Inside The Blue Jays

Blue Jays Aggressive Offseason Still Doesn’t Earn Them Top AL Ranking

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a terrific offseason, signing several players that could help them reach the top.
Maddy Dickens|
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider at press conference during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.
Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider at press conference during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

It has been a quiet offseason for most ballclubs, but not for the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays have been aggressive from the get-go to improve upon the roster that got them to their first Fall Classic in over 30 years.

Despite major upgrades with their pitching staff, including the strikeout machine that is Dylan Cease and one of the best relievers in the game (Tyler Rogers), the Blue Jays still do not find themselves as the No.1 team in baseball.

If their arm upgrades weren't enough, Toronto also went and got a highly sought-after utility man, Kazuma Okamoto. Okamoto batted over .320 overseas last year, which pairs quite nicely with his .581 slugging percentage. If he looks anything like he did in 2025, then their hitting lineup just got better, a terrifying thought for opposing pitchers.

Rogers throwing a pitch for the Mets out of the bullpe
Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

The ESPN mid-winter rankings just came out and insiders still have them trailing the Los Angeles Dodgers and have predicted that they will finish behind them once again in 2026. But that seems more than puzzling.

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One could argue that the Blue Jays beat themselves on multiple occasions in that World Series. They had chances to win that, and maybe their inexperience is what kept them from taking it from the Dodgers. So, how can a team that nearly beat the most daunting team in baseball still be ranked below them after all of their improvements?

Key Signings This Offseason

Kazuma Okamoto wearing his new Blue Jays uniform at his press conferenc
Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Cody Ponce: The KBO MVP from 2025 was an absolute menace for hitters and in his last season in the KBO with the Hanwha Eagles. He was not only named the MVP but set a record for most strikeouts in a game, 18, and eventually finished the year with 252 in less than 181 innings.

  • 17-1 Record
  • 1.89 ERA
  • 252 Strikeouts
  • 0.93 WHIP

Dylan Cease: Cease has been an absolute strikeout machine since taking on a primary role as a starter back in 2022. This was his fourth consecutive season with 214 or more strikeouts and will be a really nice complement to Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber.

Tyler Rogers: Rogers is the key piece to their bullpen that the Blue Jays won a bidding war for. After posting a 1.98 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 2025, it seems likely that he will be one of the top high-leverage set-up men.

At the end of the day, these rankings don't matter. But what the Blue Jays do in the playoffs next year does. However, it seems that Toronto should receive credit where credit is due and this just adds to the fire that it will have going into opening day.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.

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