5 Toronto Blue Jays Who WON’T Be Back In 2026…

The Blue Jays are pushing hard for the postseason right now. But as much as we’re focused on October, the reality is that not everybody who’s on the team right now is going to be here next year. Every off season we see players walk, trades get made, and tough decisions that completely reshape the roster. And today we’re going to be looking ahead and talking about five individuals who are on the team right now today that I don’t think are going to be back with the squad in 2026. Some of these names might be obvious, but make sure you stick around until the end because there are a few that are definitely going to be causing some debate. All right, folks. Let’s get into it. So, the first guy that we’re going to talk about here is Chris Basset, the hound on the mound. Guy’s got a 4.1 RA this season. pitched 156 innings and has a whip of just over 1.3. And I think that we’re at that point right now where we can kind of take a moment, look back at that Chris Basset contract from a couple years ago when they signed him and and nod our heads and say to ourselves, “Yeah, that was a good signing. Three years in Toronto. I mean, the guy has just been eating up innings. Truly a workhorse there. 200 innings back in 2023. dude finished as the Sai Young 10. Like that is nothing to scoff at. And then even though the the years following that his ERA got over four and he wasn’t that same guy from New York or from Oakland, still a very serviceable pitcher who was out there every day, never really got hurt and was giving us a chance to win ball games. Now the reason though that I don’t really see the Toronto Blue Jays bringing him back because he is on the final year of his contract right here will be a free agent. Couple reasons. One, 37 years old. Guy is getting up there in age. And when you look at that Blue Jays rotation as a whole, right? When we take a look at this depth chart, I mean, who’s going to be there next year? Gossman for sure, Jose Burios for sure. They’re hoping Shane Bieber. I think that they would prioritize bringing Shane Bieber back over somebody like a Chris Bassid. Then you’re thinking about guys that they flirted with having a starting job. Louisie Varand, Yariel Rodriguez. These are both individuals who Ross Atkins has come out. John Schneider has come out and said, “Hey, maybe one day, maybe we can make that happen.” And then on top of all of that, you got Trey Savage in the mix and Alec Manoa. So, there’s just so many other individuals right now who I think the Toronto Blue Jays are going to prioritize giving an opportunity to, giving a rotational spot to. Certainly, Trey Savage definitely. And I think that they still want to see if Alec Manoa can do anything. And then on top of all of that, you got to factor in, do they want to pay the money for somebody like a Chris Basset? Spotradi is projecting that he will make roughly $15 million a year. Honestly, I think it’s going to be a little bit more than that. I think I I found like during, you know, looking at free agency and everything like that, my time anyways, spot racks predict uh prediction, excuse me, their market value, usually they’re on the more conservative side of things. recently with all these bidding wars and everybody wants starting pitching. I think that his contract is going to be a little bit more than that. So, realistically, 37year-old Chris Basset, he had a great time, great tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays. I was very happy for him to be here, and I think that he has done awesome with the deal that we had him on, but I do not see him returning with Toronto in 2026. Next guy that we’re going to talk about is Max Scherzer. Signed the one-year deal in the off season, and I’ I’ve been really happy with it. And I know that he didn’t pitch maybe as as much as people would have wanted him to, but 70 innings for a 41-year-old, that is nothing to scoff at. And recently, they’ve been really good. He’s getting better as the season goes on. As it stands today, I look at Max Scherzer and I think that he’s going to play a pivotal role for the Jays in the postseason should they end up going on a deep run. Like, this is going to be a guy who’s starting probably game three for you in the playoffs as it stands today. However, all that being said, I think for a lot of the reasons that we were just talking about with Chris Basset, you can say the same thing about Max Scherzer. He is not getting any younger. There is definitely some injury concerns. And then you got to ask yourself, if you’re the Toronto Blue Jays, do we want to give another 10, maybe $15 million? Spot rack’s projecting 10 right now, but I could see it going back up to, you know, 14 15 million. Do we want to give that to to a guy who is 41 who is going to own one of those rotational spots taking a job away from some of the other guys that we talked about when we were discussing Chris Bassid and also factoring in that well he could get injured at any moment in time and age is certainly a factor there as well. On top of all of this there is the umbrella Max Sher might just decide to hang him up folks. I mean he has done effectively everything there is to do in this game. won Sai Youngs, won World Series, done all of it. So, this could actually be it for Max Scherzer, and I don’t think that anybody would look twice. I’m also not the only one that feels this way. Keegan Mat came out and was talking about this, discussing the possibility of Max Scherzer potentially returning to the Jays. He said, “Give me 30%.” Give me a onethirdish odds because at this point in Max Scherer’s career, I would ask you guys, what’s changed since last year? And for me, I’m kind of right there with Keegan. I mean, there is still a sliver of a chance that the Blue Jays bring back Max Sherzer, but more times than not, I think that this is going to be it with the Toronto Blue Jays. Third individual who I do not see returning to Toronto is Isaiah Ker Fa. And I’ll be honest, we don’t need to spend too much time talking about this. Uh IKF just got picked up by the Jays like literally what was it, a week ago, a couple days ago, not that long ago at all. When we’re looking over at the roster, I mean, they just have so many guys who are kind of doing the the same thing. And this is we don’t even have Anthony Santandere on the team who is definitely going to be earning himself a roster spot or or deserving of one anyways. Like you look at all of these names, IKF and David Schneider, Miles Straw, and I don’t know, it just feels like when I’m when I’m thinking about individuals who are going to be on this team long term, Isaiah Connor Falefa just is not one of them. Clearly, they like him, but are they willing to offer him another contract, which is what they would have to do. He is a free agent after this season. He’s going to be 31 years old, walking into free agency. I certainly think that he’s going to be in MLB. I think that somebody’s going to give him a contract. I just look at this roster. I I look at what Isaiah Connor Falefa has done in the past and I’m thinking to myself, there are other younger players with more upside than IKF that I think Toronto is going to they are going to lean towards to giving them that roster spot. Fourth guy who I don’t see returning to the Toronto Blue Jays is Tai France. Now, when they got this guy at the trade deadline, a lot of people were kind of just considering it to be a throwin. And I I was one of those people. I will ask myself. I was definitely one of those people. But what makes Ty France kind of interesting and and I guess as to why individuals might be able to argue that they will want to keep him in this off season is that since coming over to Toronto, Ty France has actually been a demon at the dish, folks. He’s batting 338 and has an OPS of 852. He’s 30 years old right now and he’s a hitter. So I don’t really see a a major decline falling off because of the age. So the question is, well, why would Toronto not want to keep this guy? Kind of similarly to uh to why they may not want to hold on to Isaiah Kiner Fifer, right? It’s just when you’re thinking about this roster, I mean, you got Vlatty there forever, right? Vlatt’s your first baseman. He’s your guy and that is the primary position of Tai France. Like he wants to play first base. He is good defensively speaking at first base. But, you know, you got Vlad there for for time for literally for the entirety of the time that some of you will be Blue Jays fans. We’re going to have Vladimir Guerrero Jr. operating at the first base. So, then you’re thinking to yourself, okay, well, Ty France, he’s going to have to be the backup first baseman and then the DH if you want to get him into that lineup, but now you’re owning that DH spot. And then what does that mean for George Springer, who is still under contract next year, and then Anthony Santandere and various others. It just feels like and similar argument to Isaiah Connor Falefa, there are other names right now that they will be or should be more willing to give playing time to. And you’d have to resign Ty France, right? So you’d have to give him a contract. Maybe they give him a contract where like they can hold him in the minors and then bring him up if they need him to. I I mean that could be a possibility right there. And I wouldn’t be s surprised if they flirted with the idea of bringing Ty France back. However, all things considered, I mean, I would argue that there is a better than better than 50% chance he is not a Toronto Blue Jay in 2026. Final individual right here. This one is definitely going to ruffle some feathers. But before we get into it, if you’re enjoying this video, please hit that like, smash that subscribe button, and if you have the option, hit the like button as well. It really helps smaller creators like us grow, and we do truly appreciate it. You knew it was coming. Let’s talk about Boba. Um, I mean the fact of the matter is folks, I think that the Jays are going to make a significant offer and a significant attempt at resigning Bobette cuz he is in the final year of his deal. But he’s playing so good. Like genuinely just so good at this point. 307 batting average, an OPS of 830, 91 RBI’s. We’re going to see Bob probably get over that 100 RBI total, which will be the second time, again, assuming that he doesn’t, but that would be the second time in his career that he would ever have eclipsed that mark. He’s leading the league in hits. There are just so many things to like about Boba. And that’s the problem because there are going to be just a plethora of suitors out there wanting to have Boba come onto their ball team. And when we look over at the upcoming shortstop free agent class, it is not deep. Everybody take a look at these names right here. It goes Bobett, Trevor Story, who’s got an opt out. He might not even opt out, but he could opt out, but clearly not the same caliber as Bobette, Hassang Kim, Orlando, Miguel Rojos, Isaiah Kiner, Falefa, who we were literally just talking about out of the Toronto Blue Jays. I don’t see them wanting to hold on to him. Boba is going to dominate this market. There’s nobody that even comes close to Boba and his value and everything like that. Now, Spotra over here, their market value that they’re projecting for him, I think is abysmally low. I do not agree with this at all. They’re saying 8-year deal, $182 million. They’re relating it to the Willie Adam contract that was signed this past offseason. And I think that that’s a fair a fair stepping stone, but I think that Bo with the way that he’s playing is going to get significantly more than that. I was even talking with Keegan Mat rather recently and we were both discussing and saying that $25 million a year kind of feels like the floor at this point and that that could the average annual value could even rise up and get into the 27 28 $29 million a year. We’re talking about somebody who is leading the league in hits, folks. I know that defensively speaking, he’s not necessarily the guy, but that’s also going to factor into all this valuations as well. Maybe somebody is okay with him not being the guy defensively. And maybe they can convince him into moving over to second base, kind of like what Marcus Simeon did with the Texas Rangers after he had that crazy year with Toronto. Then he goes to Texas, gets paid a ton of money, and they move him over to second because they have Cory Seager. Something like that could definitely happen with Bobette. Now, I’m not saying that he is not going to ever like there’s no possibility of him being a Toronto Blue Jay because I think that they are certainly they’re going to give it their best college try. Ross Atkins, Mark Shapyro, they are going to go out there. They are going to shoot their best shot as they should. This is this is a franchise guy for us right now. He’s playing like a franchise guy. All that being said though, I mean, there is a really good chance that when he hits free agency and some of those other teams start calling, maybe the Dodgers get on the phone, maybe the Braves get on the phone, right? Like, there’s going to be other teams out there that are going to offer him a lot. And for that reason alone, it’s definitely not a guarantee that Bobette is a Toronto Blue Jay long term. That’s why we had to extend Vlatty, so we wouldn’t be in this spot. I don’t know if it’s I I don’t know if it’s a greater than 50% chance he’s not going to be a Toronto Blue Jay. I think that we’re still the favorites to land him, but there’s going to be a lot of vultures, a lot of sharks circling around on the Bobaet train, and it is going to be a tough watch. But folks, let me know what you think about all this in the comments down below. Thank you so much for watching and as always, go Jay’s

As the Toronto Blue Jays get closer to the end of the season the excitement of playoffs grows. However, the second the season officially finishes for the Jays a lot of questions about this roster are going to rear their ugly head. In this video we talk about 5 Toronto Blue Jays who have a good chance of not returning to the team based on their current contracts and various other factors. Let us know what you think about these Five Toronto Blue Jays in the comments down below.

—————————————————————————————————————–
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG_WmS_YNdmB4vCxu13bSNw/join

Get Blue Jays Today Merch Here: https://nationgear.ca/collections/blue-jays-today

ASK US QUESTIONS using the Google Form below & we’ll answer them live on the show!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXCct-K0KJNfoVrjo2NCqP4tFHQPWBaoNAAr5aFbRTsVkdUg/viewform?usp=dialog

Follow Us On Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluejaystodaypodcast/
Nick’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickpaleolog/
Adam’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adamjpeddle/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TodayJays
Adam’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/adamjpeddle
Nick’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickPaleolog

Listen To Our Audio Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5SFlBTECwLiOSM414Ufp4z
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/blue-jays-today/id1679057098

Join Our Discord: https://discord.gg/Z4CCXPWcff

SUBMIT TO OUR MAILBAG: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeXCct-K0KJNfoVrjo2NCqP4tFHQPWBaoNAAr5aFbRTsVkdUg/viewform?usp=dialog

SUPPORT OUR PARTNERS
Budweiser – https://www.budweiser.ca/ca_en
Greta Bar YYZ – https://www.gretabar.com/locations/toronto
Simply Spiked – https://www.simplyspiked.ca/en-CA
Pizza Pizza – https://www.pizzapizza.ca/

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

#TorontoBlueJays #BlueJays #BlueJaysNews #FreeAgents #FreeAgency #FreeAgentRumors #MLBRumors #TradeRumors

21 comments

  5. I feel like Bo’s poor defensive metrics will lower his value in the market. He’s an elite hitter no doubt but he is a liability with the glove at shortstop unless he plans to move to second base eventually

  12. Yes, this is a LONG comment. If you don't want to read it, just keep scrolling and move on to the next comment…

    In regards to Bo, a little rant first…

    I know it's become the "in" thing for some people to assume that Bo is going to sign somewhere else, and that he'll wind up with the Dodgers or some other top team. But to me, there is equally as much of a chance that he stays in Toronto as there is a chance that he signs somewhere else.

    To me, the people who speak with so much fervour about how he's going to sign somewhere else no matter what, and that there's "zero chance" he stays with the Jays, are the same kind of people who wrote Bo off completely after a singular bad season last year. The people who make these type of comments tend to be internet bandwagoners who just drift from one BS-fulled internet trend to the next, and who base their opinions purely on emotionally-based impulses, and with what other people are saying in the moment. Instead of basing their point of view on rationale, and a whole host of other intangibles, particularly in regards to a player re-signing with the Jays. These people just verbally regurgitate based on impulse instead of taking a more reasoned and nuanced approach. Get over yourselves. But I need to be 100% clear: I am NOT saying Bo is going to re-sign with the Jays, but FFS, at least have a clearer reasoned and reasonable understanding of all of the other aspects that could cause him to stay.

    Rant over.

    With all of that said, I also think Bo's season is an eye-opener for the Jays head office to the point where his season CLEARLY illustrates all of the reasons why it is imperative to present Bo with almost ANY offer in order to keep him here for the rest of his career. Because, as of this point in the season, he's hitting over .300…again, in the past, he lead the American League in hits two seasons in a row, and he is now currently leading the entire Major Leagues in hits, as well as doubles. If the Jays brass had any doubts about him going into this season, those doubts surely have been obliterated by Bo's performance this year.

    And to anyone who points out that he no longer steals bases, it's NOT that he's down on speed, or that he's somehow hindered by past injuries. It's the fact that this is his contract year, and he's simply not going to risk his season by injuring himself by running the bases like a madman. Why would he jeopardize his incoming payday by stealing 20+ bases and running that risk? ANYONE would do the same thing in his situation. I'm not one for predictions, but once he gets paid this offseason, with whatever team that that is going to be with, he'll start running like a gazelle again. Mark my words. He's just not risking anything this year before his payday.

    But I think there will be a lot of motivation by the Jays' head office (whether that's still Atkins and/or Shapiro) to keep Bo at almost any cost. This season should be enough to show them that they simply CANNOT allow a generational talents like this to slip through your fingers. If Bo keeps playing at this pace throughout his career – and there has been little to no indication to prove that he can't or won't (barring some major unforeseen injury down the road that can happen to any player) – he could literally be a Hall of Famer in by the end of his career.

    The Jays want and need to stay competitive into the future, and by locking up players like Bo, this not only helps to assure that goal longterm, it also shows other players in the league that the Jays are serious about not only signing elite players to good contracts, but that the Jays are serious about winning. You simply can't do that without great players, but by signing Vladdy (say what you will about his career so far) and by potentially signing Bo, that signals to all elite players around baseball that the Jays are serious contenders who care about signing and keeping their best players.

    After Vladdy's contract extension in particular, and with the way the free agent market has tended over the last two off-seasons, I think the Jays head office understands this dynamic more than ever, which is why I believe they will do everything in their power to keep Bo here, and to do everything short of writing him a blank cheque to remain a Jay for the rest of his career. By signing top players, they understand that's what is needed to not only stay competitive, but to also maintain healthy ticket sales. They know what's at stake, and from the pains of the last two off-seasons, they also understand the new realities of today's free agent market, and how there are other big spending owners that sign high and worry later, and I just don't think the Jays going to mess around with Bo the way they did with Vladdy's negotiations.

    Negotiations haven't always been the best with Bo in the past, but I have a feeling it'll be a lot different this offseason.

    Add to this, how Bo has always wanted to play for one team for his entire career, and he's always wanted to keep playing with Vladdy throughout his career. Not to mention his remorse over his comments and conduct last year (him dropping hints about being unsatisfied in Toronto). Add to this, the Jays' success this season (I mean, as of this comment, we're #1 in the entire American League, and #2 in all of baseball…IN SEPTEMBER!), and these are all reasons why he could re-sign here. Not to mention this is the only organization and city he's ever known – it's the devil he knows, he's well-settled here, he knows the city, he knows all of the coaches, trainers, medical staff and training facilities – he knows what to expect, there is a certain comfort level that comes from all of that, and again, those things also play into his many prior comments about wanting to play for the Jays his entire career.

    Again, I am NOT saying he's going to re-sign with the Jays, but unlike some people, there are PLENTY of reasons for him to stay. I remain hopeful.

  16. I do agree with you Nick for the most part. Obviously Bassit is getting older and I don’t think the Jays are going to try and resign him. He’s had a good run here. He’ll probably get a 2 or 3 year deal to finish his career with another team. Scherzer I actually think would be easier to re-sign given his age to another 1 year deal and he also said this is the most fun he’s had playing baseball so I totally think the Jays can resign him if he doesn’t retire. For IKF and France they are rentals, we’re going to need them for the stretch run but after this year I’m unsure if they really have a spot on the team. Now the two most important free agents on the team are Shane Bieber assuming he opts out and Bo Bichette. I think the Jays would be able to resign one of the two. I’m leaning more towards Bichette staying than Bieber because of how important he is to this team. I’m not saying this for certain but it wouldn’t shock me if Jays front office priorities Bichette and Bieber to be in Blue Jays uniforms for the 2026 season. This is just my opinion though. It really wouldn’t shock me if all the players that I listed resigned or walked in free agency.

  18. all the others who cares but losing bo is going to hurt im guessing he will sign with the same old teams ny or la for id guess 250 mill plus sucks but bye bye bo

  21. BTW, to all those saying he is going to the Dodgers. The Dodgers signed Mookie Betts to a $365 million contract that lasts till 2032. They aren't going to sign Bichette to a large contract to sit as a backup.

Leave a Reply