What Does Blue Jays 2026 Payroll Look Like Before Bo Bichette's Hopeful Return?
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The Toronto Blue Jays haven't had time to quite catch their breath from the heartbreaking loss that they experience in game seven of the World Series which brought their Cinderella Story of a year to a close.
The following day their offseason officially started which meant two major things were on management's mind right away — free agency and Bo Bichette.
Bichette has emerged as one of the best bats in baseball and is now looking at a huge contract. Their shortstop has expressed on multiple occasions his desires to stay with the ballclub that started his professional career, but it is going to cost a lot for the Jays and in order to know what they can pay him it is important to keep track of what next year looks like for their payroll, per Spotrac.
Top Wages in 2026
The Blue Jays have the highest paid player in baseball for 2026 on their roster, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Vladdy signed his super max contract in April of this season with the terms being 14-years, $500 million which has him set to make over $40.2 million next year. It is unlikely that Bichette will make that much regardless where he signs a contract, but he could make more than George Springer.
Springer had the best season since he joined the Blue Jays organization back in 2021 when he signed his six-year $150 million dollar deal. Their veteran designated hitter was up for a pair of Silver Slugger awards after leading the team to their first World Series since 1993, which makes his $24.1 million owed seem worth it to management
Guerrero Jr. and Springer cost the most, so far, for the team next season, but there are seven other guys who will be paid in the double-digits.
- Starting pitcher Kevin Gausman $23 Million
- Starting pitcher José Berríos $19 Million
- Starting pitcher Shane Bieber $16 Million
- Second baseman Andrés Giménez $15.5 Million
- Relief pitcher Jeff Hoffman $12.6 Million
- Outfielder Anthony Santander $11.8 Million
- Center fielder Daulton Varsho $11.3 Million
With Addison Barger in right field as both an elite defender and solid bat joining Varsho and then of course Springer, there could be a possibility that the ballclub moves Santander during the offseason with how much he costs and his limited role in their postseason run.
Ernie Clement becomes the first player ever with 30 hits in a single postseason 🔥 pic.twitter.com/BoVAXH6Qk3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 2, 2025
It might come as a surprise that third baseman Ernie Clement is only two spots above the bottom of the roster who are all paid the guaranteed league minimum. Clement just set the MLB playoff record in total hits, singles and multi-hit games.
Clement will be eligible for arbitration at the end of 2026. That, combined with Springer's contract and the Jays will have a new set of problems on their hands. But that's not something they have to worry about just yet. For now, the ballclub needs to lockdown Bichette or next season could look very, very different.
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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.