Blue Jays Release Connor Seabold, Option Lazaro Estrada
The Blue Jays announced that they have granted right-hander Connor Seabold his release, making him a free agent (link via Mitch Bannon of the Athletic). Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, Seabold exercised a release clause in his contract. Right-hander Lazaro Estrada has also been optioned to Triple-A.
Seabold was in camp on a minor-league deal which he signed two months ago. He covered 6 2/3 innings in six spring appearances for Toronto, albeit with a 6.75 ERA and three hit batters. He did strike out 13 hitters in that small sample, but he also walked four and generally did not show much improvement over his limited major-league numbers from 2025. He was strictly a reliever in that sample and a swingman in prior MLB seasons, though he didn’t show enough for the Blue Jays to keep him in the organization as a depth option.
His biggest MLB exposure came in 2023 with the Rockies. Pitching 87 1/3 innings across 27 appearances (13 starts) that year, Seabold had an unsightly 7.52 ERA and expected stats in the low to mid-5.00s. His 6.9% walk rate was impressive, though that was about the only thing that went right for him in Colorado. His 16.4% strikeout rate was below average. He also allowed nearly two home runs per nine innings, which was worse than average even taking into account the hitter-friendly environment of Coors Field.
Seabold fared much better upon moving to the Korea Baseball Organization in 2024. He posted a 3.43 ERA in 160 innings with the Samsung Lions that year, striking out nearly a batter per inning and cutting back dramatically on his walks. He returned to MLB in 2025, but he only made seven relief appearances between the Rays and Braves organizations. For now, it seems he is more likely to catch on as a reliever if he focuses on MLB opportunities.
Estrada, 26, was signed out of Cuba in 2018 and spent the early part of 2025 in Triple-A. He saw his contract selected in early July and made his big-league debut with a four-inning relief appearance against the Angels on July 5. He only made it into two games overall, allowing seven earned runs in 7 1/3 innings but also displaying a penchant for strikeouts. Estrada has a four-pitch mix featuring a 93 MPH four-seamer, which he complements with a slider, sinker, and occasional curveball. He has less than a year of service time and has two minor-league option years remaining.
Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images
Poll: Who Will Win The AL East?
With Opening Day just around the corner, the offseason is more or less complete for MLB’s 30 clubs and teams are now focused on the incoming season and being the final team standing to raise the Commissioner’s Trophy. Until the playoffs begin, however, teams will be focused on a smaller goal: winning their division. In the run-up to the start of the season, we will be conducting a series of polls to gauge who MLBTR readers believe is the favorite in each division. That series starts today with the AL East. All teams are listed in order of their 2025 regular season record:
Toronto Blue Jays (94-68)
The Blue Jays only narrowly won the AL East last year, with the division coming down to a tiebreaker. They made a much more convincing case for themselves as the top dog in the division come the postseason, however, as they easily dispatched the Yankees in the ALDS and went on to make it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series before losing that final game against the mighty Dodgers by just a hair. They went on to have an aggressive offseason in their efforts to stay at the top of the totem pole. The Jays lost Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt to free agency, but managed to retain Max Scherzer while adding Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to a rotation that already boasts Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage. Their efforts to improve on the pitching side didn’t ignore the bullpen either, as Tyler Rogers was brought in to support Jeff Hoffman and Louis Varland in the late innings. Losing Bichette certainly hurts for Toronto’s offense, but Kazuma Okamoto figures to be an able replacement as a right-handed bat in the middle of the order, and the team also bolstered their outfield depth with the addition of Jesus Sanchez. Will that be enough to maintain control in the East, or will Toronto brass regret missing out on Bichette and Kyle Tucker this winter?
New York Yankees (94-68)
The Yankees only lost the East by a hair last year. Their plan for this season appears to be running back last year’s squad and hoping that the return of Gerrit Cole can push them over the edge. Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt, Amed Rosario, Trent Grisham, and Paul Blackburn are all returning via free agency. With that being said, the team didn’t make any significant additions aside from bringing back the old guard when it comes to free agency. Their lone major addition to the roster this offseason was a trade with the Marlins that brought back southpaw Ryan Weathers, who has never thrown even 100 innings in a season but does sport a solid 3.74 ERA across his last 24 outings. That addition to the rotation mix is matched by a substantial loss in the bullpen, however, as both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver eschewed the Bronx in favor of Queens during free agency. Perhaps the additions of Cole (as he returns from a season lost to Tommy John surgery) and Weathers will make up for those losses, but the Yankees will also have to contend with the injury bug; Cole, Carlos Rodon, and Anthony Volpe are all starting the season on the injured list, while Clarke Schmidt is already lost for the year to elbow surgery.
Boston Red Sox (89-73)
The Red Sox certainly had a busy offseason, but it’s not exactly the ones fans were expecting. Alex Bregman is suddenly a Chicago Cub. Both Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu remain with the Red Sox. While the team’s elite outfield remains intact, the infield looks somewhat suspect. The addition of Willson Contreras at first base should provide some reliability that former top prospect Triston Casas has not been able to so far in his career, but the Red Sox will be banking on another solid season from Trevor Story after his bounce-back in 2025 while turning to Marcelo Mayer at second base and Caleb Durbin at third base. All three of those players have the opportunity to be solid, but only Mayer has a ceiling comparable to the impact Bregman offered and fans in Boston need not be reminded of the risks associated with handing the keys to a young player at second base after Kristian Campbell‘s rookie year. On the other hand, the team’s pitching looks better than ever. Garrett Crochet nearly won the Cy Young award last year, and this season he’ll be supported by both Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray to give the Red Sox one of the more impressive potential playoff rotations in the game. Will that be enough to win the AL East this year, given the club’s lack of impact hitting additions?
Tampa Bay Rays (77-85)
The Rays are coming off back-to-back seasons where they finished just a bit below .500. After the rest of the division spent the offseason loading up on talent for the 2026 campaign, a lot will need to go right for the Rays to improve this year. Junior Caminero is a superstar at third base but the losses of Brandon Lowe and Pete Fairbanks figure to be a tough blow this year. In typical Rays fashion, the club’s additions aren’t necessarily impactful on paper. None of Jake Fraley, Gavin Lux, Cedric Mullins, Steven Matz, and Nick Martinez had impact seasons last year but they’ve all shown themselves to be more than capable of being effective major leaguers in the past. Additionally, young pieces like Ryan Pepiot and Carson Williams could plausibly take the sort of step forward Jonathan Aranda did last year, therefore joining Aranda and Yandy Diaz as strong pieces of Caminero’s supporting cast. Will all that be enough to overcome the Rays’ high-spending rivals?
Baltimore Orioles (75-87)
The Orioles had a disaster of a 2025 season but they resolved to fix their flaws in this offseason and made a strong effort to do just that. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward brought in reliable, right-handed power that a lineup stacked with upside but lacking in floor desperately needed. A revamped rotation featuring not just a healthy Kyle Bradish but also a reunion with Zach Eflin plus the additions of both Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt certainly offers more upside than last year’s group, even if they failed to sign the surefire ace they entered the season widely expected to target. That improved rotation is also being supported by a bullpen that brought back Andrew Kittredge after dealing him away at the trade deadline and added Ryan Helsley in order to replace injured closer Felix Bautista. The bones of a very deep and talented team are clearly present in Baltimore but whether they can rise from fifth in the division all the way to first will surely depend on the health and performance of their core pieces like Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg and Adley Rutschman. Gunnar Henderson remains a good bet to earn himself MVP votes but will the rest of that elite group of youngsters be able to start to catch up to him?
After a busy offseason all around the AL East, which team is most likely to come out on top this year? Will the Blue Jays hold on after their near-miss at a championship last season? Will the Yankees be able to get better results with the same roster? Will the Red Sox or Orioles be able to make an unorthodox offseason into a success despite notable misses on some stated goals for the winter? Or will the Rays once again work the magic that’s made them so successful in the past and surprise the league? Have your say in the poll below:
Who will win the AL East in 2026?
Trey Yesavage To Begin Season On Injured List
Blue Jays righty Trey Yesavage will open the 2026 season on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, manager John Schneider announced to the team’s beat (via Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet). Yesavage reported to camp with the injury and has been built up slowly as a result. He tossed 35 pitches in a minor league game this week and felt good, but he won’t have enough time to finish ramping up before the season begins. He’ll throw again on March 25, but the Jays are not putting a formal timetable on his potential return.
Yesavage becomes the third Jays starter ticketed for the IL to begin the season. He’ll join righties Shane Bieber (forearm fatigue) and José Berríos (right elbow stress fracture) on the shelf. That’ll leave Toronto with a season-opening rotation of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer.
The 22-year-old Yesavage was set to enter 2026 as one of the favorites for American League Rookie of the Year honors after an eye-opening debut late last year. The former No. 20 overall pick made three regular-season starts and notched a 3.21 ERA in 14 innings before breaking out as a postseason hero. In six playoff appearances (five starts), Yesavage logged a 3.58 ERA, a 35.8% strikeout rate and a 10.1% walk rate.
Those postseason numbers are a bit skewed from one rough start against the Mariners (five runs in four innings), but Yesavage pushed Toronto into a 3-2 World Series lead when he held the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup to one run over seven frames while piling up a dozen strikeouts at Dodger Stadium. The Jays couldn’t close things out in the final two games back home, but Yesavage’s electric Game 5 performance emphatically thrust him into the national spotlight. He’s still a clear Rookie of the Year candidate, but the shoulder issue clouds those chances a bit. He’ll miss at least a couple starts to begin the year, and we don’t yet have a sense for when Yesavage will rejoin the rotation.
Despite the slate of injuries, there are some silver linings for the Jays. Toronto has thus far resisted trading any starting pitching despite signing Cease, Ponce and Scherzer — a trio of signings that pushed them to eight starters for five spots. More importantly, there’s no indication that any of the current injuries are particularly severe. While Bieber’s forearm fatigue and especially Berríos’ stress fracture sound alarming, the actual prognoses are less troublesome. Bieber is throwing from flat ground and expected to be on a mound soon, Schneider said this morning (via Zwelling). Berríos is symptom-free and only discovered his injury when undergoing a physical for World Baseball Classic purposes. He’s currently expected to resume throwing within a matter of days.
Though none of the injuries currently point to monthslong absences, the Jays’ depth is already being tested. They can scarcely afford even another minor injury, especially with depth starter Bowden Francis out for the year following Tommy John surgery and prospects Ricky Tiedemann and Jake Bloss still working back from injuries of their own.
Swingman Yariel Rodríguez could be summoned back to the 40-man roster after previously clearing waivers, but options beyond him are lacking. Righty Lazaro Estrada has just 7 1/3 MLB innings under his belt. Prospect Adam Macko and Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles have yet to pitch in the majors. Non-roster options beyond Rodriguez include Connor Seabold and Michael Plassmeyer. Seabold has had a shaky spring and has never found big league success. Plassmeyer is a 29-year-old lefty with 11 major league innings under his belt.
José Berríos Diagnosed With Stress Fracture In Elbow
Blue Jays righty José Berríos has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow and will not be ready for Opening Day, manager John Schneider announced to the team’s beat (via Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet). Berríos is somewhat remarkably pain- and symptom-free. The current hope is that after a bit of down time, he’ll be able to pitch through the issue. It’s not clear exactly how long that’ll be, but for now he’ll take a few days off from throwing altogether.
Berríos had been pitching throughout the spring and only learned of a possible issue in his elbow when he was taking his physical prior to joining Puerto Rico’s team for the World Baseball Classic. An MRI conducted as part of that exam revealed inflammation in his elbow, which caught Berríos by surprise, as he said that he had not experienced any discomfort. Still, the inflammation scuttled his hopes of pitching for Puerto Rico and prompted the Jays to schedule a visit with Dr. Keith Meister to further evaluate the veteran righty’s elbow.
Entering the fifth season of a seven-year, $131MM contract, Berríos had been hoping for a rebound effort. He’s coming off one of his weaker seasons but was still plenty serviceable last year. In 166 innings, he posted a 4.17 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The right-hander’s 93 mph average four-seamer was a career-low, and his 92.2 mph average sinker was the second-lowest of his career. That walk rate, while solid, was the second-highest of his career in a full season and a notable step up from the 6.7% he’d logged from 2017-24.
A trip to the injured list is a rarity for Berríos. He’s been a starter every year of his major league career — one of the most durable and consistent of the past decade. Dating back to 2018, he leads Major League Baseball in both games started (234) and innings pitched (1367 2/3). Berríos started a full slate of 12 games during the shortened 2020 season and has started 30 or more games in each other season dating back to 2018.
The Jays still owe Berríos $66MM over the next three seasons. He can opt out of the final two years of his contract following the 2026 campaign, but based on last year’s relative down performance, that looked like a long shot even before news of this elbow issue popped up.
Berríos finds himself in something of an odd spot with the Jays, though perhaps this injury will help sort things out organically. Toronto signed Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer and Cody Ponce in free agency this offseason. Rookie Trey Yesavage is also locked into a rotation spot after a dominant late-season debut and postseason run. The Blue Jays have Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Cease, Yesavage, Ponce, Scherzer, Berríos and Eric Lauer on the roster, giving them eight viable starting pitchers for five spots.
Bieber is opening the season on the injured list due to some forearm fatigue. Berríos will join him there for an undetermined period of time. If neither misses much time, the Jays could soon have some tough decisions to make with regard to eight veteran starting pitchers — assuming the other six remain healthy. Lauer has voiced a desire to pitch out of the rotation — he’s a free agent next winter, after all — but said he’ll pitch in whatever role he’s asked. There’s been some trade speculation surrounding him, but with two starters already on the shelf, Toronto may not be keen on further thinning the staff.
Offseason In Review: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays reinforced their rotation, said goodbye to longtime shortstop Bo Bichette, and (again) lost a major free agent bidding war to the Dodgers.
Major League Signings
- Dylan Cease, RHP: Seven years, $210MM ($64MM deferred)
- Kazuma Okamoto, 3B/OF: Four years, $60MM (Blue Jays also paid $10.875MM posting fee to the Yomiuri Giants)
- Tyler Rogers, RHP: Three years, $37MM (includes $1MM buyout of 2029 club/vesting option)
- Cody Ponce, RHP: Three years, $30MM
- Max Scherzer, RHP: One year, $3MM
2026 spending: $70MM
Total spending: $340MM
Trades And Claims
- Acquired OF Jesus Sanchez from Astros for OF Joey Loperfido
- Acquired RHP Chase Lee from Tigers for minor league LHP Johan Simon
- Acquired cash considerations from Guardians for LHP Justin Bruihl
- Selected RHP Spencer Miles from the Giants in the Rule 5 Draft
Option Decisions
- Shane Bieber, RHP: Exercised $16MM player option for 2026
Notable Minor League Signings
- Eloy Jimenez, Juan Yepez, Jorge Alcala, Josh Winckowski, Joe Mantiply, Nic Enright, Jesse Hahn, Connor Seabold, Josh Fleming, CJ Stubbs, Caleb Freeman, Michael Plassmeyer
Extensions
- None to date
Notable Losses
- Loperfido, Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt, Seranthony Dominguez, Ty France, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Nick Sandlin, Paxton Schultz, Ryan Borucki, Easton Lucas, Ryan Burr, Dillon Tate
The usual “Toronto is interested in everyone” rumors barely got a chance to get rolling before the Blue Jays made the early strike of signing Dylan Cease before the end of November. Even with some deferred money involved, Cease’s seven-year, $210MM pact is the largest free agent signing in Jays history, and it was the first indication that the Jays would again be shopping at the top of the market.
The durable Cease has logged 942 1/3 innings since the start of the 2020 season, and he has never been on the big league injured list apart from a brief stint on the COVID-19 IL in 2021. Beyond this ability to stay on the mound, Cease misses a lot of bats (29.7% strikeout rate over the last five years), and he is a hard thrower with some of the best fastball spin rates in the league. The down side is that Cease has below-average control and he has been prone to giving up hard contact, which is why Cease’s ERAs (like his 4.55 mark with the Padres in 2025) can be higher than his peripheral numbers would reflect.
It is certainly possible the Jays think pitching coach Pete Walker and the team’s development staff can help Cease find more consistency, and ideally get him back to his 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up form. Even the current version of Cease, however, is a pitcher the Blue Jays view as capable of starting playoff games come October.
Cody Ponce’s three-year, $30MM deal was another intriguing investment in the rotation. Ponce’s MLB resume consists of a 5.86 ERA over 55 1/3 innings with the 2020-21 Pirates, but the right-hander then went overseas, spending three seasons in Japan before heading to the KBO League’s Hanwha Eagles in 2025. The result was a sparkling 1.89 ERA, 36.2% K%, and six percent walk rate over 180 2/3 innings, and Ponce earned both KBO MVP and the Dong-Won Choi Award (the equivalent of the Cy Young) while helping lead the Eagles to a berth in the Korean Series.
The Blue Jays obviously wouldn’t mind if Ponce continues this form in his return to the majors, but more realistically, Ponce becoming a decent mid-range starter would still make his contract a relative bargain, when compared to the broader starting pitching market as a whole. Ponce will be used as a starter, and if that role doesn’t work out, his skillset could perhaps translate well to relief work, so the Jays could still some return on their investment.
Cease and Ponce are the newcomers joining a pair of familiar faces returning to the Jays rotation. Max Scherzer waited until early March to decide on his next team, and he opted for a return engagement in Toronto on a one-year, $3MM guarantee that includes up to $10MM in innings-based bonuses. Shane Bieber was the first pitching domino to fall in the Jays offseason when he eschewed free agency altogether, passing on a opt-out clause to instead remain in his contract on a $16MM salary for 2026.
Bieber’s decision was a surprise at the time, though reports emerged in December that Bieber pitched through some forearm fatigue during the end of the 2025 season. To that end, the Blue Jays will place Bieber on the 15-day IL to begin the coming season so that he can fully ramp up, since he has yet to start throwing off a mound this spring.
The Jays’ knowledge of Bieber’s situation surely informed their contract with Scherzer, which added to a rotation picture is overcrowded on paper. If everyone is healthy, there technically won’t be enough starts to go around between Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios, Cease, Ponce, Scherzer, Bieber, and swingman Eric Lauer.
As is often the way in baseball, there’s no such thing as “too much” pitching. Beyond Bieber, Berrios is also dealing with elbow inflammation and could be an IL candidate. The Jays are giving Yesavage a gradual build as they manage his innings heading into the postseason hero’s first full Major League season. Ponce is an unproven commodity in MLB action, and Scherzer is 41 with a checkered injury history. Even beyond the names set for the 26-man roster, depth starter Bowden Francis will miss the season due to Tommy John surgery, and former top prospect Ricky Tiedemann dealt with some elbow soreness this spring as he continues his own return from a TJ procedure.
Even if Berrios had some hard feelings about the end of his 2025 season or Lauer would’ve preferred a clear-cut starting job, there should be enough starts to go around for everyone. Since the Blue Jays are intent on winning the World Series, the team is building a pitching staff for a seven-month run, not just a six-month regular season.
This plan extends to the bullpen, which is why Tyler Rogers received a hefty three-year, $37MM contract on the open market. Though Rogers is entering his age-35 season, the veteran right-hander has been the picture of durability, as well as having some of the best command of any pitcher in the sport. An old-school outlier in today’s velocity-centric game, Rogers’ sinker doesn’t even reach the mid-80s, but he is a master at inducing grounders and soft contact.
Rogers is the only real new face within a bullpen that lost Seranthony Dominguez in free agency, and won’t have Yimi Garcia available at the start of the year. Trade acquisition Chase Lee could become a part of the picture as the season develops, and Rule 5 selections Angel Bastardo and Spencer Miles (selected in the last two R5s) will have trouble fitting onto the roster or staying in the Jays organization.
A minor league signing like Connor Seabold or Joe Mantiply could stand out, and a southpaw like Mantiply could benefit from the unsettled nature of the pen’s left-handed corps. Brendon Little and Mason Fluharty struggled down the stretch and in the playoffs, and Lauer isn’t really a fit in a true left-handed specialist sense since he’ll be kept stretched out for at least multi-inning work if the Jays ever need to quickly call on him for a start.
Left-handed bullpen help could therefore be on Toronto’s radar come the trade deadline, and a more high-profile move for a closer also shouldn’t be ruled out. Jeff Hoffman will return as the Blue Jays’ ninth-inning man, even though GM Ross Atkins suggested back in November that Hoffman was fine with moving into a set-up role if necessary. The team’s explorations into the bullpen market bore out its interest in a new closer, as the Jays reportedly had interest in such free agents as Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Pete Fairbanks, and Ryan Helsley.
Other pitchers on Toronto’s radar included relievers like Luke Weaver, Phil Maton, and Brad Keller, while such free agent starters as Framber Valdez, Michael King, and former Blue Jay Chris Bassitt drew at least some interest. There was some speculation that the Jays could make a late push for Valdez after he lingered on the market into February, but the left-hander instead signed with the Tigers, and Toronto pivoted to Scherzer a month later.
Moving into the position-player ranks, Alex Bregman, Ketel Marte, Cody Bellinger, Munetaka Murakami, and Yoan Moncada were all linked to the Blue Jays at various points this winter. These players were primarily viewed as backup plans for the Jays, however, as Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette were seen as Toronto’s biggest targets. As the offseason continued and the markets for both players remained unclear, there was some thought that the Jays could even sign both Tucker and Bichette, if the team wanted to go all out with its spending.
As it turned out, both Tucker and Bichette will be playing elsewhere in 2026. In Tucker’s case, the Blue Jays were reportedly the only suitor who made a major long-term offer, in the form of a ten-year, $350MM deal. The Mets offered Tucker a four-year, $220MM contract with multiple opt-outs, and the Dodgers a slightly larger four-year, $240MM pact (also with opt-outs) that Tucker ended up signing. Tucker could conceivably return to free agency as early as the 2027-28 offseason, but for the next two years, he’ll be joining the Dodgers’ push for more rings.
Bichette could be a free agent again next winter, if he triggers the first of the two opt-outs in his three-year, $126MM deal with the Mets, as New York quickly moved on from Tucker to sign another multi-time All-Star to a similar contract structure. In Bichette’s case, it was the Phillies who offered a longer-term (seven years and between $190-$200MM) deal, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski felt “we were very close to having a deal done,” before Bichette chose New York over Philadelphia.
It isn’t known what the Blue Jays offered Bichette, or if the team necessarily even put a concrete offer on the table to its longtime infielder. While re-signing Bichette seemed like a more realistic scenario for Toronto than pursuing a Bregman or a Bellinger, it always somewhat felt like Toronto was expecting Bichette to leave — even dating back to last winter, when Andres Gimenez was acquired from the Guardians as an unofficial shortstop-in-waiting.
The Kazuma Okamoto signing also cast more doubt on a Bichette return. With Bichette, Tucker, and plenty of other position players still available, the Jays instead pivoted to sign the Japanese star to a four-year, $60MM deal. Given how the Blue Jays like to move players around the diamond, Okamoto might see some time in left field or playing first base if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is getting a DH day, but Okamoto is expected to settle in as the regular third baseman.
As with all high-profile NPB signings, there’s risk in committing such a significant amount of money to a player with no experience in North American baseball. There’s good reason to believe Okamoto’s high-contact approach can translate well to the Show, however, and Okamoto hit so well in Japan (.277/.361/.521 with 248 homers over 4494 plate appearances) that it was clear why he was drawing interest from multiple Major League teams before the Blue Jays won the bidding.
With Okamoto now at the hot corner, the rest of Toronto’s lineup consists of Gimenez at shortstop, Ernie Clement at second base, Guerrero at first base, Alejandro Kirk catching, George Springer at DH, and a starting outfield of Addison Barger, Daulton Varsho, and Jesus Sanchez. The left-handed hitting Sanchez is expected to platoon with Davis Schneider in left field, and the presence of Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw as outfield depth could allow Barger to get some time back at third base if Okamoto needs an off-day, or has some difficulty adjusting to big league pitching.
Shoulder surgery will keep Anthony Santander out of this mix until at least July, as the slugger is already looking at what might be a second lost season in a row. Santander was limited to 54 games in 2025 due to shoulder problems, and he hit only .175/.271/.294 over 221 PA. The hope was that a healthy Santander could rebound and start providing some return in the second season of his five-year, $92.5MM contract, yet he’ll now again be sidelined until the second half.
Shortly after word broke about Santander’s surgery, the Jays landed Sanchez from the Astros in exchange for Joey Loperfido, another left-handed hitting outfielder with less MLB experience. Sanchez has six seasons under his belt with the Marlins and Astros, and poor numbers against southpaws have kept the outfielder from thriving as a true regular. As noted, the Jays only need him to be the strong side of a platoon with Schneider, and the team is hoping Sanchez can at least match his .253/.324/.450 career slash line against right-handed pitching.
Looking at the position-player depth chart as a whole, it isn’t much different from the offense that was one of the league’s best in 2025. That said, replacing Bichette with Okamoto is an obvious downgrade for now based on Major League track record, even if the Jays will get a defensive boost by installing Gimenez at shortstop. Counting on Barger or Clement to be regular starters also carries some risk, as their huge playoff performances came after much more ordinary production over the regular season.
After a 2024 campaign that saw almost the entire lineup struggle at the plate, the 2025 Blue Jays enjoyed a dream year that saw pretty much every batter significantly improve. The question now facing the Jays is whether the truth about their position players falls somewhere in between, or if 2025 was just the start of an offensive awakening under hitting coach David Popkins. Tucker, Bichette, or another proven veteran bat would’ve helped solidify the lineup quite a bit, and depending on how the season progresses, adding such a hitter might well be on Atkins’ shopping list at the trade deadline.
Aggressive moves and aggressive spending have become the calling card for the organization. This winter’s investments have again brought the payroll to new levels — as per RosterResource‘s estimates, the Blue Jays have a $289MM payroll, and a whopping $318.1MM luxury tax number. The latter figure puts the Jays well over the highest luxury tax penalization tier of $304MM, which means they’ll face a 90% surcharge on any dollar spent above the $304MM mark.
It is safe to say at this point that the front office doesn’t care about the short-term tax implications, or details like giving up two draft picks and $1MM in international bonus money to sign Cease (a qualifying offer-rejecting free agent). Last year’s playoff run and the near-miss in the World Series galvanized support for the Blue Jays all across Canada, creating both a ton of extra revenue for the Rogers Communications ownership group and a greater desire to finish the story with a championship in 2026. The Jays will face tough competition just to retain their AL East crown, yet Toronto figures to be contenders again come October.
How would you grade the Blue Jays' offseason?
-
B 52% (1,094)
-
A 31% (655)
-
C 12% (260)
-
F 3% (57)
-
D 2% (42)
Total votes: 2,108
Which Top Prospects Could Be On 2026 Opening Day Rosters?
In the not-too-distant past, it was relatively rare for organizations to break camp with their very best prospects on the roster. It still happened at times, but MLB's service time structure was set up such that keeping a top prospect in the minors for even two weeks to begin the season effectively ensured that he'd be controllable for seven years rather than the standard six. There were obvious exceptions to this thinking -- Atlanta fans surely remember Jason Heyward breaking camp as a 20-year-old and belting a three-run homer on Opening Day -- but there were far more cases of keeping a player in the minors to buy the extra year. Kris Bryant, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer and others were all called to the majors just when they'd spent enough time in the minors to give their clubs an extra year of control. There was nothing inherently nefarious about the gambit; teams were operating within the collectively bargained rules and making business decisions.
The 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement sought to implement some real incentives for teams to bring their best players north to begin the season, however, and by and large they've been effective. With the Prospect Promotion Incentives (PPI), any prospect who appears on two recognized top-100 lists and is called up early enough to earn a full service year can net his team a bonus draft pick, either in that season's Rookie of the Year voting or in MVP/Cy Young voting over the next three seasons.
There's also a disincentive to holding a player down. For those same qualified top prospects, a top-two finish in either league's Rookie of the Year voting will net a full year of major league service time, regardless of when they were called up. Said prospects still have around 90% of a season in such instances, which is more than enough time to turn in a ROY-worthy performance.
Teams now know that holding a player down for 15 days or so might lead to him getting a full year of service anyhow and comes with the disadvantage of rendering that player ineligible for future PPI picks. As such, it's become increasingly common for touted prospects to break camp on their teams' rosters.
With that in mind, and with fewer than two weeks to go until Opening Day, it seems worth running through a slate of top prospects who could factor into their teams' Opening Day plans.
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
José Berríos Visiting Specialist Due To Elbow Inflammation
Blue Jays righty José Berríos was slated to join Puerto Rico for the quarterfinal round of the World Baseball Classic, but those plans were called off when his tournament physical revealed a bout of elbow inflammation (via MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson). An MRI did not reveal any structural damage, but the inflammation was still curious, given that Berríos hasn’t experienced any discomfort. Still, in light of the unexpected diagnosis, he’s headed for an in-person visit with Dr. Keith Meister to take a closer look, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. That visit will come next Tuesday. Berríos will not throw in the interim.
At present, there’s no indication that Berríos is dealing with a major injury — or even a minor one of all that much note. The 31-year-old veteran (32 in May) ostensibly hasn’t experienced any pain, and it’s possible a clean bill of health will have him back on the mound in short order.
Toronto’s offseason dealings have left the veteran Berríos in an uncertain state. He’s been a starter every year of his major league career — one of the most durable and consistent of the past decade. Dating back to 2018, he leads Major League Baseball in both games started (234) and innings pitched (1367 2/3). Berrios started a full slate of 12 games during the shortened 2020 season and has started 30 or more games in each other season dating back to 2018.
Despite that durability, Berríos has largely been pushed out of the Jays’ rotation. Shane Bieber exercised his $16MM player option to begin the offseason. Toronto then signed Dylan Cease to a seven-year contract and KBO returnee Cody Ponce to a three-year deal. Max Scherzer signed a one-year deal earlier this month.
Toronto’s rotation mix entering the season includes Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Bieber, Berríos, Ponce, Scherzer and Eric Lauer. They’re eight deep in terms of quality big leaguers, with only last year’s breakout rookie and postseason hero, Yesavage, able to be optioned. Clearly, he’s not going to be sent down anytime soon.
Injuries tend to alleviate this sort of crunch in the short-term, but that isn’t necessarily the case here. Bieber is behind schedule due to forearm fatigue but has been throwing recently. A season-opening stint on the 15-day IL still seems likely, but it probably won’t keep him out long. Each of Cease, Gausman, Yesavage, Ponce, Lauer and Scherzer appears healthy. The Jays had suggested they’d be deliberate in building Scherzer up slowly, but he tossed four sharp innings in his first spring start.
However it shakes out, Berríos is in an odd spot. Barring a major injury, he’ll be on a crowded pitching staff that doesn’t have a clear rotation spot for him. He’s coming off one of his weaker seasons but was still plenty serviceable last year. In 166 innings, he posted a 4.17 ERA, 19.8% strikeout rate and 8% walk rate. The right-hander’s 93 mph average four-seamer was a career-low, and his 92.2 mph average sinker was the second-lowest of his career. That walk rate, while solid, was the second-highest of his career in a full season and a notable step up from the 6.7% he’d logged from 2017-24.
There was some thought that perhaps the Jays would look to trade Berríos this winter, but that’s not an easy undertaking. He’s entering the fifth season of a seven-year extension. Berríos is still owed $66MM over the next three years, which is surely more than he’d have received in free agency this winter. His contract also contains an opt-out clause after the 2026 campaign, so even if a team believed Berrios to be a prominent bounceback candidate and was proven right with a vintage 2026 showing, he’d likely then trigger the out clause and head back into free agency.
Berríos’ $131MM contract also includes a limited, eight-team no-trade clause. That clause will be rendered moot 128 days into the season, when he reaches 10 years of major league service and receives 10-and-5 rights. The 10-and-5 provision — 10 years of major league service, the past five with the same team — grants any player full veto power over trade scenarios.
For now, Berríos’ status is in limbo because of his own health. If he requires an IL stint to begin the season, he’ll (likely) join Bieber there. Toronto could open with a rotation headed by Cease, Gausman, Yesavage, Ponce and Scherzer, with Lauer in a swing role. It’s possible that the Jays simply won’t simultaneously have all eight starters healthy at any point this season. In that scenario, they’d be glad to have the depth. But if Berríos and Bieber are cleared to return in early-to-mid April, Toronto is going to have some tougher choices ahead.
Lauer has taken a team-first approach, praising the tightknit group of rotation options and saying he’ll pitch in whatever role he’s asked — but he’s also conceded that he’d prefer to start, all else being equal. He’s a free agent at season’s end, after all, and working as a starter is his best path to maximizing his earning power. That situation, combined with forthcoming updates on Berríos and Bieber, make the Jays’ rotation group a particularly interesting one to watch in the final couple weeks of camp.
Blue Jays Sign Caleb Freeman To Minor League Deal
The Blue Jays have signed right-hander Caleb Freeman to a minor league deal, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. Freeman has been assigned to Double-A New Hampshire, so he’ll presumably be heading to minor league camp in spring training.
Freeman, 28, is a reliever who spent his entire career in the White Sox system until recently. He averages around 95 miles per hour with his fastball with a high-80s slider and low-80s curveball. For most of his career, control has been a big problem. Over the 2022 and 2023 minor league seasons, he walked 18.5% of the batters he faced. In the majors, relievers usually walk around 9% of opponents, so he was basically double par.
In 2024, he dialed things in, relatively speaking. His 13.6% walk rate was still high but an improvement. He also struck out a strong 29.3% of opponents, helping him post a 3.92 ERA in Double-A that year. In 2025, he got out to a blazing start. In his first 13 1/3 innings, he had a 1.35 ERA, 33.3% strikeout rate and 10.4% walk rate. The White Sox tried to ride the hot hand and added him to their big league roster.
He wasn’t able to keep the momentum going from there. He faced 16 big league hitters in five appearances. He only gave out one walk but also only punched out three, allowing two earned runs in the process. In the minors, he posted a 5.30 ERA the rest of the way with an 18.2% strikeout rate and 17.1% walk rate. He was outrighted off the 40-man in June and became a free agent at season’s end.
Freeman won’t have a great shot at a roster spot in the near term. The Jays have a pretty crowded pitching staff. They could have eight viable starters once Shane Bieber is ready to come off the injured list. That will have domino effects into the bullpen with some of their starting options pushed into relief roles. The Jays currently have Rule 5 picks Spencer Miles and Angel Bastardo on the roster.
Even if those two can’t break camp, Toronto still projects for bullpen spots to go to Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher, Tommy Nance and Eric Lauer, with Mason Fluharty and Chase Lee also in the mix. Jorge Alcala, Josh Fleming and others are in camp as non-roster invitees. It’s also possible that starter Ricky Tiedemann, who has struggled to stay healthy, ends up in the bullpen as he builds up his workload after missing a lot of time in recent years. Over a long season, injuries are inevitable and opportunities will open up. If Freeman can eventually get a roster spot, he still has options.
Photo courtesy of Peter Aiken, Imagn Images
Poll: How Should The Blue Jays Manage Trey Yesavage’s Workload In 2026?
Trey Yesavage had a whirlwind season in 2025. After the Blue Jays drafted him in the first round in 2024, Yesavage opened 2025 at Single-A and immediately impressed with a 2.43 ERA in 33 1/3 innings. He continued that dominance in a brief stop at High-A and reached Double-A in mid-June, striking out 38.0% of hitters against a 9.0% walk rate at that level. Yesavage then held his own at Triple-A, not allowing a home run in 17 1/3 innings and continuing to post a high strikeout rate. His rapid ascent culminated in three appearances with the big-league club in September, followed by six more in the postseason, including two starts and a Game 7 relief appearance in the World Series.
Altogether, Yesavage threw 139 2/3 innings between the regular season and the playoffs, a marked increase over the 93 1/3 innings he threw at East Carolina University in 2024. Coming off his success last year, he will feature prominently in a rotation mix that also includes Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, and Shane Bieber (when he returns from an expected stint on the injured list). However, considering Yesavage’s youth and rapidly escalating workload, it is reasonable to expect some kind of innings limit in 2026.
At this point in Spring Training, Yesavage is built up to one inning and has not yet appeared in a game, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. That is hardly unexpected, as even established starters are built up gradually to a full workload by the end of camp. Manager John Schneider confirmed that Yesavage’s slow build-up is intentional, with the plan being for him to get one more live batting practice session before joining games. Notably, Schneider downplayed the possibility of Yesavage starting the season as a reliever to limit his innings.
“Right now we still view him as a starter,” Schneider said. “And we want to keep that pretty regular. Last year was a year of disrupting a young guy’s routine as much as we could, so we want to be pretty regular with him.” Schneider’s comments bode well for Yesavage’s chance of being a starter for the full season. That said, it would not be surprising for the club to manage the rookie’s workload conservatively in the early going, especially if Berrios, Ponce, and Scherzer start the year healthy behind Cease and Gausman.
Per Schneider’s comments, the club wants to keep Yesavage on a regular schedule. That would seemingly put him in the rotation for the entire season, though with the question of how many innings he’ll be able to handle. Yesavage averaged less than five innings per start during the regular season and just over five in the postseason. At five innings per start, a full season of 33 starts would put him around 165 innings – yet another big increase in workload. A target of 140 innings could make more sense.
In that scenario, Yesavage could piggyback off Berrios or Ponce for the first month or so. That would give him the benefit of making shorter appearances while sticking to a starter’s routine and gradually building up. Of Berrios and Ponce, the former makes more sense partnering with Yesavage in a piggyback role. Berrios made 32 starts per season from 2021-24 but seemed to run out of gas as the 2025 season went on. His first-half ERA of 3.75 was solid, but that rose to 5.15 in 50 2/3 innings in the second half. He was demoted to the bullpen in late September and ended up not appearing in the postseason.
Piggybacking Yesavage and Berrios could help manage the former’s innings while allowing the latter to re-establish himself after his poor conclusion to 2025. In contrast, Ponce came over this offseason on a three-year, $30MM deal after a successful stint in the Korea Baseball Organization. He pitched 180 2/3 innings over 29 starts for the Hanwha Eagles in 2025, posting an excellent 1.89 ERA, a 30.3% K-BB rate, and ultimately winning that league’s MVP award. That recent track record and the magnitude of his contract make a hybrid role unlikely, though Ponce made three relief appearances in Japan last year and was mostly a reliever in his last MLB experience in 2021.
If the team prefers to keep Yesavage as a traditional starter, they might consider having him skip a few starts in the middle of the season. While that would be at least a temporary disruption to his routine, it might make the most sense from a roster management perspective. Six-man rotations are becoming more common as a way to manage workloads throughout the season, but they come with the challenge of having one less reliever. In lieu of giving him five days of regular rest, skipping a few of Yesavage’s starts (ideally around scheduled off days) could be a good compromise that keeps him fresh for the stretch run.
Another (less likely) option is to keep him as a starter for the regular season, then transition him to the bullpen if Toronto makes the postseason. Cease and Gausman are guaranteed spots in a playoff rotation, while Bieber makes a solid No. 3 and Max Scherzer comes with a wealth of postseason experience. Though Yesavage performed admirably as a starter this postseason, using him in a fireman role out of the bullpen could help the team get the most out of him while protecting his long-term health.
How do MLBTR readers think the Blue Jays should manage Yesavage’s workload in 2026? Be sure to let us know in the poll below:
How should the Blue Jays manage Trey Yesavage's workload in 2026?
-
Piggyback him with Berrios, Ponce, or Eric Lauer to start the season 50% (1,229)
-
Have him skip a few starts in the middle of the season 39% (944)
-
Starter for the regular season, reliever for the playoffs 11% (264)
Total votes: 2,437
Photo courtesy of Kevin Sousa, Imagn Images
AL Central Notes: Twins, Rojas, Buxton, Gaddis, Tigers
The Blue Jays started asking the Twins about Louis Varland three months before the reliever was actually dealt at last summer’s trade deadline, and Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that the Twins aimed high in negotiations by asking for one of Trey Yesavage or Kendry Rojas in return. Yesavage (the Jays’ top pitching prospect and future postseason breakout star) wasn’t going anywhere, but Toronto eventually budged in moving Rojas and outfielder Alan Roden in exchange for Varland and Ty France.
Fast forward to Spring Training, and Roden is competing for a starting job in Minnesota’s outfield while Rojas’ high-90’s velocity is turning heads in camp. The 23-year-old Rojas got rocked over 32 1/3 Triple-A innings in 2025 and is still trying to harness his control, but he could be a candidate to make his MLB debut at some point this season. The Twins will continue to develop Rojas as a starter but some scouts believe a high-leverage relief role could be in the southpaw’s future. An initial call-up as a reliever could help Rojas ease his way into the big leagues while not closing the door on a potential future as a rotation piece.
More from around the AL Central…
- Guardians right-hander Hunter Gaddis‘ imaging on his forearm “came back clean,” manager Stephen Vogt told MLB.com’s Tim Stebbins and other reporters earlier this week after Gaddis experienced forearm tightness after his first spring outing on February 27. Gaddis has resumed his throwing progression and it doesn’t seem like the issue will impact his Opening Day status, as Vogt said “everything I’m hearing is that it’s good news and we’re good to go.” Stebbins writes that the Guardians were already giving workhorse relievers Gaddis and Cade Smith gradual builds into the season, as a reflection of how much both right-handers pitched in 2024-25 — Gaddis’ 151 appearances were the second-most in baseball over the last two seasons, and Smith was right behind with 150 appearances. Gaddis augmented that durability with a 6.3% walk rate and 25.2% strikeout rate, and he’ll again be leaned on for key leverage innings in Cleveland’s bullpen in 2026.
- Beau Brieske is slated to throw a bullpen session today as the Tigers gauge his recovery from right ribcage tightness. Brieske has pitched in just two games this spring but manager A.J. Hinch told the Detroit Free Press’ Evan Petzold and other reporters that Brieske “has plenty of time as a reliever to accomplish what he needs to make a run at this team.” Ankle and elbow injuries limited Brieske to 22 Major League innings last season, and his health setbacks surely contributed to a 6.55 ERA. While the ribcage issue is another setback, Brieske is aiming to return to his past role as a solid swingman on Detroit’s staff.
- Bookending the post with some more Twins news, x-rays were negative on Byron Buxton‘s forearm after the outfielder was removed from a World Baseball Classic game yesterday after being hit by a pitch. United States manager Mark DeRosa told reporters (including MLB.com’s Ryan Kelapire) that the sixth-inning removal was just precautionary, and done in part because the USA already had a big lead in what ended up as a 15-5 win over Brazil. Even minor injury situations like this can’t help but raise extra concerns given Buxton’s checkered health history, though it appears the outfielder should be fine.