Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Trey Yesavage, and the Toronto Blue Jays did everything in their power to bring a championship back to Canada, but Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Los Angeles Dodgers proved to be too much. Saturday’s 5-4 Dodgers victory completed a 3-2 Los Angeles comeback and ended the Blue Jays’ pursuit of their first World Series title since 1993.
Luckily for the Blue Jays, there’s always next year, and they have an established core in place. However, they must do everything to ensure that they’re in a position to compete for a World Series return, a path that begins with attempting to re-sign All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette.
For this list, we’ve identified Bichette and five more players that the Blue Jays will likely have to part ways with this offseason as they look to become baseball’s first repeat champions since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees.
Complete Blue Jays offseason preview
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Toronto Blue Jays free agency preview: Bye bye, Bo
Free agent who won't be back: SS Bo Bichette
Baseball is a cruel business. The Jays and their fans would no doubt love to have Bichette back in the fold, But Bichette would no doubt love to get paid in his first foray into free agency. And I'm just not sure that Toronto will be the team left standing when the dust settles.
For starters, there are a zillion teams with deep pockets who will be looking for infield help, and precious few options to spend their money on. After Bichette and Alex Bregman, you're looking at the likes of Gleyber Torres and Jorge Polanco, and that's the best-case scenario. One of those teams, whether the Dodgers or Braves or Tigers or someone else, is bound to back up the Brinks truck for a player who has defensive question marks but is a genuinely great hitter who still hasn't turned 28 yet.
Maybe this World Series run has convinced Bichette that he wants to be a Blue Jay for life. Toronto is going to need to put the money up to make sure that's the case, though, and based on some of the needs outlined below, I'm skeptical they get there when the bidding could run north of $200 million.
Free agents who won't be back: SPs Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer
As if Bichette weren't enough of a hole that needed filling, the Jays' rotation is in serious flux moving forward. Trey Yesavage's meteoric rise sure helps, but Scherzer and Bassitt are both entering free agency, while Kevin Gausman has just one year of team control remaining and Jose Berrios couldn't even make Toronto's postseason roster.
Scherzer pitched his heart out in October, particularly in Game 7 with the World Series on the line. But he'll be 42 next July, and he struggled mightily for most of the regular season. Bassitt, meanwhile, is no spring chicken himself; he'll be 37 in February, and while he was excellent as a reliever in the playoffs, the signs of decline were evident during the regular season. He'll want to get paid like a starter on the open market, and I'm not sure the Jays shouldn't be targeting more of a long-term solution.
As luck would have it, those solutions are out there to be had, from Dylan Cease to Framber Valdez to Ranger Suarez to Michael King to Zac Gallen to trade candidates like Freddy Peralta, Sandy Alcantara and Joe Ryan. Whether Ross Atkins can land any of the above remains to be seen, though, after he struggled to do so last winter.
Free agent who won't be back: INFs Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ty France
Toronto will also have a bit of a bench makeover on its hands. France was a deadline acquisition who simply didn't pan out, and given the fact that he's a defensively limited player on the short side of a platoon, it's hard to see the Jays going out of their way to keep a right-handed first baseman on the roster.
IKF isn't much with the bat, but he's a heady, versatile player who emerged in a key role once Bichette went down with a knee injury in September. He probably shouldn't play short anymore, but he can play just about everywhere else (he even used to be a catcher once upon a time), and he does all the little things managers love. Unfortunately, he'll be a free agent this winter, and Toronto has bigger priorities elsewhere with enough organizational depth to backfill without competing for his services.
Blue Jays trade targets: Plenty of movable pieces
Ernie Clement
Maybe this seems harsh for a guy who just set a new record for most hits in a World Series, but hear me out. After a pleasant surprise of a regular season, Clement played out of his mind in October. That should tell you something, though: Namely that it's time to sell high.
Even if the Jays don't bring back Bichette, they have an enticing third-base option in Addison Barger. Clement is an excellent defender, has three more years of team control remaining and his value will almost certainly never be higher than it is right now. Why not shop him around given the state of the infield market and see what you can get? At worst, he should bring you back some pitching or a solid prospect.
Nathan Lukes
The argument is more or less the same for Lukes, minus quite as many postseason heroics. But he was a league-average bat during the regular season with excellent plate skills, and he's a terrific defender in an outfield corner. He also won't be a free agent until after the 2030 season, and the Blue Jays have such a crowded outfield picture that they'll have a hard time finding regular playing time for worthy candidates like Lukes and Joey Loperfido. He won't fetch as much of a return as Clement due to defensive value, but it's worth shopping around.