Blue Jays' front office makes vision a reality with busy offseason
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DUNEDIN, Fla. – Back in 2020, Ross Atkins and the rest of the Toronto front office had a vision of what the Blue Jays could be.
It took until 2025 for the club to make it a reality, but fresh off the Blue Jays’ first World Series appearance since 1993, there is a sense of unfinished business inside the organization.
“Our mission is to get better every day and to bring championships to Canada,” the general manager said. “We just focus on the first part as much as we can, because we can control that. The championships part is really, really hard to control. Fortunately, we have incredible support from our fans, from ownership, and now we have a really solid foundation to continue to build upon and get better. That was the feeling; yeah, this is something that has taken time, and it's here to stay in our view.”
Judging by the Blue Jays’ aggressive offseason, anything short of a return to the Fall Classic will be considered a disappointment.
With Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s situation settled following his early-season extension (14 years, $500 million) last season, Toronto jumped the free-agent market fresh off its World Series appearance, signing right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million deal, the biggest contract the Blue Jays have ever given to a free agent. But adding an arm to the front of the rotation was only the beginning.
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The Blue Jays signed infielder Kazuma Okamoto to a four-year, $60 million deal, gave reliever Tyler Rogers a three-year, $37 million contract and brought in right-hander (and last year's KBO Most Valuable Player) Cody Ponce with a three-year, $30 million deal, utilizing the free-agent market to address a number of needs.
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Earlier this month, Toronto acquired outfielder Jesús Sánchez in a trade with the Astros, while righty Max Scherzer returned to the Blue Jays on Wednesday, agreeing to a one-year, $3 million deal that could be worth up to $10 million more in performance bonuses based on innings pitched.
“It was our goal, at the start of the season, to build upon our pitching, and that's where we were very aggressive,” Atkins said. “You can see that in the outcome of our offseason, and we're very pleased with the results. In addition to Okamoto and Sanchez, adding that level of pitching and then two talented position players to an already strong group, we're excited about it.”
The Cease signing felt particularly important, especially after unsuccessful bids for stars including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Juan Soto over the past couple of years left many with the perception that Toronto was viewed as a less-than-desirable landing spot for top free agents.
After the Blue Jays’ march to the World Series last fall – and their memorable seven-game series against the Dodgers – players around the league may have a different view of what the Blue Jays have to offer beyond a big contract.
“Since 2020, really, we have been very aggressive in each offseason and trying to build upon a core that we've believed in,” Atkins said. “We've won a lot of baseball games. We had some hiccups in playoff settings that left a little bit of a haze over the organization. We never really felt as though we had to overcome anything in terms of recruiting players or getting players attracted to Toronto, but getting into the World Series and having a big stage certainly helps.
“There's no doubt that momentum matters in sport. Anytime you're showcased, and fortunately, we feel as though we were showcased well, that is going to have a positive influence on you.”
Players often say that winning the World Series only makes them hungrier to experience that feeling again. The Blue Jays may embody that even more after they were tantalizingly close to hoisting the trophy last fall. And while that sense of unfinished business might be a driving force for the club in 2026, Atkins has never sensed a need for such inspiration from his team.
“Our players, it's always that fine line of balancing the confidence, success and playing loose and without pressure, finding that appropriate emotional intensity,” Atkins said. “To me, that changes every day – it’s not year to year. All information matters. How we respond to last year and how we respond to yesterday is very important, and I'm not doubting any sense of motivation.”
Given how close they came to winning it all last year – it doesn’t get much closer than a ninth-inning lead in Game 7 – the Blue Jays enter the 2026 campaign with heightened expectations. Or do they? Ask Atkins about those expectations, and he insists they have been the same for quite some time.
“That started in 2020,” Atkins said. “It hasn't stopped.”