The Toronto Blue Jays have switched into offseason mode following their recent World Series Game 7 loss to the Dodgers. The club has a lot of work ahead of it, especially since a few key names from the 2025 squad are heading to free agency.

Bo Bichette leads the group, while the likes of Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, Seranthony Dominguez, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ty France are also heading into free agency this winter. As well, Shane Bieber has a $16 million player option, with many pundits across the baseball circles thinking he will opt out of it, joining the group on the open market this winter.

The Jays have quite a few names returning to the 2026 roster, led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the major contract he signed this past winter. This also includes those who are heading to arbitration this offseason, a group that consists of seven players (all projected figures via MLB Trade Rumours):

As fans saw last season with Jordan Romano, there is no guarantee that the Jays have to tender a contract to these players – they can also let them walk into free agency if they don’t want to play ball with the salary figures. This may be the case for the likes of Burr and Tate, who are lower on the pecking order compared to the remaining names on the list. Burr may squeak through, considering his impact on the payroll isn’t as hefty compared to some of his counterparts, but there is no guarantee for the right-hander who missed all but two games of the 2025 campaign due to injury.

Outfielder Daulton Varsho sits atop the rankings in both money and arbitration, as he gets an additional year of control thanks to his Super 2 status that he gained with the Arizona Diamondbacks pre-Blue Jays. This will be his last year of arbitration before he hits free agency alongside Kevin Gausman next winter. Following him in the projected figures mark are Eric Lauer and Ernie Clement, two prominent players from the 2025 season who have earned their respective pay bumps for what they accomplished during the regular season and through October.

Lauer had a bounce-back campaign stateside after finishing last season in Korea, becoming a ‘jack of all trades’ for Schneider when it came to pitching out of the rotation or bullpen. For Clement, the New York product was strong on both sides of the field and really shone in the postseason, setting a new Major League record with his 30 hits.

Nick Sandlin and Tyler Heineman round out the group, and they will likely be tendered contracts by the Blue Jays. Sandlin missed a good chunk of the campaign due to various injuries, but when healthy, he was a go-to option for manager John Schneider down in the bullpen. Heineman did his job well as the backup catcher behind Kirk, and there really shouldn’t be a reason to change up the tandem next season.