How Can the Blue Jays Successfully Pivot From Kyle Tucker?
After missing out on Kyle Tucker, the Toronto Blue Jays have several different ways they can continue to bolster their roster this offseason
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With the Los Angeles Dodgers reaching an agreement with outfielder Kyle Tucker on a four-year, $240 million contract, where do the Toronto Blue Jays turn now after missing out on the star slugger? The offseason certainly is not over yet for the Jays and they are still in the hunt for many prominent free agent hitters.
They’ve already made some moves to bolster their rotation and bullpen, but Kazuma Okamoto has been the only big-name hitter the Jays have added to their lineup. Tucker would’ve slotted in nicely in right field in Toronto, but now that he’s off the market they need to pivot and aim their sights elsewhere.
Whether through signing another top free agent, engaging in some trade(s), or weighing the option to stay put and stop spending, the Blue Jays are going to remain one of the most important teams in the remainder of this offseason. They have had what many would call the best offseason thus far among all teams (although the Dodgers now have a case due to signing Tucker) and they might not be done just yet.
Insane Payday for Tucker
The Dodgers made Tucker the second-richest player in the league by contract Average Annual Value, only behind his now-teammate Shohei Ohtani’s $70 million hit per season ($700 million/10 years). It’s no wonder he signed the contract, as there’s strong reason to believe that this was the highest AAV he received from any team.
The contract includes opt-outs after the second and third seasons of the contract, but the Dodgers are just adding to their incredible lineup as they look to capture a third consecutive World Series title. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, would likely rather not spend the money that the Dodgers did for a shorter-term contract and likely opted for a longer deal (~10 years) that would see Tucker stay in Toronto for the foreseeable future.
Through the 2029 season, which would be the final year of Tucker’s deal in LA, the Jays already have locked up Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (until 2039), Dylan Cease (until 2032), Alejandro Kirk (until 2030), and they have 2029 team options on Andrés Giménez ($23 million) and Anthony Santander ($15 million).
They still have a strong core of talent locked up for the foreseeable future and while it would’ve been very nice to have Tucker in their outfield, the future and present still looks good in Toronto. One part of their offseason wish list is no longer possible to fulfill, but there’s still plenty that has been done and that still can be done.
Eyes Turn to Bellinger
The Blue Jays are still rumoured to be in on infielder Bo Bichette and outfielder Cody Bellinger, two strong hitters that could each find themselves some good starting time in Toronto. Bellinger will be seen as more of a fallback role in the wake of the Jays missing out on Tucker, but don’t confuse his inferiority to Tucker as an indication of a lack of value. He posted a strong .272/.334/.480 slashline in 2025 with a 4.9 fWAR to go along with 29 home runs, 98 RBI, and an incredible strikeout rate (13.7%).
In many ways, he fits the archetype of the Blue Jays’ team in the sense that he makes consistent contact, boasts strong defensive talent (+9 FRV, +7 OAA), and has great baserunning skills (72nd percentile sprint speed). Oh, and also he wouldn’t be playing for the Yankees anymore and that would be a great gift for the Jays.
Bellinger slashed .298/.358/.532 in 12 regular-season games against Toronto this season with 13 RBI, five home runs, and five doubles. In the ALDS against the Jays he performed considerably worse but still posted four RBI in the four-game set with a double and a home run. Not only would it serve the Jays well to add his services, but to guarantee that a division rival like the Yankees will not have him as a weapon to use against them.
With Anthony Santander’s future in Toronto up in the air and Bellinger potentially on his way in, the Jays could have a very different outfield in 2026 compared to how they entered last season. Bellinger brings yet another Gold Glove-calibre defender to the field and the Blue Jays would once again have one of the strongest lineups in all of baseball. But what if they’re not able to pivot to Bellinger…who else might they go after?
Could Bo Come Home?
Shortstop turned potential second baseman Bo Bichette could indeed be on the Jays’ radar to return north of the border, but it’s probably a bit less likely than Bellinger. For one, Toronto has already inked a four-year deal with Okamoto – assuming he starts the majority of his games at third base as expected, their infield is composed of Okamoto, Giménez, Ernie Clement, and Guerrero.
This doesn’t leave much room for Bichette to get regular playing time, even if he were to pivot to second base. MLB insiders like Jon Heyman and Just Baseball’s Ryan Finkelstein have listed the Philadelphia Phillies as frontrunners to land Bichette, but any team willing to shell out a $200+ million contract will be on the radar to pick him up. For the Blue Jays, it’s a matter of whether they will be able to maximize the effectiveness of their roster by bringing him back.
Whereas in the past Bichette has been the starting shortstop for Toronto, Giménez has really run away with the starting job since filling in for Bichette when he went on the IL late in the season and in the playoffs. Bichette played at second base during the World Series and looked fairly comfortable there, but the Jays need to find playing time for Clement and Okamoto, so those positions are looking filled at the moment.
It seems that unless one of these players was to be traded, namely Giménez, there won’t be space for Bichette to hold a starting spot on this team at the moment. This could be a reason why his camp might favour other teams, as he can play more of a centric role in another team’s daily success.
Can’t Sit Still
Alternatively to these other options, Toronto could instead decide that they’re fine with how their lineup looks and sit tight for the remainder of the offseason (at least in terms of big name FA’s). Their outfield is already loaded (Barger, Varsho, Santander, Lukes, Straw) and their infield also looks stacked (Okamoto, Guerrero, Clement, Giménez, Kirk), so it’d be understandable if they felt as though their offseason went well thus far.
However, you can’t just sit still when division rivals like the Red Sox are continuing to add pieces like Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray, and Willson Contreras and the Dodgers are defying the unwritten rules of what a normal payroll has always looked like. Toronto needs to continue to think more like the Dodgers in the sense that what they have is never truly enough. The Dodgers just won their second consecutive World Series title and they are still shelling out the big bucks in free agency – because the can and they want to win.
Toronto has shown their willingness to be in on all the major free agents of recent seasons, and they’ve already made some splashes to add to their pitching staff so why shouldn’t they stay in the hunt? Having some positions filled doesn’t mean a team like the Jays shouldn’t be competitive or in the hunt for all the top free agents – Bichette and Bellinger could very well be Blue Jays if they don’t get scooped up by the likes of the Mets, Phillies, Yankees, or some other team(s).
The Jays shocked the baseball world by making the World Series and taking the defending champion Dodgers to extra innings in Game 7, and if they want to do the same thing again they need to spend the money that they can afford to. They have one of the richest ownership groups in MLB in Rogers Communications and they’ve spent plenty of money thus far, but you can’t count the Blue Jays out on any of the remaining players on the market, free agent or trade target.
Closing Thoughts
Despite the fact that the Jays missed out on Kyle Tucker, they’ve still had a very strong offseason thus far and it’s important to look ahead at what could come instead of moping about losing the battle for Tucker. There are still plenty of bona fide All-Star-calibre players on the market that would be great additions to this Jays team, but it’s a matter of whether the front office can continue to win over players in free agency.
Maybe they have some more trades up their sleeve or potentially another free agent signing or two, but they can’t be fat and happy with being “in the hunt” for yet another top free agent. Tucker is just another name added to the list with the likes of Ohtani, Soto, Sasaki, Alonso, and so many more players who Toronto seems to have been oh so close to signing but not able to land.
While they look like one of the best teams in baseball on paper, only time will truly tell whether the Jays will be better or worse off by making or not making any more big moves this offseason. They might be projected to do great things this season as of right now, but let us not forget that they were projected by many to finish under or at .500 before the 2025 season. Baseball is a wonderful thing in its ability to defy the expectations of even the most sure predictions – Toronto needs to stay hungry.
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Ethan has been writing for Just Baseball since 2024 and is fascinated by how sabermetric statistics can assist our understanding of outcomes and probability in baseball.…