TORONTO — It took a little longer than expected, but the Toronto Blue Jays officially clinched a playoff berth with an 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals Sunday, setting in motion a hard-earned celebration at Kauffman Stadium.
Even after assuring themselves of a spot in the post-season, bigger goals remain in play for the Blue Jays, who have a two-game lead in the American League East and could clinch the franchise’s first-ever playoff bye as long as they hold off the New York Yankees this week. But it’s already been a surprisingly successful regular season, so as the Blue Jays recover from one party and resume the push for further champagne celebrations, it’s worth taking stock of how they were built.
Starting with waiver claims and working our way towards free agency and trades, here’s a closer look at how the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster came together. This list of 41 players includes currently injured players who appeared earlier this year, but not 40-man minor-leaguers like Jake Bloss and Angel Bastardo, who haven’t appeared in the majors at all. GM Ross Atkins acquired all these players but one, the lone exception being Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose tenure with the Blue Jays predates the current front office.
A closer look at the roster reveals a team built largely through trades and free agency, including a collection of unheralded low-risk, high-reward moves that helped turn the Blue Jays from an 88-loss team in 2024 to the American League’s best team just one year later:
WAIVERS (3 players)
Easton Lucas, claimed from Tigers, 2024
Tyler Heineman, claimed from Red Sox, 2024
Isiah Kiner-Falefa, claimed from Pirates, 2025
The Blue Jays acquired Heineman three times in a three-year period, first as a minor-league signing, then in a trade with the Pirates and finally via waivers from the Red Sox last September. This time, Heineman has stuck, providing a .788 OPS with excellent defence in a backup role.
While no good team has ever been built primarily through waivers, Heineman and Kiner-Falefa do offer valuable depth.
AMATEUR INTERNATIONAL SIGNINGS (4 players)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2015
Alejandro Kirk, 2016
Leo Jimenez, 2017
Lazaro Estrada, 2018
In Guerrero Jr., the Blue Jays have one of the MLB’s top first basemen, and in Kirk they have one of the game’s best catchers. There’s not a ton beyond those two, though, so it’s been quality over quantity from the international ranks.
DRAFT (5 players)
Bo Bichette, selected in the second round of the 2016 draft
Davis Schneider, selected in the 28th round of the 2017 draft
Addison Barger, selected in the sixth round of the 2018 draft
Mason Fluharty, selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft
Trey Yesavage, selected in the first round of the 2024 draft
Selecting Bichette with the 66th pick of the 2016 draft was a phenomenal choice by the Blue Jays, and it looks like Yesavage has a chance to be another great draft pick. In between, the Blue Jays have had many more misses than hits via the draft, particularly on the pitching side, with pitchers drafted by the Blue Jays responsible for just two active roster spots and only 57 of the team’s 1,384 total innings in 2025 (this doesn’t count Jeff Hoffman, who was technically a Blue Jays draftee but who arrived to this team via free agency). To their credit, though, the Blue Jays have made up that ground elsewhere.
FREE AGENCY (13 players)
George Springer, six years, $150 million, 2021
Nathan Lukes, minor-league contract, 2021
Kevin Gausman, five years, $110 million, 2021
Chris Bassitt, three years, $63 million, 2022
Ernie Clement, minor-league contract, 2023
Yariel Rodriguez, four years, $26 million, 2024
Yimi Garcia, two years, $15 million, 2024
Eric Lauer, minor-league contract, 2024
Jeff Hoffman, three years, $33 million, 2025
Anthony Santander, five years, $92.5 million, 2025
Max Scherzer, one year, $15.5 million, 2025
Dillon Tate, split contract, 2025
Justin Bruihl, minor-league contract, 2025
The Blue Jays have done some of their best work in free agency — and that applies to elite free agent signings as well as unheralded minor-league deals.
Starting with the big-ticket free agent deals, the 2025 Blue Jays wouldn’t be here without contributions from major signings like Springer (4.7 WAR via FanGraphs), Gausman (3.7 WAR) and Bassitt (2.5 WAR). But the Toronto front office has also found significant value with minor-league free deals for the likes of Lukes (1.4 WAR), Clement (3.1 WAR) and Lauer (1.3 WAR).
Success at both ends of the free agent spectrum has been one of the driving forces behind getting the Blue Jays back into the playoffs.
TRADE (16 players)
Bowden Francis, acquired for Rowdy Tellez, 2021
Jose Berrios, acquired for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson, 2021
Paxton Schultz, acquired for Derek Fisher, 2021
Brendon Little, acquired for cash, 2023
Daulton Varsho, acquired for Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno, 2023
Ryan Burr, acquired for cash, 2024
Braydon Fisher, acquired for Cavan Biggio, 2024
Tommy Nance, acquired for cash, 2024
Jonatan Clase, acquired for Yimi Garcia, 2024
Joey Loperfido, acquired for Yusei Kikuchi, 2024
Andres Gimenez and Nick Sandlin, acquired for Spencer Horwitz and Nick Mitchell, 2024
Myles Straw, acquired for a player to be named later, 2025
Robinson Piña, acquired for future considerations, 2025
Seranthony Dominguez, acquired for Juaron Watts-Brown, 2025
Shane Bieber, acquired for Khal Stephen, 2025
Louis Varland and Ty France, acquired for Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden, 2025
Trades have been equally essential to the Blue Jays’ roster construction, with key players like Berrios, Varsho, Gimenez and, most recently, Bieber, acquired in swaps with other teams.
Notably, the Blue Jays have also done well in small-scale deals, acquiring Little, Fisher, Nance and Straw for a combined cost of Cavan Biggio and cash. With those moves, the Blue Jays have backfilled their bullpen successfully and affordably while building out valuable bench depth with Straw.
For every Fisher or Nance they find off the scrap heap, the Blue Jays have been able to make up for the inevitable whiffs that come in other areas such as drafting and major-league free agency. And while the Blue Jays are one of MLB’s biggest spenders, any team gains flexibility when it acquires legitimate contributors for modest prices like these.
As with free agency, it’s the combination of high-profile moves and under-the-radar pickups that’s allowed the Blue Jays to succeed here. It’s been quality over quantity on the amateur side, but thanks to some successful free agent signings and a series of productive trades, the overall quality of the roster is as high as it’s been in years and the Blue Jays will enter the post-season with legitimate hopes of playing deep into October.
