After coming tantalizingly close to winning the 2025 World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays are the active team here early in the offseason. They signed free-agent starter Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal. Next, they rounded out their rotation by bringing Cody Ponce back to the majors after a stint in Japan and then a very successful stint in Korea (he was MVP last year in KBO) on a three-year, $30 million deal.
The biggest free agent the Blue Jays had heading into the offseason was All-Star infielder Bo Bichette. A Blue Jays draft pick in 2016, he hasn’t been with any other organization. He’s a two-time All-Star and has been a fixture in their lineup for years. Last season, Bichette hit .311/.357/.483 (129 OPS+) with 181 hits, 44 doubles, 18 home runs, 94 RBI, 78 runs and 3.5 WAR in 139 games with a knee injury hampering him down the stretch and in the playoffs. He missed the ALDS and ALCS, but played all seven World Series games despite the injury, hitting .348 with a home run and six RBI.
So far this offseason, there have been very few public rumors about Bichette. We heard about the Blue Jays’ interest in bringing Bichette back at the general manager meetings, which were about a month ago, but there hasn’t been much out there since.
What does that mean?
In all likelihood, not much.
There could be an argument that the Jays are content with Ernie Clement at second base, Andrés Giménez at shortstop and Addison Barger at third base — with Davis Schneider as depth, given that Anthony Santander returns to the outfield. That would instead mean the Blue Jays could decide to spend their offseason money on pitching depth.
Sure enough, the rotation is now Cease, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and Ponce. That looks stout. There’s even good depth with José Berríos and Eric Lauer.
Is there money left?
That all depends on how much more the Blue Jays are willing to spend after their first World Series run since 1993. Factoring in the new deals for Cease and Ponce, Cot’s Contracts estimates the Blue Jays are set with a 40-man competitive balance payroll of nearly $271 million, which is well over the luxury tax threshold and would be their second-highest payroll ever. Their highest? Last season, finishing at nearly $278 million. Hey, a World Series run increases revenue in a big way. It also brings in a lot of income.
Plus, the Jays could backload any deal for Bichette. Right now, they have $175 million or so allocated for 2027 and considerably less in the ensuing years, even with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. locked up long-term. They could also defer a bunch of money, a move that has become popular in recent years, notably with the two-time defending champion Dodgers.
Even if it seems tricky, there’s room to add Bichette.
The bottom line here is these pitching moves don’t prevent the Blue Jays from bringing Bichette back.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the Blue Jays will do so, nor does any of this mean they won’t. It’s Dec. 3. The Winter Meetings are next week. There are a bunch of free agents out there and we haven’t seen a ton of rumors about a good number of them. Patience is the key.
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