| News |
|---|
|
Dylan Cease Dylan Cease Tinkering with changeup
Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 10:24 AM
Cease has been working on changing the shape of his four-seam fastball and adding a changeup to his arsenal, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The right-hander has always had premium raw stuff in his high-90s fastball, which averaged a career-high 98.1 mph in 2025, and plus slider, but his actual results have rarely matched the scouting reports. Adding a change or splitter could help improve his numbers against left-handed hitters -- last season with the Padres, Cease had a 4.00 K/BB and 31.4 percent strikeout rate against RHP, but just a 2.36 K/BB and 28.0 percent K rate against LHP. Until he begins using any new pitches in game action, however, there's no reason to expect something radically different than the pitch mix that saw him use his four-seamer and slider 83.1 percent of the time last year. |
|
Davis Schneider Davis Schneider Ticketed for short-side platoon
Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 10:04 AM
Schneider will handle the short side of a platoon with Nathan Lukes in left field to begin the season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: With Anthony Santander (shoulder) potentially set to miss the entire season, the Blue Jays will turn to their collection of role players to fill the gap in the lineup. Schneider hasn't shown a platoon split in the majors and actually hit better against right-handed pitching in 2025, posting a .915 OPS against same-handed hurlers in 99 plate appearances versus a .708 OPS in 129 PAs versus lefties. It's possible that if the 27-year-old doesn't improve those numbers, he could lose playing time to the defensively superior Myles Straw. |
|
Nathan Lukes Nathan Lukes Set to platoon in left field
Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 9:58 AM
Lukes will likely be on the strong side of a platoon with Davis Schneider in left field to begin the season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: With Anthony Santander (shoulder) potentially set to miss the entire season, the Blue Jays will turn to their collection of role players to fill the gap in the lineup. Lukes has more than held his own against right-handed pitching in the majors, slashing .266/.330/.421 with all 13 of his career homers over 488 plate appearances since 2023. |
|
Addison Barger Addison Barger Set to be primary right fielder
Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 9:54 AM
Barger will see most of his playing time in right field this season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The 26-year-old might have bounced between right field and third base once again if the Blue Jays had headed into 2026 fully healthy, but with Anthony Santander (shoulder) set for another long absence, Barger will be needed more in the outfield. He could still wind up on the strong side of a platoon after slashing just .217/.270/.337 against left-handed pitching in 2025, but Toronto doesn't have an obvious candidate to pair him with in right field aside from the light-hitting Myles Straw. Maintaining his stamina in a full-time role will be Barger's biggest task, however -- he held a .264/.318/.512 slash line at the end of July last year, but managed just a .205/.270/.360 line the rest of the way in the regular season. |
|
Eric Lauer Eric Lauer Loses arbitration battle
Wed, Feb 11, 2026, 2:44 PM
Lauer will earn $4.4 million in 2026 after losing his arbitration hearing with the Blue Jays on Wednesday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Lauer had filed for a $5.75 million salary, coming off a 2025 campaign in which he delivered a 3.18 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 102:26 K:BB in 104.2 innings. The veteran lefty brought some stability to the back end of the Toronto rotation for much of the summer before he transitioned into a relief role once the Blue Jays regained some health with the returns of Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer from injuries. Scherzer is now a free agent, but with Toronto retaining Bieber, trading for Dylan Cease and preparing breakout postseason star Trey Yesavage for a full-time rotation spot in 2026, Lauer could see a larger share of his appearances out of the bullpen during the upcoming season. |
|
Juan Yepez Juan Yepez Catches on with Toronto
Wed, Feb 11, 2026, 9:31 AM
Yepez agreed to a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Tuesday, Eric Treuden of JustBaseball.com reports.
Analysis: The 27-year-old appeared in 166 games with the Cardinals and Nationals from 2022-24, but he's expected to serve as organizational depth for the Jays and is unlikely to make a push for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Yepez spent the entire 2025 season in the minors, slashing .222/.289/.316 with four home runs across 235 plate appearances at Triple-A Rochester. |
|
Jeff Hoffman Jeff Hoffman Receives vote of confidence
Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 5:54 PM
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Tuesday that he's "100 percent confident if [Hoffman] is closing most games," Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Analysis: GM Ross Atkins said early in the offseason that the Blue Jays weren't committed to using Hoffman as their primary closer in 2026, but it appears that's how the club will enter spring training. Toronto inked submariner Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million contract during the winter to bolster the bullpen, but he has just three saves across the past four seasons despite consistently working in a high-leverage role and may be better suited for setup work. Hoffman's first season with the Blue Jays in 2025 was an up-and-down affair, as he closed the regular season with a 4.37 ERA and 1.19 WHIP while converting 33 of 40 save chances. |
|
Yimi Garcia Yimi Garcia Elbow feeling good
Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 5:48 PM
Manager John Schneider said Tuesday that Garcia is feeling good and has thrown for numerous weeks following surgery in September to clean up scar tissue in his right elbow, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Analysis: The Blue Jays will remain cautious with Garcia's buildup, but the team hopes he will be ready for Opening Day. The surgery the right-hander had on his elbow effectively ended his 2025 season as he was placed on the 60-day injured list at the end of August. |
|
Shane Bieber Shane Bieber Will open on IL
Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 4:29 PM
Bieber will have a delayed build-up during spring training and will begin the season on the injured list due to right forearm fatigue, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Analysis: After making five appearances in the playoffs -- including Game 7 of the World Series versus the Dodgers -- Bieber reported to have pitched through forearm fatigue late in the year, and he's still not back up to full strength a few months later. The right-hander also made seven regular-season starts last season in his return from Tommy John surgery, and it's not a major surprise he's dealing with some fatigue after an extended playoff run. Manager John Schneider described Bieber as "feeling good," so he may not need too much time on the shelf to begin 2026. |
|
Bowden Francis Bowden Francis Out for 2026
Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 4:16 PM
Manager John Schneider revealed Tuesday that Francis is undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow and will miss the 2026 season, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Francis dealt with a right shoulder impingement during the 2025 season that landed him on the injured list in June. He was able to commence a throwing program in August after some prior setbacks and had managed to face hitters during live batting practice. However, with the right-hander set for Tommy John surgery, he may not pitch in a game for 12 to 18 months. |
|
Anthony Santander Anthony Santander Slated for surgery
Tue, Feb 10, 2026, 4:16 PM
Manager John Schneider said Tuesday that Santander will undergo left labral surgery Wednesday and will miss roughly 5-6 months, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Analysis: Santander was limited to just 54 regular-season games last year while battling injuries in his left shoulder and back. He said earlier in the offseason that he was feeling much better but later suffered a setback in January while ramping up his hitting progression, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. The 31-year-old's recovery timeline leaves room for him to return before the end of the regular season, though that isn't likely to happen until after the All-Star break. With Santander out, the Blue Jays will likely rely on Nathan Lukes and Davis Schneider to start in left field for the first half of the season. |
|
Jose Berrios Jose Berrios Role uncertain heading into camp
Sun, Feb 8, 2026, 9:22 AM
Berrios (elbow) doesn't have a clear path to a spot in the Blue Jays rotation to begin the season, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Berrios endured a tough 2025, finishing the regular season on the IL due to a sore elbow and then getting left off the postseason roster. The veteran right-hander has made 30-plus starts in five straight seasons, with last year's 166.0 innings representing his lowest total for a full campaign since 2017 with Minnesota, but Toronto's offseason moves to bring in Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce would seem to have Berrios ticketed for the Opening Day bullpen. He still has three years and $67 million left on his contract as well, which will make him tough to trade given his mediocre 4.17 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 11.8 percent K%-BB% in 2025. With Shane Bieber (forearm) and Trey Yesavage both having potential workload concerns, however, Berrios could still end up getting plenty of starts in 2026 while filling a swingman role. |
|
Josh Fleming Josh Fleming Inks NRI pact with Blue Jays
Thu, Feb 5, 2026, 1:07 PM
The Blue Jays signed Fleming to a minor-league contract Wednesday that includes an invitation to spring training, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Fleming spent all of the 2025 season at Triple-A Tacoma in the Mariners organization, collecting a 4.91 ERA and 44:29 K:BB over 84.1 innings. The 29-year-old lefty has plenty of past experience as a starting pitcher but has primarily been a reliever the last three years, and that's likely how he'll be deployed in his projected destination of Triple-A Buffalo. |
|
Trey Yesavage Trey Yesavage Looking to increase repertoire
Mon, Feb 2, 2026, 9:38 AM
Yesavage would like to add a curveball to his pitch mix this season, Kristjan Lautens of the Toronto Star reports.
Analysis: The 22-year-old right-hander rocketed through the Blue Jays' system last season after being the 20th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft, beginning the campaign at Single-A Dunedin and ending it by setting a World Series record for strikeouts in a game by a rookie. Yesavage leaned heavily on his fastball in the majors while mixing in a slider and splitter nearly equally, but he knows he'll need to give big-league hitters another wrinkle now that they've had a look at him. "I have a funky [over the top] arm angle, so I've just got to play around with it. I would love [a pitch] that moves glove side," he said last week. Jays GM Ross Atkins has already indicated Yesavage will begin the year in the rotation, and after he threw 139.2 innings across all levels including the postseason in 2025, he won't have a strict innings limit. |
|
CJ Stubbs CJ Stubbs Grabs NRI deal from Toronto
Fri, Jan 30, 2026, 2:36 PM
The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
Analysis: Stubbs made his major-league debut in 2025 with the Nationals, going hitless in three plate appearances. The 29-year-old will merely be organizational catching depth for the Blue Jays at Triple-A Buffalo. |
|
Connor Seabold Connor Seabold Joins Toronto on MiLB deal
Sun, Jan 25, 2026, 11:30 AM
Seabold signed a minor-league contract with the Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Analysis: Seabold split the 2025 campaign between Tampa Bay and Atlanta, allowing five earned runs with a 10:6 K:BB over 10.1 innings. The 29-year-old spent the rest of the campaign at the Triple-A level, where he scuffled to a 6.07 ERA and 1.42 WHIP across 69.2 frames. |
|
Eloy Jimenez Eloy Jimenez Inks minor-league deal with Toronto
Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 8:44 PM
Jimenez and the Blue Jays agreed on a minor-league contract Sunday, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
Analysis: Jimenez will stick around with the Blue Jays' organization after ending the 2025 campaign with Triple-A Durham. The 29-year-old batted .278 with three home runs, 29 RBI, 14 runs scored and a stolen base over 151 at-bats in 40 contests with Durham last year. Jimenez has reportedly lost 20 pounds since the end of the 2025 campaign, and he has been playing in the Dominican winter league. Additionally, the contract he signed Sunday includes a spring training invite. |
|
Ernie Clement Ernie Clement Dodges arbitration
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 1:35 PM
Clement signed a one-year, $4.6 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Analysis: Clement slashed .277/.313/.398 with 50 RBI and 83 runs scored over 588 plate appearances in the 2025 regular season before batting an absurd .411 with nine RBI and scoring 13 runs during Toronto's postseason run, which fell just one game short of a World Series title. The 29-year-old will receive a $2.63 million raise as a reward for his efforts and will likely spend most of his time at second base in 2026 following the Jays' acquisition of third baseman Kazuma Okamoto during the offseason. |
|
Daulton Varsho Daulton Varsho Takes $10.75 million from Jays
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 1:27 PM
Varsho signed a one-year, $10.75 million contract with the Blue Jays on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Analysis: Varsho will take a cool $2.55 million raise for 2026 after slashing .238/.284/.548 with 20 homers, 55 RBI and 43 runs scored in the regular season over 271 plate appearances. The 29-year-old outfielder is due to enter free agency next winter. |
|
Tyler Heineman Tyler Heineman Agrees to terms
Thu, Jan 8, 2026, 10:33 AM
Heineman agreed to a one-year, $1,237,500 deal with the Blue Jays on Thursday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
Analysis: The 34-year-old catcher is set to return as Alejandro Kirk's backup after avoiding arbitration. Heineman had a career year in 2025, logging 2.1 fWAR after having never been worth a full win over replacement in any prior season. He slashed .289/.361/.416 with three home runs, two steals and a 17.8 percent strikeout rate in 174 plate appearances. |
Connect With Us:
