Despite already having a busy winter, the Blue Jays are reportedly still in the hunt for Kyle Tucker and potentially others as the offseason continues. Whether that happens or not, there’s a high likelihood we see them make a trade or two before Opening Day.

The primary reason for this is that the Jays are in an enviable position of having “too many” viable MLB regulars. Of course, you can never have too many good players; however, they’ll need to juggle spots on their 26-man roster once the regular season gets going, and they’ll also want to be mindful of keeping positive vibes in their clubhouse. To do that, part of the job of an MLB manager is to make sure that their players are getting enough opportunities, especially when they have been earned through strong performances in the present, and in the case of the early part of the regular season schedule, what they contributed the year prior. For a Blue Jays team that came within inches of winning their third World Series title in franchise history, there are plenty of contributors who have earned those opportunities.

While the roster is likely close to a finished product after a busy off-season, it’s probably safe to say that the Blue Jays will have a few moves left to make. The biggest domino remaining will be whether or not they can sign Tucker, who they’ve been linked to and considered a favourite for the 4x All-Star for quite some time, and also the possibility that they could try and bring Bo Bichette back to Toronto as well.

The latter feels a lot less likely based on the recent reports floating around in the media, which makes sense after they added another infielder in Kazuma Okamoto, who is expected to get plenty of playing time at third base. Adding Okamoto likely means that Ernie Clement will slide over to second base the majority of the time, although both of them are versatile enough that they don’t have to be locked into one spot. That kind of versatility is a pretty common thing for the Blue Jays, and while it will give them plenty of options and coverage in case of injury, there will still be limitations to what Schneider can do to get all of his deserving players on the field.

With or without another premium bat added to the fold, the biggest hurdle to manage will be the volume of depth they’re looking at right now. That challenge could be particularly difficult with their position players, where you could make the case that they have 17 or more viable options to fit in roughly 13 spots. Here’s how things likely stack up as of this writing:

Alejandro Kirk
Tyler Heineman

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Ernie Clement

Andres Gimenez
Leo Jimenez (out of options)

Kazuma Okamoto

George Springer
Daulton Varsho
Anthony Santander
Addison Barger
Nathan Lukes
Davis Schneider
Myles Straw
Joey Loperfido
Jonatan Clase

17 players are obviously more than they can carry, and while there are a few with minor league options remaining, it may not be as cut and dry as it seems.

Fortunately, Barger, Lukes, Schneider, Clase, and Loperfido all have at least one minor league option remaining, but the first three have reached the point that they deserve to be on a big league roster. They can probably plan to start Loperfido and Clase in Buffalo to begin the year, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see them shop the former around a bit after the solid performance he gave the Jays in 2025. They could also consider sending Schneider or Lukes down to AAA as well, but that feels like a pretty tough sell for a pair of guys that shared the left field job in a platoon in 2025, and finished the season hitting in the 2-hole between Springer and Guerrero Jr.

Jimenez has been a long-time fixture in the organization, but he’ll enter this season out of minor league options, and it feels like a stretch that there will be a roster spot for him unless an injury or two opens up a job. Assuming everyone is healthy to start the season, the easiest solution would be to trade Jimenez and send Loperfido and Clase back to Buffalo, but that only works if the roster stays as is before Opening Day, and there would still be at least one more cut to make. If they do bring in another bat like Tucker, Bichette, or someone else, the roster squeeze becomes a bigger challenge to navigate. On top of that, it appears that Lukes and Schneider are likely on the outside looking in as far as a starting job goes in their 2025 platoon, but that’s a less pressing issue, at least for now.

On the pitching side of the ledger, which feels a fair bit more finalized than the hitters, here’s what we’re currently looking at:

Kevin Gausman
Dylan Cease
Shane Bieber
Trey Yesavage
Jose Berrios
Cody Ponce

Jeff Hoffman
Trevor Rogers
Yimi Garcia
Louis Varland
Brendon Little
Mason Fluharty
Eric Lauer
Tommy Nance
Chase Lee
Yariel Rodriguez *
Spencer Miles (Rule 5)
Angel Bastardo (Rule 5- 2024)

There’s a bit more flexibility with the pitchers, and there may be a greater need to massage the roster in the early part of the 2026 season.

It’s entirely possible that Bieber may not be fully ready for Opening Day, and/or the Jays may elect to start things slowly for Yesavage after they pushed him so hard during last year’s post-season run. Assuming one or both of them are not available to begin the regular season, then the rotation will sort itself out, and Lauer may even be asked to make a few starts as well, which he proved to be more than capable of in 2025.

As for the bullpen, the main thing that stands out to me is that Nance is out of minor league options, so he’ll have to make the team to begin the year, or the Blue Jays could look to find a trade partner for him. It’s also possible that Yariel Rodriguez pitches his way into a job on the big league roster as well, but after clearing waivers last season, the Jays have more flexibility there and can retain him without giving him a big league spot. The same can’t be said for Spencer Miles, though, who they’ll have to keep on the MLB roster if they want to avoid sending him back to the Giants, as he was a recent Rule 5 draft pick. As for Bastardo, he was a Rule 5 pick from 2024, and because he spent last season on the IL while recovering from Tommy John surgery, the rules are a little different for him. He needs to spend just 90 days on the active roster; otherwise, the Jays would have to return him to Boston. There could very well end up being some tough choices for Ross Atkins and company this spring, but injuries and circumstances may make their job a lot easier.

One other hurdle could be the role waiting for Jose Berrios, who has gone from an Opening Day starter in three of the last four seasons, to a veteran who could be on the outside looking in.

Thanks to injury and inconsistent performance in the second half, Berrios was not part of the playoff roster that made the magical run to the World Series, and it was widely reported that he wasn’t happy about it, with even Atkins publicly admitting as much (which still shocks me). At the beginning of the off-season, I fully expected that he’d eventually find himself in a new uniform, but so far he remains a Blue Jay. It could stay that way as well, thanks to his complicated contract that will pay him $19 million in 2026, and comes with an opt-out for the veteran on the last two years of his deal.

With those variables in play, it may be easier said than done to trade him, especially if they want to get something of value in return, but it’s entirely possible that could still happen. That may especially be the case if the Blue Jays do acquire another expensive hitter, as the salary relief from moving him could be their greatest motivation, even if they have to pay part of the contract down.

So while it feels like the Blue Jays’ roster is almost set ahead of the 2026 campaign, there are still plenty of moving parts and a handful of questions that remain. Regardless, they should be in the mix again as legitimate contenders, and it’s an exciting time to be a Blue Jays fan.

Love baseball? Don’t miss The 6ix Inning Stretch — the brand new podcast from The Nation Network, presented by Betway. Hosted by Toronto sports reporter Lindsay Dunn and 3-time MLB All-Star Whit Merrifield, this weekly show delivers insider stories, unfiltered Jays talk, player interviews, and expert analysis from around the majors. New episodes drop every Wednesday — listen on your favourite podcast platform or watch on the Bluejaysnation YouTube channel.