The offseason market has remained aggressive, and so have the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto’s front office quickly signed starters Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to address the depth in the starting rotation, while bringing in submariner Tyler Rogers to fortify the bullpen. They also traded for reliever Chase Lee and have added RHP Spencer Miles via the Rule 5 Draft, giving manager John Schneider a multitude of new pitchers in the clubhouse come next season.

The Blue Jays are hardly done rounding out their roster for the upcoming season, and there are a few questions the front office will have to answer before spring training is in full swing.

Now that the Blue Jays have replenished their pitching staff, adding another bat is a necessity.

Toronto was able to go the distance because of franchise cornerstones Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. could provide potent offensive performances at the right time, and George Springer bounced back with one of the best seasons of his career. Losing Bichette this offseason would leave a dent in the Blue Jays’ lineup for years to come if the team doesn’t fill the hole with an offensively impactful player.

If the 2025 season was all about internal improvements, the 2026 season should be about taking leaps of faith. That should include exploring the options of either bringing Kyle Tucker or Bo Bichette, or signing both bats. In theory, Rogers Communications, the owner of the Blue Jays, can afford to sign Tucker and Bichette to create a monster lineup, but there would be issues with the CBT down the line.

Money hasn’t been the central question around the team’s offseason spending, but in an intense bidding war among contenders, Toronto will have a hard time coming out of it with two big bats.

Bichette is a hit machine and a fan favourite, but his defensive metrics at shortstop are a definite flaw. In contrast, Tucker has had lower slashlines than Bichette but has an excellent chase rate and batting run value and arm value. Adding Tucker creates a pretty big logjam in the outfield that the Jays might need to rectify, although Springer and Daulton Varsho are free agent eligible next offseason.

Even if it’s highly unlikely that the Blue Jays close their books on their offseason with pitching signings only, there is also a possibility of the team targeting smaller moves if they are unsuccessful in signing Bichette and/or Tucker. Should that be the case, Toronto will have to be ready to brace the aftermath and hope that the internal improvement theory continues to pay off.

Would the Blue Jays be willing to handle the risk of standing pat? These are all the important factors that the team will have to consider.

By signing Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million contract, the Blue Jays have arguably landed their biggest bullpen arm this winter. Toronto’s bullpen wasn’t the team’s biggest weakness for the vast majority of the 2025 season, but the relief core struggled during the playoffs after giving up a few crucial walks and hard contacts.

Diversifying the bullpen appears to be one of Toronto’s more significant priorities this offseason, and the team is still putting out a casting call for its circle of trust. Relievers are the most volatile part of the team; there’s no guarantee that good relievers can keep up their robust performances because short relief appearances can contain just about every possibility.

The Blue Jays have their usual cast, which includes Braydon Fisher, Mason Fluharty, Yimi García, Jeff Hoffman, Brendon Little, Louis Varland and now Rogers. But there are also pitchers like Miles, Lee, Cody Ponce, Angel Bastardo, Bowden Francis, Eric Lauer and Paxton Schultz vying for a spot, which could change what Toronto’s bullpen would look like next spring. There’s also a chance the Jays add some more arms before spring comes around, creating more competition in the bullpen.

The truth is that it will take time for Toronto to find its trustworthy members, and that search for the perfect combination will continue well into the 2026 season. Who ends up earning that trust will be up to the front office, and whether they bring in more new faces to the bullpen will determine how everything unfolds next year.

The most prominent storyline on top of an incredible playoff run for the Blue Jays was their clubhouse chemistry.

Veterans like Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Springer became mentors to younger players and players like Ernie Clement and Myles Straw became the glue. The coaching staff noticed the ‘power of friendship’ in the clubhouse, which eventually helped the team get to the World Series stage.

Something inquantifiable like clubhouse culture isn’t something that can be calculated or carefully constructed. Culture is something that comes organically, which is why the stakes are also high on this front for Toronto. Camaraderie has to start from within. The best the Blue Jays can do now is sign or trade for players who are willing to set aside their ego to play as a part of the team.

Fortunately, newer additions like Cease, Ponce and Rogers don’t have much controversy around their personalities. If the Blue Jays continue on this trajectory, the team will have a solid foundation to build on their positive culture. The 2026 roster is still very much a work in progress, with many aspects up in the air. The completed roster will tell us what kind of vibes the team will have in the upcoming year.

Replicating the culture from last season will be virtually impossible. What’s possible is creating a brand new culture that’s based on love, trust and friendship. That should be something the Blue Jays will have to continue striving for.

Introducing Off The Roster—Toronto Sports, Unfiltered! Toronto sports fans, your new favourite conversation has arrived. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, Off The Roster dives into the city’s legendary plays, brutal trades, OG jerseys, celebrity tweets, and everything in between. Raw, fun, and totally unfiltered, this is Toronto sports like you’ve never heard it before. Tune in live every weekday morning on the Nation Network YouTube channel, or catch episodes wherever you stream podcasts. Proudly brought to you by our founding partner, PROLINE. Off The Roster—the new sound in the 6ix.