The Toronto Blue Jays are fresh off competing in the 2025 World Series, and looking ahead to next season, there already appears to be a battle brewing in the AL East division.

It’s safe to say that the Jays exceeded expectations last year, finishing in a tie for the division lead, which they won due to holding the tiebreaker over the Yankees. The club utilized their strengths in the lineup under new hitting coach David Popkins to keep passing the baton down the order, whittling down opposing starters and bullpen options while the pitching staff was striking out opposing bats regularly.

Not every series was clean or easy; the Jays didn’t figure things out until a few months into the year, but the clubhouse was in a good spot, and the club continued to find ways to win games to put themselves in October baseball.

With all this in mind, the 2026 season is going to be a battle. While the New York Yankees haven’t made the big acquisition fans expect from the club this winter, other teams within the division continue to find ways to get better.

Here are some notable players that teams within the AL East have added:

Each team is doing something a little different, and it should be noted that there are still numerous free agents out there that each one of these teams could easily sign, especially the Yankees and Red Sox. Cody Bellinger and the Yankees continue to talk, as well as the Bronx Bombers being tied to Japanese starter Tatsuya Imai.  The Red Sox have been tied to Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette this winter and have made some sneaky, solid trades this winter. These are two teams that still have some money to spend (or so it seems) and also have some depth in the farm system to make some trades as well, a theory the Red Sox have tested this winter with all their notable acquisitions this winter.

The most interesting team of the group is the Baltimore Orioles, an organization that has normally stayed on the sidelines in free agency when it comes to high-value acquisitions.

New ownership in David Rubenstein and co. has bucked that narrative early this winter, especially with the signings of Alonso and Helsley, and the Orioles are easily one team that could find themselves at the top of the division next year. The Orioles have one of the deadliest younger lineups in the league when everyone is healthy, led by Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Samuel Basallo, Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg, Tyler O’Neill, Colton Cowser, Dylan Beavers, and now Alonso and Ward added in. This doesn’t include Enrique Bradfield Jr., who should be knocking on the MLB door this season as well, and the club could move some outfielders in a trade to help boost the pitching staff.

For Baltimore, their biggest weakness is their pitching, which should be boosted by the additions of Baz and Helsley, as well as the return of Andrew Kittredge to the pen.  This is a solid place to start, even with the deduction of Grayson Rodriguez in the Ward trade and the injury concerns that follow Baz. The Orioles need another starter or two to really cement themselves atop the division leaderboard, but there is no question that their lineup is deadly on a day-to-day basis.

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to make questionable moves and appear to be geared more towards a rebuild than competing. They have moved Kameron Misner, Eric Orze, Tristan Gray, Brandon Lowe, Jake Magnum, Mason Montgomery, and Baz this winter while letting Adrian Houser, Pete Faribanks, Alex Faedo, Bob Seymour, and Christopher Morel walk.

In return, they have strengthened their farm system, led by OF Jacob Melton, RHP Michael Forret, OF Slater de Brun, OF Austin Overn, and C Caden Bodine, but their active roster has seen some considerable downgrades. Their highlight signings this winter have been Steven Matz and Cedric Mullins, and while the likes of Shane McClanahan, Ryan Pepiot, Griffin Jax, and Junior Caminero are lurking on the active roster, compared to the rest of the division, it’s arguably one of the weaker lineups in comparison to the AL East.

The Rays have been one of the lower spenders in free agency, and the organization has some off-the-field issues to resolve surrounding their stadium moving forward, but this team is shaping up to be towards the bottom of the division, even with the return of Tropicana Field to their 2026 lineup.

Credit to the Toronto Blue Jays, in that they have taken this newfound success and used it to enhance their pitching early this winter.

Even with the departures of Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, and Seranthony Dominguez, the pitching corps for Toronto appears to be in better shape heading into 2026. RHP Dylan Cease is the big acquisition so far this winter, and his high strikeout numbers should bode well with the current rotation. Adding KBO MVP Cody Ponce, reliever Tyler Rogers, and trading for reliever Chase Lee gives the Jays that much more power amongst the group, which will also get a boost from a full year of Louis Varland, the return of Yimi Garcia, and the emergence of Mason Fluharty and Braydon Fisher last winter. While there is some hot stove reporting in relation to whether Jose Berrios will remain in Toronto this winter, regardless of whether he stays or is traded away, the Jays have players to backfill his spot in the rotation.

The biggest question mark for Toronto remains with their lineup, and the sizeable hole that Bo Bichette has left with his pending free agency.

Bringing back Bichette seems like an absolute no-brainer, as the fan favourite North of the border proved once again this season that when healthy, he is a hitting machine. Bonus points if he keeps his ‘I will play second base’ mentality with Toronto as well, with the Florida product needing to concede the spot to a better fielder, such as Andres Gimenez.

The Jays have also been linked to Kyle Tucker, who is the top name on the market this offseason. Pundits don’t believe the Jays have the firepower to add both him and Bichette this offseason, although postseason success can change ownership valuations if the money keeps coming in and the CBT threshold and penalties that come with it become ‘just the cost of doing business.’ Regardless of where that mentality stands, Tucker has visited the Dunedin Player Development Complex, and Bichette has always been pro returning to Toronto, so it will be interesting to see where the club will move forward with their pursuits of either player. Missing out on both seems far-fetched given the rumour mill and hot stove projections that agents are feeding ‘insiders’ this winter, but there are no front-runners in free agency at the end of the day.

Should Toronto miss out on both, they could turn their attention to a host of other bats, such as Alex Bregman, Eugenio Suarez, or Bellinger, or utilize some of the farm system depth to trade for someone like Ketel Marte or Steven Kwan. It seems like the Jays front office has their heart set on one of the two of Tucker or Bichette, but pivot points are there if needed.

This is all a long-winded way to say that the Blue Jays need to keep adding this winter if they want to compete in the AL East.

The Yankees and Red Sox are likely not done adding, the Orioles’ new ownership group isn’t afraid to spend and should be contending after the outlier they had last season, and the Rays are always sneaky good, even if their lineup isn’t as potent as their division rivals.

The Jays have made great strides on the pitching front, and signing one of Tucker or Bichette likely gives Ross Atkins and co. the A+ grade they deserve from a free agency standpoint, but missing out on either player puts this team behind from their 2026 group from an offensive standpoint, unless Anthony Santander finds a way to be worth the mega contract he signed last winter. There is no indication that the Jays are slowing down anytime soon, which is a good thing for the organization and its fanbase.

Now they just need to cross the finish line and get that final nail in the offseason coffin, whether it is Tucker, Bichette, or both.

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