TORONTO BLUE JAYS
2025 finish: 94-68 (1st in AL East, lost in World Series)
Manager: John Schneider (303-257, 5th season)
Leading the front office: Ross Atkins, executive vice president of baseball operations and general manager (11th season)
DOLLARS AND SENSE
Largest luxury tax hit: 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($35.7 million)
Top returning players: OF George Springer (5.2 fWAR), C Alejandro Kirk (4.7), Guerrero (3.9)
Top returning starting pitchers: RHP Kevin Gausman (4.1), LHP Erick Lauer (1.4), RHP Jose Berrios (1.3)
Top returning relievers: LHP Brendon Little (1.3), RHP Braydon Fisher (0.8), RHP Tommy Nance (0.8)
ROSTER WATCH
Key additions: RHP Dylan Cease (free agent), 3B Kazuma Okamoto (free agent), RHP Cody Ponce (free agent), RHP Tyler Rogers (free agent), OF Jesus Sanchez (trade), 1B Juan Yepez (minors), RHP Jorge Alcala (minors), LHP Josh Fleming (minors), RHP Jesse Hahn (minors), LHP Joe Mantiply (minors)
Key losses: SS Bo Bichette (free agent), RHP Chris Bassitt (free agent), 1B Ty France (free agent), RHP Seranthony Dominguez (free agent), INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa (free agent), RHP Nick Sandlin (free agent), RHP Ryan Borucki (free agent), RHP Spencer Turnbull (free agent), RHP Chad Green (free agent), RHP Alek Manoah (free agent), RHP Dillon Tate (free agent), OF Joey Loperfido (trade)
Baseball America top-100 prospect(s): RHP Trey Yesavage (10), SS Arjun Nimmala (62), SS JoJo Parker (66)
Toronto Blue Jays’ Kazuma Okamoto, of Japan, watches from the dugout during the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the New York Yankees Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, in Dunedin, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)
KEEP AN EYE ON
The Blue Jays in 2025 won more games than they had since 2004, claimed their first AL East title since 2015 and pushed the Dodgers to Game 7 before falling in the World Series. They lost SS Bo Bichette and RHP Chris Bassitt to free agency, but added a high octane arm in RHP Dylan Cease (seven years, $210 million) and 3B (four years, $60 million) to round out the infield. Cease has finished in the top-four in Cy Young voting in two of the last four years, while Okamoto had an .882 OPS over 11 years in Japan.
Andres Gimenez, 27, is a three-time Gold Glover, but he hasn’t been an All-Star since 2022 (.837 OPS) and has seen his OPS drop each of the last three years, from .712 to .638 to .598. Gimenez will get the first crack at replacing Bichette at shortstop, where he has 98 starts in the majors.
While George Springer, 36, still played in the outfield, he was a primary DH for the first time in his career and saw his production tick up from a .674 OPS and 19 homers in 145 games in 2024 to a .959 OPS and 32 homers in 140 games in 2025. That bodes well for earning another contract after he becomes a free agent after this season.
Fangraphs projection: 84.7 wins