas of the roster already appear to be in great shape.
One of those areas is starting pitching. With Shane Bieber opting in to his player option earlier this week, the Jays now have four solid starters pencilled in: Bieber, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, and Jose Berrios. Many believed that the fifth spot would be an internal battle, but management instead seems to have its sights on a more solidified option.
“We do feel good about the free-agent market in the starting pitching area, relative to most years. It’s a little bit better, seemingly.” Atkins said. “We’ll get to work on the trade front, as well, [and] have started that somewhat.”
There are some great starting pitchers on the market this offseason, including the likes of Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Shota Imanaga, and Ranger Suarez. Meanwhile, there are a number of great starting pitchers who are expected to get dealt, including Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara, and Sonny Gray.
Should the Blue Jays be able to acquire any of the pitchers mentioned above, it would give them one of the best, if not the best, rotations in all of baseball.
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