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Blue Jays 2025 Opening Day roster: Where are they now?
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Photo credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
Aidan Sinclair
Feb 15, 2026, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 15, 2026, 08:25 EST
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Baseball is finally back, and until at least October, the Blue Jays will be playing games come Saturday, February 21st.
The 162-game regular season schedule is incredibly gruelling, and it takes a village to get through the dog days of August and even an Opening Day game against the Orioles in March, such as Dick Lovelady and Jacob Barnes being used on Opening Day last year.
The Jays have seen notable turnover from their 2025 Opening Day roster heading into 2026, so let’s take a look at where some of their now former players are today. 

Bo Bichette – New York Mets 

A member of the organization since 2016, Bichette was one of the faces of the franchise alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ever since he made his big league debut in 2019.
A consistent contact hitter that could spray the ball to all parts of the field, Bichette was the backbone of the Jays’ offence the past seven seasons. An unforgettable bomb off Shohei Ohtani in game seven of the World Series will be a lasting memory of his efforts in the Blue Jays’ blue, and fans should remember him fondly for his time in Toronto.
This offseason, a return to Canada for Bichette appeared inevitable at first, though after signing Kazuma Okamoto, it became increasingly likely that Bichette would look to play elsewhere in 2026. On January 20th, the New York Mets inked a three-year, $126 million deal with the now third baseman, officially ending his Blue Jays tenure. 

Chris Bassitt – Baltimore Orioles

The hound on the mound.
Bassitt was an absolute workhorse during his three seasons with the Blue Jays, pitching over 170 innings each season. After a late-season injury in 2025, Bassitt would return in the ALCS against the Mariners in a bullpen role and was dominant, posting a 1.04 ERA across 8.2 playoff innings. His outing in the 8th inning of game seven of the ALCS was truly remarkable, as he put any chance of a Mariners comeback to rest, eventually helping the team move on to their first World Series in 32 years.
This past Wednesday, Bassitt signed a one-year, $18.5 million deal with the Orioles and will remain in the AL East for at least another season. 

Alan Roden – Minnesota Twins 

A non-roster invitee heading into 2025 Spring Training, Roden was a force to be reckoned with in the minor leagues after being drafted by the Jays in the third round of the 2022 draft. Daulton Varsho was unready to begin the season on the Opening Day roster after recovering from shoulder surgery, and George Springer’s performance in Spring was abysmal at best, allowing Roden the opportunity to earn big league playing time.
A 1.250 OPS in Spring Training was enough to warrant an Opening Day roster spot, and he would hit his first Major League home run on April 15th. His production immediately faded against top-tier pitching, and he was demoted to Triple-A Buffalo come early May. Roden would be dealt at the trade deadline alongside Kendry Rojas for reliever Louis Varland and infielder Ty France, and Varland appears to be a staple in the bullpen for many years to come. 

Will Wagner – San Diego Padres

Acquired at the 2024 trade deadline from the Houston Astros as part of the Yusei Kikuchi deal, Wagner hit well down the stretch with a .305 batting average and .788 OPS.
Heading into 2025, he earned an Opening Day role as a utility infielder, faded in April, and was demoted back to Triple-A Buffalo by early May. Though he improved in July with a .286 batting average, he simply didn’t have a bona fide position on what was becoming a true playoff contender. Thus, he was shipped out at the 2025 trade deadline to the Padres in exchange for switch-hitting catcher Brandon Valenzuela, joining another crowded infield. 

Nick Sandlin – Los Angeles Angels

Sandlin was acquired last offseason as part of the Andres Gimenez trade and immediately became a fixture in Toronto’s bullpen.
A 2.25 ERA in his first eight innings pitched while picking up a save looked promising for the 29-year-old, though he would soon go down with elbow inflammation, an injury that would resurface in early July, officially ending his Blue Jays tenure. Overall, he threw just 16.1 innings for the club and was outrighted to triple-A Buffalo in November to clear a 40-man spot, before clearing waivers and electing free agency. The Angels picked him up in January on a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training, and he’ll have a chance to make their Opening Day roster if he performs. 

Richard Lovelady – Washington Nationals 

Lovelady was signed to a minor league deal last offseason and made the Opening Day roster out of Spring Training, though he wasn’t able to make it to April with the big league club. He appeared in two games in the Opening series against the Orioles, hit three batters, gave up four runs, and was DFA’d shortly after, before being claimed by the Mets and pitching 10 innings before eventually being released this offseason.
In January, he was claimed off waivers by the Nationals on a one-year, one-million-dollar deal. 

Yariel Rodriguez – DFA’d in December 

Early this offseason, Rodriguez was DFA’d by the Jays, cleared waivers, and was eventually outrighted off the 40-man roster, meaning he will have to compete for a bullpen role heading into Spring Training.
Rodriguez still has three years and $21.3 million left on the five-year deal that he signed ahead of the 2024 season, and was solid in the first half of 2025, posting a 2.53 ERA through 53.1 innings. Unfortunately, come the postseason, he was unplayable, pitching to a 10.13 ERA across 2.2 innings before being left off the World Series roster. 

Max Scherzer/Chad Green/Jacob Barnes – Free agents 

Scherzer provided exactly what the Blue Jays needed in 2025: quality innings in the playoffs. Though his regular season wasn’t pretty, he will forever be remembered for his time in Toronto for his game four performance against the Mariners, going 5.2 innings and earning the win.
With recent injuries to Shane Bieber and Bowden Francis, a reunion is a possibility and would be a clubhouse benefit, though ultimately, it’s unlikely we see Scherzer in Toronto in 2026. Green struggled mightily in 2025, posting a 5.56 ERA and giving up 14 home runs, before being DFA’d right before the trade deadline. Barnes lasted only until mid-April before being cut after pitching to a 9.00 ERA in eight innings. 

Anthony Santander/Bowden Francis – Injured 

The last two players on this list are still a part of the organization, though unfortunately, both went down with surgeries as Spring Training opened this past Wednesday. Santander was brought in last offseason, expected to provide power in the middle of the lineup, and ended up being a negative asset to an eventual World Series-calibre roster. Fans hoped he would recover from shoulder injuries a season ago and be healthy in 2026, though he most recently underwent left labral surgery and will be out for 5-6 months.
There is still a chance he returns at the end of the season, though this is not the case for Francis, who will be out all of 2026 with UCL reconstruction surgery. 
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