After coming within one win of a World Series title in 2025, there’s plenty of optimism for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2026.

Armed with one of the best offenses in the American League and some young talent like Trey Yesavage and Addison Barger, the Jays figure to be good next season and beyond.

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However, as always, there are some questions: How will they replace Kevin Gausman and George Springer, who are both free agents after 2026? Will they be able to bring back Bo Bichette? And how will the duration of Anthony Santander’s five-year contract play out after a disastrous year one?

And will the top prospects bloom into the next generation of great Jays stars?

Toronto will be counting on the likes of Yesavage, Rickey Tiedemann, JoJo Parker and Arjun Nimmala to take them through the late 2020s into the 2030s, but they could also get contributions from one relatively unknown prospect: Outfielder Jake Cook, who was drafted this past July out of Southern Mississippi.

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On Monday, Baseball America named him as the breakout prospect to watch in the organization:

He’s a plus defender in center field with a plus arm, and he shows true 80-grade speed, clocking consistent sub-3.9 home-to-first times. What’s unusual about that is that Cook, to this point in his career, is a below-average basestealer. Whether this changes or not is up for some debate, but he’s arguably the most tooled-up player in the Blue Jays’ system and tests as a top-of-the-scale athlete.

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At just 22 years old, he was drafted in the third round by Toronto. He’s projected to make his major league debut in 2028. A former pitcher, he hit 96 mph before being converted to an outfielder. He did not play any pro ball after getting drafted and Toronto will figure to start him in Dunedin this spring.

He’s ranked as the No. 11 prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline.

It’s always hard to project three years down the line, but the Jays do figure to have opportunity ahead in the outfield. Springer will be gone by the time Cook is ready to debut and Santander won’t be in his way, either. Daulton Varsho is a free agent after 2026 and the top position player prospects in the organization are both middle infielders.

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The Jays have been linked to Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger this offseason, but even if they nab one of them, Cook could have a chance to make an impact when he’s ready to debut.

40-MAN ROSTER DECISIONS: The Jays have given contracts to each of their arbitration-eligible players, keeping much of the group together in 2026. CLICK HERE:

BELLINGER POSSIBILITY: The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have interest in Bellinger, but signing him would come with some questions. CLICK HERE:

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TIEDEMANN ADDED: Former top prospect Ricky Tiedemann is now on the 40-man roster, and he could play a big role for the Jays in 2026. CLICK HERE:

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