Toronto Blue Jays: How Talented is Roster as Offseason Begins?

According to Mike Petriello of MLB.com, the Toronto Blue Jays are tied for the eighth-most talented roster in baseball at this point in the offseason.

Of course, the caveat is that free agents are off their previous teams and none of the free agents have signed yet.

So, the Blue Jays could jump up higher if they make moves of impact and they could drop lower if other teams make moves of impact.

Well, if you are the Jays, you have to feel pretty good about the starting rotation, especially as it comes back to full health.

The group of Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage and Jose Soriano could be one of the top 1-3s in the American League, and then the return of Cody Ponce will be welcome as well.

The back end of the bullpen with Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland also looks good, though Toronto could use another leverage arm to pair with them after trading Jeff Hoffman at the trade deadline.

Offensively, the Jays are anchored by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Kazuma Okamoto and Alejandro Kirk and returning players like Addison Barger and Anthony Santander at least offer some upside, though they are far from certainties to get back to their prior successes.

Brett Bateman, acquired from the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, also did an excellent job in his second-half cameo and looks like someone who can help set the tone at the top of the order.

Well, you just never know if Santander and Barger will get back, so that's always a risk. Furthermore, the Jays can't expect a lot of offense from Andres Gimenez, and there are questions about the future of Ernie Clement at second base.

Though he's a fun player and easy to root for, he didn't have a particularly strong year in 2026. The front office has already said that he's not guaranteed a starting job at second base.

After finishing last in the major leagues in runs scored in 2026, Toronto is in need of power bats. Perhaps Santander and Barger can be those bats, but if the Jays want to find them on the open market, then Randy Arozarena, Seiya Suzuki, Brandon Lowe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are available.

The Blue Jays have also been linked to Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato.