These Blue Jays Must Spark Offense After Bo Bichette's Departure
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The success of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays came on the back of its offense. The club ranked fourth in the majors with 798 runs (or 4.93 per game) while sporting the best on-base percentage (.333) in the league.
Many of the players that engineered that offensive attack are back in the fold this season. Vladimir Guerrero Jr, George Springer and emerging bats like Addison Barger and Ernie Clement are expected to be central figures in the 2026 lineup. But not everyone is back for another crack at the World Series trophy.
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Bo Bichette and his 18 home runs, 94 RBI and 78 runs scored has made his way to Queens as a member of the New York Mets, with the Blue Jays failing in reported free agent pursuits of the likes of Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Cody Bellinger.
The absence of Bichette, coupled with the news that Anthony Santander will miss five to six months upon undergoing left shoulder surgery, leaves the Blue Jays in need of some more offensive weapons. As a result, the club will be looking to these players to step up, particularly with the bat:
Kazuma Okamoto
As Blue Jays on SI writer Nick Ziegler recently outlined, Kazuma Okamoto ranks among the most important players to watch this spring. A star in Japan for his standout ability to hit for average and power, Toronto is anxious to see how those skills can translate to Major League Baseball as he looks to adjust to the North American game.
If Okamoto can produce at a similar level with the Blue Jays as he's done over an 11-year career in Japan, then the organization might have already found their replacement for Bichette's offensive contributions.
George Springer
The renaissance season of an age-defying Springer in 2025 was one of the best stories of Toronto's season. At 35 years of age, he hit for a career-best average of .309 while recording 32 home runs, 84 RBI, 106 runs scored and an OPS of .959, all close to career-high marks.
Now, the question is what can Springer do for an encore? It's hard to ignore how much of an anomaly that his 2025 season seems to be amidst what has been a five-year late-career stint with the Blue Jays. Though Father Time remains undefeated and some age-related decline has to be anticipated eventually, he remains — for now — one of the club's most important hitters.
Addison Barger
Barger's 2025 campaign, his first full season as a Major Leaguer, brought both the best and worst of what the 26-year-old can offer. On one hand, he paired stellar defensive play with a formidable power bat that produced 21 home runs and 84 RBI. On the other hand, he had more strikeouts (121) than base hits (112) and produced the lowest on-base percentage (.301) of any Blue Jay with at least 400 at-bats.
This type of inconsistency is, perhaps, to be expected from a rookie, but more steady production and reliability would be a welcome addition to Barger's game. With Bichette gone, he has the potential to be a long-term middle-of-the-order threat alongside Guerrero Jr.
Jesús Sánchez
It remains to be seen where Jesús Sánchez might fit amidst Toronto's roster from a positional standpoint, but it's clear that the organization values the newest Blue Jays' offensive potential.
Acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for Joey Loperfido, Sanchez has not yet put together an eye-popping season statistically, but he does consistently boast elite exit velocity, suggesting some untapped power potential. Last season, 13 of his 14 home runs came off of right-handed pitching, which could offer a hint as to how manager John Scheider may choose to utilize the 28-year-old.
In reality, Toronto will likely lean on its depth to ensure that offense is bring produced all throughout the lineup. But in those times this season where the bats fall silent and there's only so much Guerrero Jr. can do to help, these are some of the Blue Jays to watch out for.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.