The Toronto Blue Jays have gone through a frustrating MLB offseason after pushing the Los Angeles Dodgers to Game 7 of the World Series last season.
Unfortunately, the Blue Jays lost star shortstop Bo Bichette to the New York Mets in free agency. That was somewhat expected, but Toronto’s plan to replace him didn’t pan out.
Despite aggressively pursuing superstar outfielder Kyle Tucker, the Blue Jays came up short. He chose to sign with the Dodgers instead. That was a gut punch to Toronto’s offseason plans.
Thankfully, the team was able to make an early-offseason splash in starting pitcher Dylan Cease. Also, the front office brought in infielder Kazuma Okamoto.
Since missing out on Tucker, the Blue Jays have yet to do anything high-impact. They appear to be content to head into the 2026 MLB season with the current roster. Whether or not that will pay off or not is the question.
With that being said, Toronto fans have been given a new reason to be excited about the upcoming season.
A New Reason for Toronto Blue Jays Fans to Be Excited
Assuming the Blue Jays don’t have a big move up their sleeve, they’re going to be relying on current players to step up and play even better in 2026. One of those players is none other than veteran outfielder George Springer.
Springer was given a lot of respect on the 2026 Top 100 Right Now list.
After not being on the list last season, Springer came in at No. 47 heading into this season. MLB.com analyst Brian Murphy wrote about Springer’s upcoming season and gave fans a reason for excitement about the veteran outfielder.
“Our final three players are all Top 100 Right Now veterans who made their way back onto the list after a rebound season,” Murphy wrote.
“Springer, who was a top-50 player from 2017-23, attained numerous personal bests in his 12th MLB season, including a .309 average, a .399 OBP and a 166 wRC+. He finished seventh in the AL MVP voting, but by Statcast’s run value metric, Springer was the fifth-most valuable hitter in the Majors.”
Taking a Look Back at Springer’s 2025 Season
Over the last five years with Toronto, Springer has had ups and downs. His 2024 season was a disappointment, as he played in 145 games and hit 19 home runs, drove in 56 RBI, and slashed .220/.303/.371.
Last season, the 36-year-old outfielder got back on track. He played in 140 games, hitting 32 home runs to go along with 84 RBI and a slash line of .309/.399/.560.
Springer can be a big part of keeping the Blue Jays in World Series contention this season. He’ll need to continue swinging a hot bat, which he’s more than capable of doing.
At the end of the day, Toronto will have a difficult time replicating last season’s success. However, the talent is on the roster for the Blue Jays to have a shot. Not being able to sign Tucker was disappointing, but the additions of Cease and Okamoto will help.
Key players like Springer stepping up and having good seasons again will be a must for Toronto as well.
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