Blue Jays make multiple acquisitions this off-season, begin spring training

Blue Jays players Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto warm up before a spring training game in Florida. (Credit: Sportsnet)

After their Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays are back for their first week of spring training.

This off-season, the Blue Jays didn’t slow down. They signed great pitchers to add depth to their bullpen, along with some new position players to fill the gap left by losing shortstop Bo Bichette to the New York Mets.

Pitching

New faces in the Toronto pitching line-up include starters Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, along with relievers Tyler Rogers and Chase Lee.

Cease joins the Blue Jays after signing a seven-year $210 million contract. The 30-year-old right-hander has been shortlisted for the Cy Young Award twice, with a career 3.88 ERA and 1231 strikeouts.

He believes that playing for Toronto will be the best way for him to “reach his full potential.”

“They made it to the World Series,” said Cease. “There’s not much else that has to be said. It shows they have a championship-caliber team.”

Ponce is returning to the MLB after playing overseas in South Korea. Meanwhile, he had a 17-1 record in 2025, earning a three-year contract with Toronto. 

Both Rogers and Lee will help bring balance to the Blue Jays’ bullpen. Rogers, the 35-year-old right hander is getting better with age, pitching at least 68 games for the past few seasons. Lee is looking to make his name with Toronto after posting a 4-1 record last year.

Veteran starter Max Scherzer is also returning for another season after signing a one-year $3 million contract.

Lineup

One of the most exciting off-season acquisitions the Blue Jays made was signing 29 year-old third baseman Kazuma Okamoto. The star Japanese player averaged over 30 home runs and 90 RBIs so far in his career.

“Thank you very much for this opportunity,” said Okamoto. “I am very happy to join the Blue Jays. I will work hard every day and do my best for the team. Thank you for your support. Nice to meet you. Go Blue Jays.”

He will be joining first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., second baseman Ernie Clement and shortstop Andrés Giménez. Addison Barger will likely be moved to right field permanently due to Okamoto’s signing.

Another new addition to the Toronto lineup is outfielder Jesús Sánchez. Traded from the Houston Astros for Joey Loperfido, he is expected to bring hitting power to the lineup.

George Springer will be the team’s designated hitter moving forward, a post that he heavily enjoys.

Vanessa Blanch, a part-time journalism professor at St. Thomas University and Blue Jays fan, said she’s excited about the new players joining the Toronto roster.  

“Okamoto, he had his first bomb the other day to start spring training—that was good to see,” said Blanch. “We'll see how he makes out, I'm hopeful about him. I think we have a lot of flexibility, we have a lot of pieces that we can move around.”

She also believes this is an exciting time to be a fan of the team, especially after coming so close to winning it all last fall.

“So many people are on that bandwagon now and it's fun,” she said. “Friends of mine that have never watched baseball are calling me about baseball, it’s crazy.”