Saturday, November 15

TORONTO -- The Blue Jays have a serious opportunity sitting in front of them. 

Fresh off a run to Game 7 of the World Series, which re-established this organization as a force in Major League Baseball, the Blue Jays remain in a dream position. They have the face of their franchise locked up, most of their veteran stars returning, a solid farm system and money to spend. This offseason, they need to swing big. 

Toronto is already being tied to every big name available, but there are no “frontrunners” in mid-November, only interested teams kicking the tires on obvious targets. One team will get the guy, 29 others won’t and all of the language gymnastics will have been for not. This stage of the offseason is useful, though, for setting plans and aggressive philosophies, which the Blue Jays need now more than ever. 

Let’s start at the very top:

1. Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette

Tucker’s deal could blow past $300 million, and while the price is steep, Tucker represents “Blue Jays baseball” with all of the knobs turned up to nine. Granted, none of those knobs are turned up to “10” with a truly elite tool, but he’s a rock-solid hitter who stands at the top of this market for a reason. 

The Blue Jays should have the payroll flexibility to push beyond 2025’s numbers, and now that Rogers ownership has gotten a taste for deep postseason runs, it’s hard to go back to the old ways. For now, consider Tucker a market the Blue Jays will be involved in, but not a market they’ll chase if his number starts to run away from them.

Bichette, on the other hand, comes with sentimentality. Front offices try not to let those feelings creep in, but for fans, this feels like a diet version of the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. conversation from a year ago, fearing that a longtime franchise cornerstone could be on the verge of walking. 

“A great player,” general manager Ross Atkins said at the GM Meetings this week. “Bo has been a significant part of us being in a strong position today. He’s a reason that we’re coming off of five solid seasons of baseball and one really, really good year of baseball. He’s had a lot to do with it. I know he’s going to be attractive to the market, and we’ll be in his market.”

Bichette’s market will have a massive range between its ceiling and floor. The Blue Jays have said out loud that they’d be open to Bichette playing shortstop if he’s insistent on it, but this is a better baseball team with Bichette at second and Andrés Giménez at short. Expect Toronto to remain in Bichette’s market as it unfolds, which could take some time. 

2. 2027 and beyond: Money matters

This is where the case for an aggressive offseason really lies. 

George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, Shane Bieber and Yimi García are free agents after 2026. José Berríos has an opt-out, too. The Blue Jays will need to do some of this work ahead of time, with the outfield and rotation clearly requiring attention. 

If Toronto pulls off a surprise position player move this offseason, like Giménez a year ago, it’s going to happen in the outfield. Just like Giménez protected them at shortstop a year ahead of when the “need” opened, the Blue Jays need to repeat that in the outfield.

The same goes for the rotation, where another deal like Gausman’s -- or even the Berríos trade, followed by an extension -- is needed. Next year’s free agent class, headlined by Tarik Skubal, is not otherwise a powerhouse group, so this is the Blue Jays’ opportunity to get a jump on some longer-term solutions. 

3. The margins

Confidence in their own farm system should embolden the Blue Jays this offseason, too. Every Trey Yesavage, Braydon Fisher, Addison Barger and Ernie Clement development story saves a few million here, $20 million there. Next year, that could be Ricky Tiedemann, Gage Stanifer, Yohendrick Pinango, RJ Schreck or a dozen other names. 

Yes, Toronto will explore back-end relievers, even closers. This could be a “luxury,” so to speak, afforded to the Blue Jays as they do not need to patchwork their roster with veteran signings. This also allows them to chase the best bang for their buck -- like choosing between Tucker and Bichette -- with young players capable of shaping themselves around the big moves.

Aaron Judge narrowly beat Cal Raleigh for AL MVP, but the biggest surprise on the ballot -- at least when you consider how everyone entered this season -- was Springer. 

The 36-year-old finished seventh on the ballot, including a vote as high as fourth place and a handful for fifth place (including mine). This is a well-deserved recognition for Springer, who was arguably the most important player on the 2025 Blue Jays, his renaissance season helping to carry this organization back to the top of the AL East.

… Are you not entertained?

Guerrero won the inaugural “Entertainer of the Year” Thursday night at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas. Pedro Martinez, Guerrero’s godfather and close family friend, accepted the award on his behalf.

“He does a lot more than just play the game. He honors his dad. He honors his family. And he loves his Dominican people and Latino America. I am extremely proud to receive this award on behalf of Vladdy.”

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