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The Toronto Blue Jays could be looking to make one more key move ahead of opening day. So far, the Canadian club has managed to reload after making a World Series appearance in the fall. While they have lost Bo Bichette, Toronto has brought in Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, and Kazuma Okamoto. The quartet will cost the team around $330 million.

At the moment, the Blue Jays lineup is fairly set. Bleacher Report recently predicted that Andres Gimenez will take over at shortstop for Bichette, and Okamoto is set to be the starting third baseman in 2026. Toronto’s starting pitching is also looking strong heading towards the new season. Cease is joining Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Jose Berrios in the rotation. Ponce could be used as a starter as well.

If the Blue Jays have an area to strengthen ahead of opening day, it is their bullpen. ESPN’s David Schoenfield believes that Toronto can fix the situation by trading away one of their outfielders. The club currently has a logjam at the position. Daulton Varsho, Addison Barger, Anthony Santander, Nathan Lukes, Myles Straw, Joey Loperfido, and Davis Schneider are all fighting it out for the three starting roles.

According to Schoenfield, Okamoto’s introduction essentially created a domino effect in Toronto. “The Kazuma Okamoto signing pushes Addison Barger to right field, which in turn makes George Springer the full-time DH,” claimed the reporter. “The Jays will want to give Anthony Santander, entering the second year of his five-year, $92.5 million deal, a long run in left field after an injury-plagued 2025.”

Blue Jays Could Trade Utility Player to Acquire JoJo Romero

GettyAcquiring JoJo Romero would help bolster the Blue Jays bullpen.

With Varsho fully expected to be the starter in center field, Toronto has options to ease its surplus of outfielders. Schoenfield specifically believes that the right-handed Schneider could be dangled to bring in a quality relief pitcher. The versatile infielder/outfielder posted a .797 OPS in 82 total games with the Blue Jays in 2025.

Toronto may very well find a trade partner with the St. Louis Cardinals. As the reporter points out, the National League team is looking for a bat from the right side of the plate. Cardinals president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, is also not afraid to make trades that look towards the future. And he could be willing to part ways with veteran reliever JoJo Romero.

Romero recorded an impressive 2.07 ERA coming out of the bullpen with St. Louis in 2025. The lefty is, however, about to enter his final season under contract with the Cardinals. As a result, Bloom may want to trade Romero, particularly as his value is high, rather than watch him walk away next offseason.

Toronto Could Turn a Potential Weakness Into a Strength

At the moment, the Blue Jays already have two left-handed relievers in Eric Lauer and Brendon Little. Nevertheless, Lauer has been used as a swingman and may fill in as a starter if injuries arise. Little, on the other hand, had a productive regular season but posted an 11.25 ERA in the postseason.

Romero may not be a superstar or household name, but he would be a very useful piece of the puzzle in Toronto. Potentially losing Schneider could sting. However, the Blue Jays would still have Lukes, Straw, and Loperfido as extra outfield options going forward.

Christopher Moore Christopher Moore has been a Heavy.com contributor since 2025. With over a decade of experience in the industry, he has published thousands of articles reporting on multiple professional sports. He was previously a sports writer for World Soccer Talk, the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and the Maryland Sports Blog. More about Christopher Moore

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