After a deep postseason run in 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays have to deal with the fallout at the 2026 MLB Draft.

Because of the October run and with the Jays exceeding the second surcharge threshold for the Competitive Balance Tax last year, the club will not step up to the podium until the second round, at pick #39. This is after teams with incentive-earned picks and after the Competitive Balance Round A have been to the stage, and the Colorado Rockies will select for a third time before Toronto picks for the first time.

With this selection, the Blue Jays could go several different routes.

There is a strong mix of prep and college athletes towards the top of the draft leaderboards, and the Jays have a few different needs that could be addressed with this draft. The Jays can’t go wrong with adding another pitcher, trying to capture that Trey Yesavage magic that they experienced in 2024. JoJo Parker was a strong pick last year, and he’s now getting his feet wet in the pro rankings. Arjun Nimmala fell to the Jays in 2023 at #20, and he’s now in Double-A despite being one of the younger players in the league.

If the draft rankings are any potential indicator, there is a chance that the Toronto Blue Jays could draft the first Canadian of the 2026 MLB Draft.

Sean Duncan, a left-hander from the Langley Blaze program hailing from Port Coquitlam, B.C., is the consensus top-ranked Canadian heading into the summer, and with good reason.

Turning 18 tomorrow, Duncan has been dominating the prep ranks over the past few years and has been a mainstay on the Junior National Team, earning MVP Honours (the Russell Martin Award) in 2024 and 2025. Duncan also earned the Prep Baseball Canada Player of the Year honour for 2025 and has been a rising name on the draft leaderboards, starting the 2026 season at #77 and currently finding himself at #40 in their most recent update. Baseball America has him ranked at #43 in their most recent publication.

On the JNT’s most recent trip to Florida this spring to play Rookie Ball players, Duncan made two starts, pitching six innings collectively and allowing just four hits, 1 earned run, and four walks with eight strikeouts, finishing second on the team in terms of punchouts.

The small sample size produced a 1.333 WHIP, 2.01 FIP, and he held opposing bats to a .182 average. Duncan will be heading to the Dominican with the squad next week when they face DSL squads, and he will likely be a name to watch when Team Canada heads to the MLB Draft League again later this summer. The left-hander will also likely be playing south of the border across various Perfect Game tournaments to get in front of scouts and should be on the watchlist for the Prospect Combine later this year before the draft.

Profile-wise, Duncan sits in the low 90s with his fastball but can touch 95-96 MPH and mixes in a slider that generates a ton of swing and miss on the mound while sitting in the low 90s. Duncan also mixes in a changeup that still needs a bit of polish, but is shaping up to be a strong third offering to keep hitters off balance.

For the Blue Jays, Duncan is an exciting name to keep an eye on the draft board.

The Jays have the most background information on Duncan compared to any other big league team because of his time with the Junior National Team, and also through his repeated trips to the Canadian Futures Showcase, which is held and put together through the organization.

Scouts have been flocking to Duncan’s outings south of the border as the JNT squad plays against Rookie Ball teams, but Toronto has a steady presence in Canada from a scouting perspective and features a scout on the West Coast, in Rene Tosoni, who coaches for the Coquitlam Reds (near Langley) and is also part of the coaching staff for the Junior National Team.

The biggest risk will be using a top pick on a perp arm, which comes with substantial risk considering how development can go with a player who is going from the high school rankings to the pro circuit. The Jays used their top pick in 2022 on left-hander Brandon Barriera, a left-hander from American Heritage High School, and injuries have derailed his progression through the system and limited him to just 41 2/3 innings since 2023. The last high school pitcher drafted by the Jays before Barriera was Phil Bickford in 2013, who spurned the Jays for Cal State Fullerton.

Duncan does have a commitment to Vanderbilt in his back pocket, so he could choose to go the college route versus pro if the stars don’t align. However, there is a reasonable chance that Duncan and the Blue Jays could find some common ground this summer, especially if the left-hander continues to pitch at the same level down the stretch and into July.

While the draft rankings never match how the draft unfolds, if there is one player that the Jays have the most history and data on, it is Sean Duncan. For an organization that had so much success with pitcher development last year and ties to Canucks each year in the draft, the soon-to-be 18-year-old B.C. product and the Blue Jays make a lot of sense.

Off The Roster is Toronto sports. Hosted by Cabbie Richards, Lindsay Dunn, and Dan Riccio, this is the go-to morning conversation for everything happening in the 6ix – Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and everything in between. From breakout performances and questionable trades to throwback jerseys, viral moments, and the stories fans are actually talking about—it’s smart, sharp, and never scripted. Live weekday mornings on the Nation Network YouTube channel and available wherever you stream podcasts, the show delivers real opinions, real chemistry, and real Toronto energy. Missed an episode? Catch up anytime. Off The Roster—The new sound of the 6ix.