TORONTO – So far this winter, the Blue Jays have been MLB’s busiest team, spending $337 million on free agents to bolster the roster that reached the 2025 World Series. By formally introducing Kazuma Okamoto at Rogers Centre on Tuesday, they made their deal with the 29-year-old infielder official, fortifying their lineup for the next four years.
But despite the Blue Jays’ activity, there’s a lot of intrigue remaining this off-season. As the calendar flips to January and spring training approaches, top free agents like Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger and Bo Bichette are still available.
“Well, that’s Ross’s fault,” said Scott Boras, the agent for Suarez, Bregman, Bellinger and Okamoto. Beside him on the podium, GM Ross Atkins smiled. Sitting between them in the white No. 7 jersey featuring the Blue Jays logo that caught his daughter’s eye was Okamoto.
Boras was kidding, of course, but those free agents are talented enough to swing division races entering the 2026 season. And while the Blue Jays have already signed four top free agents, the question now becomes: could they sign one more and turn a very strong off-season into a historic one? When asked about the possibility of future additions, Atkins sounded open-minded.
“You’ve heard me say too many times to count that we’ll always be open to making our organization and team better if there’s a way to do that,” Atkins said. “In early December and even in November, we felt good about our team as we were set at that point, and that remains the case. We’ve made it better.”
The GM then added some context.
“The one thing that I would add is that additions at this point start to cut away playing time from players that we feel are very good major-league pieces, so we have to factor that in,” he said. “But we’ve always had incredible support from ownership.”
So, in brief, the Blue Jays like their team, are open to making the roster even better and have the support of ownership at Rogers Communications Inc. to consider those moves. But if they were to add a prominent position player now, it would mean pushing a quality major-league player – someone like Nathan Lukes, Davis Schneider, Addison Barger or Ernie Clement, for instance – into a reduced role.
Atkins didn’t say this part out loud, but it’s also possible that a major off-season addition would lead to a trade. Either way, the Blue Jays are at the point in the winter where further additions are a luxury rather than a necessity. That doesn’t close off any options, but it’s sure to impact the Blue Jays’ stance as talks continue.
As of Tuesday, dialogue remains open between the Blue Jays and Tucker and Bichette. One interesting question now is what form that dialogue takes. Speculatively, it would seem less likely that the Blue Jays would lead the charge on either player and make a massive bid in the next few days.
It’s perhaps more likely that the Blue Jays would prefer for the players to make the next move, naming a price the team could then consider. Regardless, it could take time. There’s seemingly no scenario in which the Blue Jays land both Tucker and Bichette. Even in the scenario that they land one, it might be a late signing on the team’s terms rather than an immediate deal at the extreme high-end of the market.
And, as ever, it depends on other teams. The Yankees and Mets may be focused on Bellinger for the moment, but if the Mets were to push hard for Tucker, they’d be in a position to blow other suitors away. Meanwhile, the likes of the Dodgers, Cubs and Phillies are reportedly lurking on Bichette.
When asked about Bichette specifically, Atkins kept things open.
“If there’s an opportunity to think about improving the organization, we’re going to always lean into creative ways to do so,” he said. “We’ve always had incredible support.”
At the end of the day, the Blue Jays are operating from a strong position with a roster that now includes Okamoto. And if an opportunity emerges to make the team even better, they’re positioned well to explore it.
