The Toronto Blue Jays have signed their first noteworthy position player this winter in Kazuma Okamoto, a corner infielder who has been one of the most consistent bats in Japan over the past five seasons. The right-handed hitting 29-year-old brings power to this lineup to complement Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Daulton Varsho, George Springer, and Addison Barger and makes this team better on paper.

However, with this acquisition, a subtraction will need to be made. The Jays boast a full 40-man roster and will need to subtract before they add to this lineup. They are carrying two Rule 5 Draft players and a couple of names that will hit the 60-day IL once that period opens up, but this offseason, the Jays will need to move at least one name off to make the Okamoto signing official.

When it comes to players being DFA’d in the offseason, the usual suspect is depth pitching. Whether it is a reliever or a starter, teams across the league will usually move on from some depth pitchers if they need space on the 40-man roster. The Jays did this already this offseason when they DFA’d Justin Bruihl and later traded him to Cleveland.

Toronto finds itself in a similar situation weeks later and could turn to the pitching staff to create that needed 40-man roster spot. This is a thinned-out group compared to what the Jays had to work with earlier this winter when it comes to DFA fodder.

Paxton Schultz and Lazardo Estrada could fit this group, with the Jays potentially trying to sneak either pitcher through the waiver wire and then stashing them back in Triple-A, as neither pitcher has enough service time to head to free agency. Newcomer Chase Lee could also be DFA’d for this roster move given the Jays bullpen outlook. Tommy Nance is another pitcher who could be cut loose, especially if the Jays don’t think he will make the Opening Day roster this year (more on him later).

The Jays’ front office could also cut Angel Bastardo loose, who would have to be returned to the Boston Red Sox as per the Rule 5 Draft process. This seems less likely compared to someone like Estrada or Schultz being DFA’d, but there is a possibility that Toronto pivots to just letting Spencer Miles be the lone Rule 5 name in the mix in Dunedin come February.

As the Jays head into the 2026 season, there are a few players who need to make the Opening Day roster or must be DFA’d from the 40-man.

Nance is one of those players who could be on the outside looking in when it comes to the bullpen picture this upcoming season after the additions of Cody Ponce and Trevor Rogers, while Yimi Garcia and Eric Lauer are also back in the relief pitchers fold. The right-hander has fewer than the years of service time to elect free agency (per FanGraphs), and the Jays have snuck him through the DFA waiver wire before with success, so they could go back to that well.

When it comes to options, infielder Leo Jimenez and outfielder Jonatan Clase head into the new season out of options and given the current roster outlook, there is no guarantee either player will have a spot on the Opening Day roster. The Jays could choose to let both compete this spring to prove their worth and figure that move out later, or they could DFA and move on from either player early to clear space for Okamoto, likely trading Jimenez or Clase for a prospect or cash considerations.

Tyler Heineman is another player who is out of options heading into 2026, and the Jays do have some depth behind him in Brandon Valenzuela, who was added to the 40-man roster earlier this winter. Quite a bit of confidence in saying that Heineman’s roster spot is safe but stranger things have happened.

Speaking of cutting players loose, the Jays have a logjam in the outfield and could solve a couple of problems with some moves in the next few days.

As of right now, there isn’t enough playing time to go around for the likes of Joey Loperfido, Nathan Lukes, and Davis Schneider, and that jam becomes amplified if the front office continues spending and brings in someone like Bo Bichette or Kyle Tucker. If it wasn’t for the Jays lack of established depth in Triple-A for the rotation and the question marks surroudning Jose Berrios, I would fit Lauer into this section. This would give him a chance to join a rotation before he hits free agency next winter to increase his value, but I doubt the front office will move on from him after what he did last season for the club and without more pitching insurance behind them.

The prospect capital in return won’t be earth shattering by any means except for potentially Loperfido, who holds a bit more weight in a trade given his age and power output, but moving some names who will be sitting on the bench or rotting away in Triple-A might be the solution to creating some space on the 40-man. There are different arguements to be made on who could be traded: skill, position, options, arbitration stance, etc., but at the end of the day, there’s not enough space for everyone to play and for someone like Lukes or Loperfido, who could be everyday players on the right team, it might be a benefit for the player as well.

This idea is trickier to pull off compared to designating a player but if the right trade partner is there, there is some merit. For example, there will always be the risk that someone like Loperfido turns into a superstar when given some runway to play, but that’s the cost of doing business sometimes. We’ve also seen prospects and players come up through the minors and struggle to break through in the big leagues at a consistent basis, so it flows both ways.

If I had to guess, I think Leo Jimenez’s time might be up with the Jays organization. He’s out of options and with Okamoto joining the club as a potential third base option, it seems like Jimenez will be further down the depth chart than the likes of Schneider, Ernie Clement, and the host of others who can slot into the infield. DFA Jimenez and trade him to a team that can use him on an everyday basis and hope an Otto Lopez 2.0 situation doesn’t rear it’s ugly head.