The Toronto Blue Jays were aggressive this offseason after losing in Game 7 of the World Series last year.
Toronto was one out away from winning it all, and the Blue Jays are now looking to get over the hump in 2026. Although the Blue Jays saw Bo Bichette sign elsewhere and didn’t land Kyle Tucker, the team was still aggressive in bolstering its pitching staff.
Despite that, former MLB general manager Jim Bowden predicted the Blue Jays would once again win the AL East in 2026.
“The AL champions landed arguably the best starting pitcher on the open market in Dylan Cease, the only pitcher over the last five years with at least 30 starts, at least 200 innings and at least 200 strikeouts each season,” Bowden wrote.
“I loved the gamble the Blue Jays took on Cody Ponce, who among free-agent pitchers has a chance to be this offseason’s best value signing. I also liked the pickup of Tyler Rogers, who gives their bullpen another reliever with a different look thanks to his submarine delivery.”
Toronto has one of the top rosters in all of baseball, and Bowden likes the fact that the team went all-in on improving its pitching staff.
The Blue Jays, however, have the second-best odds of winning the AL East at +250, trailing the New York Yankees.
Bowden Gives Blue Jays Solid Offseason Grade
Not only does Bowden expect the Blue Jays to repeat as AL East champions, but he also gave the team an offseason grade of A.
Bowden was a big fan of the Cease and Ponce addition to bolster their pitching staff. However, the big question mark the former MLB GM has is how will Kazuma Okamoto translate to the majors on offense and defense.
“Can Kazuma Okamoto be at least an adequate defender at third base and how will his offense translate to MLB? Can Anthony Santander bounce back after a brutal first season in Toronto? How much will they miss Bo Bichette?,” Bowden added.
Okamoto is penciled in as the Blue Jays’ starting third baseman. If he can have success, it will only further bolster Toronto’s lineup and make them that much better.
Ross Atkins Likes Current Roster
Toronto did most of its heavy-lifting this offseason very early, and now the team appears to be set.
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said he likes the current group and any further additions will take away playing time.
“We’ll always be open to making our organization better if there’s a way to do that. We feel good about our team,” Atkins said. “One thing that I would add is that additions at this point would start to cut away from playing time for players who we feel are very good Major League pieces, so we have to factor that in.”
The Blue Jays do have a surplus of outfielders, so perhaps Toronto does trade one of them for a bullpen piece or a prospect. But, going into spring training, there will be plenty of intriguing roster battles to watch.
Toronto opens its 2026 MLB season at home on March 27 at 7:07 p.m. ET.
Blue Jays Get Positive Prediction After Aggressive Offseason