By admin 
The Toronto Blue Jays have essentially thrown in the towel on the 2026 MLB season, as the team made a series of roster moves on Wednesday, September 23, shutting down several of their veterans for the final five games of the season and calling up youngsters to give them a look before the season ends.
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This was a season from hell for Toronto, which failed to make the playoffs this season after going all the way to Game 7 of the World Series in 2025, narrowly losing to the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers in a failed attempt to win the franchise’s third World Series championship.
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The fact that Toronto didn’t even make the playoffs this season despite having a top-five payroll in MLB is downright sad, as this team should have been in the postseason field.
Instead, the players will all be sitting at home on their couches watching the rest of the playoffs from there.
With the season essentially over, it’s time that Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins looked ahead to the offseason to see what moves he should make to secure Toronto’s postseason spot in 2027 — that is, if there is a season, as the threat of an MLB lockout is very real.
Toronto Needs More Slugging
One thing that’s obvious is that Toronto simply needs more slugging in its lineup, as the team’s lack of home run power really held them back this year.
First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. only had nine home runs this season, which is pathetic given 1B is a bat-first position, and especially considering that he made $40.2 million this year.
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But Guerrero was far from the only problem, as DH George Springer had a down year after being incredible last season.
Springer’s contact is up, and at age 37, the Blue Jays are going to let him go.
If the Blue Jays get back outfielder Anthony Santander, a former 44-home-run hitter, that would help the team’s lineup out a lot. But he’s not exactly a bastion of good health, and Toronto can’t rely on him being back next year.
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The team would be wise to look to the free-agent market and sign either Randy Arozarena or Seiya Suzuki for the corner outfield, as both men are fantastic hitters with mammoth power.
Toronto could also highly consider trading away Ernie Clement after a downseason and potentially reuiniting with former star Bo Bichette, should he opt out of his contract with the New York Mets, as most expect him to do this offseason.
Regardless of who they sign, one thing is clear: This team needs more slug, and they need more game-breakers. Otherwise, they are going to miss the playoffs again next season.
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Blue Jays Need More Pitching Depth
Heading into the season, the Blue Jays’ pitching depth was touted as a strength, but the team suffered several key injuries that ravaged their rotation this year.
That led to the club overusing its bullpen and taxing its relief arms, which always leads to disaster.
This offseason, Atkins has to make sure that he signs enough pitchers to ensure this doesn’t happen again, and he needs to sign durable pitchers that won’t get hurt.
The Blue Jays can pencil in Dylan Cease and Jose Soriano at the top of their rotation in 2027, and Trey Yesavage should be good to go, too.
Hopefully, Cody Ponce can make a full return from injury and be part of the team’s rotation too, though the Blue Jays shouldn’t count on him.
Max Scherzer is gone, as is Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios will likely miss all of next year.
The team may try out Spencer Miles as a starter, but he’s more valuable as a relief bulk arm, so they shouldn’t rob Peter to pay Paul in this situation.
The Blue Jays should highly consider reuniting with Kevin Gausman, who loved his time in Toronto and who would make for a great No. 4 starter in the Blue Jays’ rotation next year behind Cease, Soriano, and Yesavage.
Additionally, they should try to sign a few more veteran arms — ideally, the team will have seven or eight starters next year, because you can never have too many, as the Blue Jays found out the hard way.
If the Blue Jays can add some power to their lineup and some healthy, dependable arms to their rotation, then a return to the playoffs in 2027 is possible.
But Atkins does have a lot of heavy lifting to do, and he needs to start doing it now to get ahead of the pack.
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This story was originally published September 23, 2026 at 1:03 PM.