Blue Jays enter the new season with a huge late-inning question mark

The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off an excellent 2025 season, in which they won the AL East for the first time since 2015 and advanced to the postseason. They made it all the way to the World Series before falling to the Los Angeles Dodgers in an exciting series. 

Instead of being happy with what they did last season, they doubled down and were aggressive over the offseason. They signed a bunch of new names, including Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, Tyler Rogers, and Kazuma Okamoto. 

However, they lost a big piece in free agency when Bo Bichette signed with the New York Mets. And Okamoto will be asked to fill his shoes. 

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Blue Jays enter the new season with a huge late-inning question mark 

Some things should be better for the Blue Jays this season. They should have a much better starting rotation with Cease leading the charge. The offense should also perform well, but the question remains about the bullpen. 

Unlike some other teams, they don't have a lockdown closer to take the ball in the ninth inning. Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly questions the club's high-leverage situation going into the new season. 

"If there's any weaknesss on the team, it's that they don't have a lockdown closer in the ninth. Jeff Hoffman, Louis Varland, and Tyler Rogers is a strong trio, but all are best cast as set-up men. General manager Ross Atkins may need to address that before the Aug. 3 trade deadline if the Blue Jays hope to get over the hup this October."

Kelly suggests that the team will need to figure this out before the trade deadline if they have any hopes of making another deep run in October. They could potentially acquire someone like JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals, who aren't expected to do much this season.

More MLB news:

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• Orioles projected to bounce back after a disappointing 2025 season
• MLB analyst questions the Guardians' 'thin' lineup heading into the new season
• Mariners' fans should be fired up after seeing the latest season projection
• Athletics enter the new season with the same glaring weakness from 2025