Pitchers and catchers have officially reported on February 11th, marking the end of a long, dreaded offseason.

For the Blue Jays, the winter has been quite a roller coaster as they were in the mix for bigger free agents from the start. While Toronto may not have come on top of every free agent bidding, the team enters spring training in decent shape with some question marks.

Without further ado, here’s a quick recap of the good, bad, ugly and the amazing things that transpired for the Blue Jays this offseason.

The Blue Jays were aggressive from the outset of the offseason after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series. Passivity wasn’t an option for AL champions, especially with a massive target on the back.

With their incredible playoff run, Toronto became an attractive destination for many players. Consequently, this led to the Blue Jays successfully signing some of the top free agents in the market.

In December, Toronto’s front office signed former Cy Young finalist Dylan Cease and Choi Dong-Won award (KBO) winner Cody Ponce as starters and submariner Tyler Rogers as a late-inning reliever. That momentum carried over to January when the Blue Jays signed infielder and star NPB player Kazuma Okamoto to a multi-year deal, adding a power bat to the lineup.

These signings filled major holes in the Blue Jays’ roster and solidified the team as one of the winners of the offseason. The core objective of the winter was bringing more pitching depth; the Blue Jays did so by handing out contracts to heavy-hitting pitchers. On the position player side, Toronto only signed Okamoto as its big prize, showing the front office’s trust in his ability to bring offensive advantage.

By and large, these offseason moves positioned the Blue Jays as a legitimate contender for the upcoming season and as the ones to beat in the AL East.

While the Blue Jays may have secured solid free agents, they also lost out on a couple of significant bids. Toronto was heavily involved in conversations with Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette all winter. Even though they pushed harder for Tucker to round out their outfield and offensive capabilities, they didn’t completely close the doors on a potential reunion with Bichette.

However, Toronto ended up losing out on both players when Tucker chose to sign with the Dodgers, and Bichette shook hands with the New York Mets on a shorter-term deal. The mission was to bring at least one of the two top position players, but things didn’t go the Blue Jays’ way this time.

That miss could cost the Blue Jays down the stretch for the 2026 season if their lineup doesn’t perform to its highest level consistently. Their offence now doesn’t have Bichette, which could prove to be a huge loss in overall offensive production. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. can’t carry the entire offence himself; he will need a lot more from all parts of the lineup this year.

Toronto benefited from many players stepping up and having their career seasons last season, including Ernie Clement, George Springer and even role players like Myles Straw. There will be a lot of pressure for Okamoto, Springer, and Addison Barger to put forward strong seasons to help make up for Bichette’s lost production.

Last year, the Blue Jays weren’t particularly lucky on the injury side. That trend, unfortunately, continues to this day with Shane Bieber and outfielder Anthony Santander starting the season on the IL, while right-hander Bowden Francis will miss the season after undergoing UCL surgery.

The starting pitching depth the Blue Jays built this offseason should help them go through most of the season without having to rely on Bieber’s production. Where things become hairy is the lineup. Without Santander, the Blue Jays’ depth isn’t quite deep, especially on the power front.

Santander could have helped Toronto add more power if he could theoretically hit between 20 and 30 home runs this season, which the front office has seen him do before when he was a member of the Baltimore Orioles. But his shoulder surgery will take him out for five or six months, leaving the Blue Jays to scramble around for the power they desperately need, once again putting added pressure on Okamoto and the other internal options.

Toronto’s front office remains confident in the position player core they created despite Bichette’s departure. For an offence that depended on a mix of versatility, good contact and some power, the 2026 lineup has a lot to live up to, whether the Blue Jays like it or not.

The Blue Jays’ blindside has been their history. Other teams around the league mostly display their history and show pride in where they come from and how they have been built. But the Blue Jays didn’t have any part of the stadium that showed off their history, and the only thing that was indicative of anything was the Ted Rogers statue.

Thankfully, that’s changing this year as Toronto announced Joe Carter’s statue in honour of his World Series-winning home run in 1993. It should have been done a long time ago, but the fact that Toronto’s front office is working on this now indicates its intention of showcasing even more of the team’s history down the line. History serves as a guidepost for the future as much as it is a reflection of the past.

The Toronto Blue Jays are officially celebrating their 50th anniversary this season, and the team isn’t taking that lightly. They now have a history to tell. Now is the time to expand on that mission.

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