Seven Toronto Blue Jays to watch during spring training

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So close a year ago, these seven are worth monitoring as the Jays build for another run.

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Published Feb 10, 2026 • 7 minute read

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A stadium employee does maintenance work at the Toronto Blue Jays ball park in Dunedin, Fla. on Feb. 10, 2026. The Canadian PressArticle content

One more run. Or one more run prevented. That was the difference between World Series champs and the World Series finalists title the Toronto Blue Jays took from 2025.

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It was that close. A coin flip really, if even that.

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Just getting to that 5-4 loss in 11 innings in Game 7 in a game that could have gone either way was an accomplishment for sure,

But now, as Blue Jays pitchers and catchers get set to report to training camp, we dive into what can make up the miniscule difference as the Jays attempt to take the next logical step in their progression by taking a look at the seven players to watch in spring training that could provide that last little push to get the Jays over that final hump.

Kazuma Okamoto

Let’s be honest: As the latest sensation to leave Japan and come to the Majors, Okamoto was going to have your attention anyway.

The 29-year-old slugger who hit 30 or more homers in six consecutive seasons playing for the Yomiuri Giants before an elbow injury limited him to just 69 games last season, signed a four-year $60-million contract with the Jays.

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But the reason you should be monitoring him is last season’s injury. Okamoto came back after a three-month absence and still finished with a .327 average and 15 homers.

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But there has been very little talk of it since. As a Scott Boras client, it’s not surprising to have any potential negatives suppressed, but this will mark the first time he has sustained a major injury in his young career and how he responds is worth watching.

Few question whether the power he has shown in Japan will translate at the Major League level primarily because of the type of hitter he is. He’s not a swing-and-miss guy. Throughout his career, he has combined very good on-base numbers with his very good power numbers.

In short, he’s not going to have to change his approach even if the velocity he will face is a little higher than what he is accustomed to.

Short of adapting to the North American lifestyle, the only real question is whether that injury has any lingering effects.

The other reason to monitor him is to see how the Jays will use him. Heading into camp, everything from starting at third base to DHing and even playing a little outfield is on the table.

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Addison Barger’s progress will impact how Okamoto is utilized, but safe to say the Jays will find a way to get his bat into the lineup most days, one way or the other, health not being a question.

Dylan Cease

The first attention-grabbing move of the off-season was the Jays swooping in and locking up former Padre flamethrower Dylan Cease on a seven-year $210-million deal in early December.

Cease comes in as the second-biggest signing in the Majors this off-season, trailing just the gargantuan haul Kyle Tucker got in making the move to the Dodgers.

But Cease is coming off a mediocre season minus the eye-popping strikeout numbers. Over 32 starts, he managed an 8-12 record with a 4.55 ERA for the Padres.

On the plus side, Cease made it very clear that a big part of his decision to come to Toronto was based on the success Pete Walker and his staff have had with developing and fine-tuning veteran pitchers coming into the organization. The success stories of Robbie Ray, Ross Stripling and Yusei Kikuchi after moving to Toronto were not lost on Cease, who sounds completely amenable to anything the Jays staff can offer.

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Fine-tuning the already-impressive pitching talent that Cease possesses could be an intriguing part of this coming spring.

George Springer

Springer set the bar for interesting spring trainings a year ago when he publicly declared he did not give a whit about whatever spring training stats he accumulated and worked extensively on tweaking his swing to produce the best possible results when the results actually mattered.

True to his word, Springer’s spring numbers were truly wretched. In 37 at bats, he had four hits, scored five runs and hit just .108. Then again, as promised, in the regular season he hit. 309 with a team-best 32 homers.

Springer is now 36 and, while a handful are expecting a big dip after such a drastic turnaround in 2025, it’s probably not wise to bet against Springer.

Entering his 13th year in the Majors, Springer is one of those players who just refuses to age and he showed everyone last spring just how far he was willing to go to get back to being the impactful player he has been most of his career.

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We have no idea what his plans are for this spring, but look for Springer to find something that will keep him at the forefront of the Jays offence.

Jose Berrios

Berrios is at a crossroads in his career — albeit one with plenty of financial security. Berrios has two years after this season left on his current contract with just under $50 million left on his seven-year deal.

But he’s coming off a season that ended prematurely by injury and then, while the entire organization was enjoying and locked in on that stellar playoff run, Berrios was left off the World Series roster. The consummate team player, even Berrios letting it be known he wasn’t happy about the Jays post-season decisions was a bit surprising.

Now fully healthy again, he heads into spring training looking to earn himself a spot in a rotation already heavy with the likes of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, newcomers Cease and Cody Ponce, and rookie Trey Yesavage — who was such a revelation in last year’s playoff run.

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Throw in dependable lefty Eric Lauer and Berrios is going to have to have one heck of a spring just to earn his way into the rotation conversation. A proud man with an impressive resume as a starting pitcher over 10 MLB seasons, don’t expect Berrios to take talk of moving him to the bullpen as anything short of an insult.

Anthony Santander

It would appear Santander has had his fair share of bad luck for the time being. The prized off-season acquisition from a year ago — who signed a five-year $92.5-million deal — Santander was limited to just 54 games due to a left shoulder injury.

He hit a microscopic .175 for the year and pitched in with just six homers — not the kind of numbers the Jays thought they were paying for when they grabbed him as a free agent from division rival Baltimore.

But it’s a new season and Santander has put the shoulder injury and hopefully the back issues that ended his post-season after Game 3 of the ALCS behind him.

The issue for the Jays in terms of getting some value from this high-priced free agent is where to play him. Santander projects as a legit designated hitter, but the bulk of those at bats are going to go to George Springer.

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With Vladimir Guerrero Jr. at first and the combo of Okamoto and Barger at third, just getting him at bats may become an issue.

Worth noting through spring training is how the Jays employ Santander, who made 30 starts as a DH and 22 in the outfield, with 15 of those outfield starts in right.

Cody Ponce

At 31 and coming off a career season in Korea, the Toronto Blue Jays ponied up $30 million over three years to bring Ponce to Toronto.

A former second-round pick by the Milwaukee Brewers, Ponce made his Major League debut with Pittsburgh, but did not last. What followed was three years in Japan — first with the Nippon Ham Fighters and then with Rakuten — before he made the move to Korea and became a completely different pitcher.

Ponce put on muscle, added 2-3 mph to his fastball and developed an off-speed pitch that led to a 17-1 record with a 1.89 ERA and just about every award Korean baseball hands out following a season.

Making the jump back to the majors will not be easy for Ponce and he’s well aware of that. Spring training will be big for him to build his confidence and make him worth watching in these otherwise meaningless games.

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Yimi Garcia

Yimi Garcia was the forgotten man in the Blue Jays success in 2025. A dependable reliever, he was supposed to be the set-up man for Jays closer Jeff Hoffman last season until surgery in late August ended his season following a lengthy stint on the injured list that began July 3.

Garcia’s numbers were by no means poor in the injury-shortened 2025 season. Before going under the knife to clean up scar tissue in his elbow, the 35-year-old right hander had a 3.86 ERA.

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Garcia’s return along with the signings of Trevor Rogers and Chase Lee provides some depth to a bullpen that was lacking in that department last season.

Garcia’s stature within the team cannot be overstated. He is not only popular among his teammates, but dependable when he takes the mound.

If he shows he is back to form this spring, that will go a long way towards increased success for his team.

mganter@postmedia.com

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Seven Toronto Blue Jays to watch during spring training

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