Grading Blue Jays Offseason Moves After Disappointing First Quarter of 2025
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The Toronto Blue Jays are tied for second in the AL East standings but are three games back from a Wild Card spot.
The massive contract given to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in April signaled they are ready to build a competitive roster.
Did they do enough this offseason to start that this year?
Here's a look back at the major moves they made this winter and how they've worked out through the first quarter of the campaign.
Signing Anthony Santander
Santander was signed to a massive five-year, $92.5 million deal. That's a lot of money, but he was coming off of a campaign that saw him hit 44 home runs.
He's never been someone that hits for average or plays great defense, so that power is important. This season has been a struggle for him. He's posted a .187/.270/.316 slash line with just five home runs.
This has been a nightmare start, so things will have to turn around in a major way.
Grade: D
Trading for Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin
Making this move was a bit confusing at the time and, despite a red-hot first couple of games, it has been regrettable. Gimenez has posted a .195/.273/.305 slash line over his first 36 games and has been on the injured list since May 8.
They didn't give up much to land Sandlin and he has been a solid reliever, so that deal wasn't too bad. However it has been a bit mediocre.
Grade: C-
Signing Jeff Hoffman
Hoffman started off with an incredible first month, but May has been awful for him. He has a 24.75 ERA over his last six outings.
He's been solid for the last few years, so there is a good chance that he can smooth things out. It's just never ideal to see a 32-year-old fall off a cliff in the first season of a three-year, $33 million deal.
Grade: C
Signing Max Scherzer
There were two outcomes that made sense for Scherzer.
If the Blue Jays were to compete, he'd make a solid veteran presence in there rotation. If things went poorly, they could flip him at the deadline.
Neither really look like they will come to fruition.
He made one outing, giving up two runs in three innings. He's been dealing with a right thumb injury and is on the 60-day injured list.
Grade: D
Overall
Toronto was aggressive this offseason, but it has been an incredibly underwhelming start to pretty much everyone's years. A lot needs to happen for the moves to look good in the future.
Grade: D+
