10 off-season talking points for American League champion Blue Jays

Gregory Strong · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 10:40 AM EST | Last Updated: November 6

Just a fewer days aft falling painfully abbreviated of their archetypal World Series rubric successful 32 years, the Toronto Blue Jays are shifting absorption to the off-season.

Here's a look astatine 10 talking points for the franchise arsenic it prepares for the 2026 campaign.

Bichette’s shot future

Homegrown prima Bo Bichette is 1 of the marquee names successful this year's free-agent class.

He shifted from shortstop to 2nd basal aft returning to the lineup aft missing 7 weeks with a genu sprain. That could beryllium the presumption that makes the astir consciousness for him if helium returns to the Blue Jays oregon signs elsewhere.

Bichette is consistently among the league's hits leaders erstwhile healthy. His antiaircraft play is not arsenic beardown but he's successful his premier astatine property 27.

The Blue Jays person shown they tin beryllium large spenders. Whether they take to put successful Bichette, who should bid a nine-figure payday, volition beryllium a large storyline.

Shapiro status

Team president Mark Shapiro is successful the last twelvemonth of his declaration and has expressed his tendency to stay with the club.

The 58-year-old joined the Blue Jays successful 2015 and signed a five-year hold successful January 2021. He has overseen respective large projects, including large renovations to Rogers Centre and the team's subordinate improvement analyzable successful Florida.

Shapiro and wide manager Ross Atkins held end-of-season media availabilities connected Thursday.

Starting rotation

Shane Bieber's instrumentality for the 2026 play gives the Blue Jays' starting rotation a important boost.

He exercised his $16 cardinal US subordinate enactment alternatively than effort escaped bureau and volition anchor a rotation that includes ace Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios and possibly Eric Lauer.

Veteran right-handers Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt are escaped agents. The Blue Jays person immoderate extent options available, including Bowden Francis and Adam Macko, but whitethorn boost the starting 5 via escaped bureau oregon trade.

WATCH | Bieber connected teammates - 'It's a genuinely peculiar group':

Power player

The Blue Jays' look of the franchise played similar a superstar successful his archetypal extended foray into the post-season.

Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a .292 mean successful the regular play with 23 homers and 84 runs batted in, capping his run with a September slump that helium shook disconnected successful a large mode successful October.

Guerrero, whose 14-year, $500-million hold kicks successful adjacent year, posted monster numbers implicit 18 playoff games. He had a .397 average, 1.289 OPS on with 8 homers and 15 RBI.

Closer to fine

Blue Jays manager John Schneider stuck with person Jeff Hoffman done the ups and downs of the regular season.

It volition beryllium absorbing to spot if helium maintains that loyalty adjacent year. Hoffman (9-7, 4.37 earned-run average) earned 33 saves implicit 40 opportunities this past play but besides allowed 15 location runs.

The right-hander had a beardown post-season but the 1 homer helium allowed came successful the ninth inning of a Game 7 nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Dodgers successful the World Series.

With Seranthony Dominguez a escaped agent, Yimi Garcia is the astir apt enactment to adjacent if the Blue Jays determine to marque a change.

Trey day

What does Trey Yesavage bash for an encore?

The rookie roseate done the minor-league ranks earlier wowing astatine the large league level. He unopen down the Dodgers successful a Game 5 roadworthy triumph by allowing conscionable 3 hits implicit 7 innings.

Expect much large things adjacent play from a pitcher who'll apt beryllium a cardinal cog successful the Toronto rotation for years to come.

WATCH | Yesavage sets 3 World Series records successful his 8th MLB start:

Ratings monster

The Blue Jays were a ratings deed during the World Series astatine location and abroad.

Game 7 averaged 51 cardinal viewers crossed Canada, the United States and Japan, making it the most-watched Major League Baseball crippled successful 34 years, MLB said Wednesday successful a quality release.

The 7 World Series broadcasts were the 7 most-watched Blue Jays games ever connected Sportsnet, the team's home rights-holder.

Radio ratings weren't instantly available. The web sent its vigor broadcasters connected the roadworthy for the playoffs aft they called games remotely during the regular season.

Tony taters

The Blue Jays reached the Fall Classic contempt constricted accumulation from slugger Anthony Santander, who was their biggest off-season signing past winter.

Santander ne'er recovered a groove this past season. A enarthrosis wounded forced him retired of the lineup for astir 4 months and a backmost contented chopped abbreviated his post-season.

A twelvemonth aft hitting 44 homers for Baltimore, Santander managed conscionable six homers successful 54 games for Toronto with a .175 average. He's connected the books for 4 much years aft signing a $92.5 cardinal declaration past January.

Manager award

Toronto skipper John Schneider could soon beryllium rewarded for the Blue Jays' worst-to-first turnaround this past season.

He's nominated for the American League manager of the twelvemonth grant on with Cleveland's Stephen Vogt and Seattle's Dan Wilson. The victor volition beryllium named connected Tuesday.

Schneider guided the Blue Jays to an East Division rubric aft a 74-win play the twelvemonth before.

Key dates

Toronto's pre-season docket volition commencement Feb. 21 against the Philadelphia Phillies successful Dunedin, Fla.

The Blue Jays volition unfastened the 2026 regular play connected March 26 against the Athletics astatine Rogers Centre.