{"id":257094,"date":"2025-11-02T17:28:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-02T17:28:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/257094\/"},"modified":"2025-11-02T17:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T17:28:11","slug":"after-crushing-world-series-defeat-3-key-offseason-questions-for-the-blue-jays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/257094\/","title":{"rendered":"After crushing World Series defeat, 3 key offseason questions for the Blue Jays"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 The Toronto Blue Jays are tasked with recapturing the magic of their 2025 season. After one of the best years in franchise history, returning to the World Series stage for the first time since 1993, the Jays finally enter the offseason. The sting of a gutting Game 7 loss<\/a> will linger, but they will soon turn attention to 2026.<\/p>\n

With key free agents and holes opening across the roster, the Jays will have to find the same formula that nearly lifted them to a title. Here are three offseason questions that will define Toronto\u2019s winter.<\/p>\n

Will Bo Bichette return?<\/p>\n

Bo Bichette said all the right things, fueling Jays fans\u2019 hopes that he\u2019ll stay in Toronto. All year, the quiet shortstop talked about wanting to win with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for years to come. Hours after Saturday\u2019s Game 7 loss, he repeated it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve said I wanted to be here from the beginning,\u201d Bichette said.<\/p>\n

But the reality is he\u2019s now days away from free agency. Before Game 6 of the World Series, Bichette admitted at times this year he\u2019s thought about the potential of this being his last season with Toronto. For the first time in Bichette\u2019s big league career, he\u2019ll have options and suitors.<\/p>\n

Behind Kyle Tucker, Bichette will be one of the top offensive players in this year\u2019s market. After reasserting his value by hitting over .300 and staying healthy for most of 2025, Bichette enters the market in a tier alongside Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso. Even after Bichette missed most of September and all of the postseason until the World Series with a knee sprain, he\u2019ll be the top shortstop option on the open market this winter. He\u2019s a game-changing talent at the plate and only 27. There are questions about Bichette\u2019s longevity at shortstop, with multiple rival executives suggesting he\u2019ll eventually move to second base. However, his age and bat make Bichette a clear draw for many teams, including Toronto.<\/p>\n

The Jays have shortstop alternatives. Ernie Clement and Andr\u00e9s Gim\u00e9nez, both under team control next year, shared the position after Bichette\u2019s knee sprain put him on the sidelines. Slick-fielding prospect Josh Kasevich could push up to the big leagues, too. Gim\u00e9nez graded out, essentially, as a league-average shortstop in the back half of September. It\u2019s not hard to imagine Gim\u00e9nez becoming a plus defender at the position who is given regular reps next year, but he wouldn\u2019t replace the offence Bichette provides.<\/p>\n

If Bichette walks, the Jays lose their co-star. He came up in Toronto\u2019s minors alongside Guerrero. They both debuted in 2019 and helped push the team to four postseason appearances in the last seven seasons. Bichette\u2019s homer in Game 7<\/a> gave him a signature moment, but he hasn\u2019t won a playoff series as an active player. If he signs elsewhere, it represents the end of an era in Toronto. If Bichette stays, the Vlad and Bo show continues and the Jays will continue to build around their core pair.<\/p>\n

Who fills out the 2026 rotation?<\/p>\n

After Bichette, the bulk of Toronto\u2019s offseason work will come in the rotation. Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber (assuming he opts out) are set to enter free agency. That\u2019s around $40 million in pitching payroll opening up.<\/p>\n

With Kevin Gausman, Jos\u00e9 Berr\u00edos (assuming elbow health) and Trey Yesavage pencilled into starting spots next year, the Jays have at least two holes to fill. They could hand one of those roles to Eric Lauer and fill the other with a minor leaguer or current depth option, like Bowden Francis, Ricky Tiedemann, Gage Stanifer or Adam Macko. But it\u2019s hard to see Toronto leaving camp with those options locked into rotation spots \u2014 they\u2019re all better suited as insurance and midseason call-ups. The Jays will likely look to make a pitching splash via a trade or free agency.<\/p>\n

The free-agent market, fortunately, suits Toronto\u2019s clear need. Starting pitching is the strength of this market, with Michael King, Dylan Cease, Ranger Su\u00e1rez and others headlining the class for pitchers. Bassitt clearly stated his desire to return after Game 7. The Jays could extend Bieber as well. With Gausman entering the final year of his contract, there\u2019s room for at least one significant long-term signing for the Jays\u2019 starting staff.<\/p>\n

Will unsigned leaders be extended?<\/p>\n

The Jays\u2019 first order of business, even before Bichette negotiations and free-agent planning, is to sort out the franchise\u2019s leadership group. While general manager Ross Atkins remains under contract next season, this year was believed to be the final season for both team president Mark Shapiro and manager John Schneider on their current deals. It\u2019s hard to see either leaving now.<\/p>\n

Schneider just led the Jays\u2019 most successful season since 1993. He pushed the team to its first division title since 2015 and deepest postseason run since 2016. His team fell one win \u2014 one run \u2014 short of defeating baseball\u2019s behemoth in the World Series. Schneider is a clear candidate to win the American League manager of the year award, if not the favourite. Before the postseason, Atkins heaped praise on Schneider, who guided the Jays to their first pennant in 32 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis recall,\u201d Atkins said, \u201chis passion for baseball, understanding the very, very small details that are exceptionally important to win over 162 is a clear foundation for him. But I actually think the strengths that allow that foundation to excel are his positivity and the human being.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, Atkins is going to hype up his manager ahead of October. But it\u2019s hard to see a GM going from that praise to letting Schneider walk in mere days, especially after a World Series run. A contract extension appears likely for Schneider, and it should arrive quickly.<\/p>\n

Shapiro\u2019s future isn\u2019t quite as obvious as Schneider\u2019s, though an extension still appears nearly certain for the president. Shapiro already accomplished many of the tasks he was brought to Toronto to oversee, building a new player development complex and renovating Rogers Centre. However, during a midseason media availability, he said there was still work to be done. He also indicated that he and Blue Jays ownership had mutual interest in an extension.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to remain here,\u201d Shapiro said. \u201cAnd I can also say that both Edward (Rogers) and Tony (Staffieri) have been reciprocal in that desire.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 The Toronto Blue Jays are tasked with recapturing the magic of their 2025 season. After one…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257095,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[49,48,462,82,507],"class_list":{"0":"post-257094","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-toronto-blue-jays"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257094\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}