Though the Toronto Blue Jays had a busy offseason, signing stars like Dylan Cease and Kazuma Okamoto, losing Bo Bichette to the New York Mets in free agency left a huge hole in Toronto’s lineup.
Bichette struggled defensively at shortstop, but still made a major impact offensively for the Blue Jays, slashing .311/.357/.483 this season with 18 home runs while driving in 94 runs. The 27-year-old is a two-time All-Star and is a hit machine, so losing that level of production could hurt Toronto’s chances of making a return to the World Series next season.
Okamoto will help mitigate the loss of Bichette, but one player who the Blue Jays will need to step up next season is three-time Gold Glove winner Andrés Giménez, according to MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan.
“Due to his superior glove, Giménez likely would have become the Blue Jays’ new starting shortstop whether Bo Bichette returned or not,” Harrigan wrote Sunday. “That said, Bichette’s departure has made Giménez’s bat more important. While the addition of third baseman Kazuma Okamoto should help mitigate the loss of Bichette, Toronto also needs Giménez to improve his offensive performance after producing just a 70 wRC+ in 2025.”
The Blue Jays traded the Cleveland Guardians last offseason to acquire Giménez, who appeared in 101 games this season. The former All-Star struggled at the plate this season, slashing only .210/.285/.313 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs, but is a perennial Gold Glove candidate.
After whiffing on signing any of the top free agents sluggers, Toronto’s biggest need next season is going to be offensive production. The Blue Jays improved their pitching staff this offseason, but will need players like Giménez to step up if they want to make another deep playoff run.
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