Crowds of 40,000-plus have filled the stadium for each of the first two games, and even though players and coaches have tried to focus on the present moment, they’ve all been well aware of who was coming to Toronto this week.

It would be impossible not to know, especially when Kevin Gausman and Yoshinobu Yamamoto ended up pitching opposite each other Tuesday, just as they did in Games 2 and 6 of the World Series last October. The presence of off-season Jays targets like Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Tucker only added to the anticipation.

But while last year’s World Series was closely contested to the end, the Dodgers are thoroughly outplaying the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre this time, frustrating an injury-depleted Jays team along the way. So as compelling as Ohtani’s start will be Wednesday, the outing matters because of what it means for a 2026 season that must be turned around ASAP, not a 2025 season that’s starting to feel more distant with each loss.

Now 4-7 with the longest losing streak in MLB, the Blue Jays have a new and rapidly expanding set of problems, and maybe some opportunities, too – if only they can find a way to perform closer to their potential.

“We’re falling short right now,” Gausman acknowledged after Tuesday’s loss. “But I have all the confidence in the world in all these guys. We just have to play better.” 

The Blue Jays have lost six straight and seven of eight, including series losses against the Rockies and White Sox, who each lost 100-plus games a year ago. That puts them fourth in the AL East, only ahead of the 3-8 Red Sox.

Add to that an offence that’s scored more than five runs only once – back in their second game of the season. A hitless night for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had him taking swings in the batting cage late Tuesday, while others, like George Springer (.601 OPS) and Nathan Lukes (.276 OPS), are off to even slower starts.

Better things are surely ahead for established hitters like Guerrero Jr. and Springer, but turning things around against Ohtani’s triple-digit velocity won’t be much easier than it was against his teammate Yamamoto, so there’s no telling when the flip will occur.

Compounding the adversity, the Blue Jays keep getting bad news on the injury front, with Cody Ponce set to miss the rest of the season, Alejandro Kirk sidelined for approximately six weeks and Addison Barger now on the injured list.

“It’s not a great feeling,” Gausman said. “It’s been crazy, it really has. But it’s part of the game. We play 162 for a reason.”

Already, Kirk’s impact has been missed. Tyler Heineman struggled in Chicago over the weekend and Brandon Valenzuela accidentally hit Ohtani’s elbow on a pickoff attempt at first base Tuesday while going hitless in three at-bats.

Mistakes happen, of course, and both Heineman and Valenzuela are capable of filling in for Kirk, but it didn’t take long to feel the absence of Kirk’s quiet presence on both sides of the ball.

Valenzuela said he apologized to Ohtani, who appeared to be fine. Yet after Tuesday’s game, the switch-hitting catcher felt the impact of the loss.

“As frustrated as you can be in the game,” he said. “Overall, we’re not getting the result we want. We’re playing decent baseball, but it’s not good enough. Especially against the Dodgers.”

Despite the frustration, there’s still opportunity here for the Blue Jays. As Gausman said, it’s a long season and with 150 games remaining after whatever happens against Ohtani and the Dodgers Wednesday, there’s lots of time for the Blue Jays to end up wherever they should be.

Along with that, there are chances for individual players to step up. The magic of the 2025 season wouldn’t have been possible without breakout contributors like Barger, Eric Lauer and Ernie Clement. 

There’s no guarantee that someone like Valenzuela, the recently signed Patrick Corbin or Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles can be this year’s version of those players, but they certainly have the skill needed to help. As the season progresses, many more will get their chances.

With that said, manager John Schneider wouldn’t want any one player to try to take that responsibility on themselves. He routinely asks his players to focus on what they do well instead of trying to win a game all by themselves.

Lately, the players have gotten away from that, making needless mistakes on defence and chasing more pitches outside of the zone than they did a year ago, perhaps a reflection of players trying to do a little too much.

But the core skills are still there and the Blue Jays still have most of the same coaches who helped the players perform so well last fall. With a new day comes another chance for the Blue Jays to adjust.

“I’m a firm believer in that you’ve got to just turn the page to what’s important,” Schneider said.

Wednesday, against a dialled-in Ohtani who has yet to allow a run this season, that’s a big ask – especially given how trying the last week has been. Yet if the 2026 Blue Jays are going to embody the kind of resilience that put them on the Dodgers’ level last year, now would be a great time to access it.

“Nothing we can do but dig our cleats in the dirt and come back,” Gausman said.

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Still stinging from the Blue Jays’ loss to the Dodgers in the World Series, Gausman felt compelled to look back and relive the October experience, good and bad. When he’d work out, he’d often put on radio or TV broadcasts of his starts.

It wasn’t something he ever set out to do, but once he started he felt it worked for him. First off, he could watch the game as a pitcher and analyze what he could have done differently. And the experience also reminded him “what a fun, exciting time” the 2025 post-season had been in Toronto.

As the winter progressed, Gausman went back through all of his playoff starts. Sometimes he’d listen to the home radio broadcast, other times he’d flip to the road feed, curious what they might have said. As the weeks went by, he watched “probably every pitch (he) threw,” all 436 of them. By his final appearance — Game 6 of the World Series — it could be painful to relive.

“Kind of heartbreaking at times,” Gausman said. “But I kind of needed it to get over it in a sense. It’s almost like when you have a bad breakup, I guess. If you have some voicemails, you’re going to listen to them for a while until you finally delete them.”

With a series against the Dodgers set to begin in Toronto on Monday (Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT), many of Gausman’s teammates will be coming face to face with similar emotions. On the schedule, it’s just another series in April, but any early season meeting between World Series opponents would inspire some strong emotions — and that’s especially true after a series that was closely contested all the way through extra innings of Game 7.

“It’ll bring back some memories for sure,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “It feels like we just played them. We still know they’re a damned good team. We still know they’ve got superstars up and down their lineup and really good pitching. I’m sure you guys (in the media) will have fun with it. There’s plenty of stories to write and I’m gonna get some sleep tonight with the media hours the next couple days.”

While the media presence will surely be significant, they aren’t alone in caring about this story. Near-sellout crowds are expected all week, and the players themselves have a heightened awareness of what’s ahead, as expected.

For instance, Gausman’s parents told him they planned to make a point of being there for the Dodgers series.

“It’s something we can’t ignore,” Gausman said. “We know we lost to them in the World Series last year.”

Others within the Blue Jays’ clubhouse were looking forward to the series for their own reasons. After starting Sunday’s loss to the White Sox, Eric Lauer said he’s hopeful playing the Dodgers can help the Blue Jays collectively reach a higher level of play.

“Everybody knows it’s going to be a good series,” he said. “It’s going to be another showdown. It’s going to be a good one for us to get back on track. We stumbled this (0-3) road trip, but it’s going to be a good reset for us to getting back to playing baseball the way we know how. Going against the Dodgers you can’t make stupid mistakes and you’ve got to really throw the ball well so hopefully this series really locks us back in.”

While Lauer’s not slated to pitch against the Dodgers this week, Gausman’s set to pitch Tuesday. And not only is he pitching, he currently lines up opposite World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who pitched opposite Gausman in Games 2 and 6 of the World Series, winning twice despite quality starts from Gausman both times.

Gausman knows the lineup he’ll face Tuesday is “really good — that’s why they won it back-to-back years.” So as the series approached, his focus was on attacking the Los Angeles hitters, not whether Yamamoto’s start day would line up with his again.

“You never know how it’s going to line up, a lot of things can change from day to day, so I don’t really look too much at who I’m going to be facing,” he said. ”But I will say at the same time, when you’re facing other established guys it’s fun. We kind of expect that the other guy is going to pitch well and I think they expect you to pitch well, so there’s the level of understanding that we’re both going to go out there and do our thing.”

Gausman then added that he hopes the Blue Jays score 10 runs per game. An offensive outburst like that would certainly help flip the narrative around the 2026 Blue Jays, a team that’s now struggling to find its footing. 

Yet the story of 2025 has been told by now. When the games counted most, the Dodgers found a way, leading to a painful ending for a particularly likeable Blue Jays team. Nothing that happens now will change that — but even with that knowledge in mind, the next few days may still be emotional.

“It’s just funny because it’s so early in the season still,” Gausman said. ”But yeah, I get it. I get the excitement behind it. It’s just two of the best teams from last year facing each other for the first time, so yeah, it’s going to be fun. I know there’s probably going to be a little bit more reactions from the fans during that series. But that’s what sports is all about.”

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Offensively, the Blue Jays looked lost most of the weekend, scoring a total of seven runs in three games. They’ve now lost five of their last six games on the way to series losses against the Rockies and White Sox.

As ugly as it’s been lately, there’s all kinds of time remaining for the Blue Jays to turn this around. There’s a difference between a genuinely bad team and a team playing badly, of course.

But with Addison Barger now dealing with ankle pain and a matchup with the Dodgers on the horizon, life isn’t about to get any easier for the Blue Jays. Turning an opportunity against a last-place team into a sweep at the hands of the White Sox hurts.

“If you’re not playing your baseball, good things usually don’t happen,” said manager John Schneider. “We’ve got to start playing in sync. Today we were fighting an uphill battle offensively, which is uncharacteristic out of us.” 

With just six hits Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays were unable to find answers against Davis Martin and the White Sox bullpen. 

“The offence will get clicking,” Schneider said. “We’re nine games in.”

The lone offensive highlight came in the third inning when catcher Brandon Valenzuela, making his first career big-league start in place of Kirk, lined a pitch to right field for his first-ever hit.

“He’s got a bright future,” Schneider said. “It’s nice to get the first hit out of the way. I’m happy for him.”

As for Barger, he aggravated both ankles while running out a ground ball in the third inning. 

“He stepped a little bit weird with both of them,” Schneider said. “Hopefully it’s just a day or two, or maybe not even a day.”

Credit starter Eric Lauer for trying to gut through a bout with the flu to pitch a few innings, but his velocity was down and he wasn’t nearly as effective as he was in his season debut against the Athletics last weekend. The left-hander walked three without striking anyone out before leaving the game in the third.

He connected to an IV before the start to help with hydration and was able to drink a smoothie to gain some strength before the game, but he was far from full strength.

“It was probably the worst (flu) I’ve ever had,” Lauer said. “It’s just been a grind trying to eat.”

“I’ve been able to drink my calories more than anything. The hard part’s keeping them down.”

Since Lauer was “basically bedridden for the last four days,” it wasn’t a guarantee he’d be able to make the start at all, but he wanted to show up for his teammates, especially after a week in which fellow starter Cody Ponce was placed on the injured list.

“(Staying on the sidelines) was definitely a thought,” he said. “But the way things had been going, we needed some innings and I felt like I was good enough.”

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, Lauer wasn’t alone in dealing with flu-like symptoms.

“There’s a few guys that were feeling it, so hydrate up and get back on the horse,” Schneider said.

The Blue Jays did shuffle their bullpen before the game, optioning both Brendon Little and Lazaro Estrada while adding lefty Joe Mantiply and right-hander Austin Voth to take their places.

A stint in Buffalo should allow Little to work on some of the issues that led to an ERA of 24.55 and an opponents’ on-base percentage north of .500. There’s intriguing stuff there, but it just wasn’t working and Mantiply now joins Mason Fluharty as a lefty relief option.

As for Voth, he’s here to provide length, an assignment that began Sunday with 2.2 respectable innings during which he allowed one earned run on three hits. Mantiply also debuted, striking out three in his 1.1 innings.

“Joe did a really good job,” Schneider said. “He’s been around and knows what he’s doing. I liked what I saw.”

After a flight home to Toronto, Max Scherzer will pitch opposite Justin Wrobleski Monday when the Blue Jays open their series against the Dodgers.

“Baseball’s funny. It takes a while to get into your groove,” Schneider said. “We’ve got to find a way on the bird back to Toronto to flush this. This is not our brand of baseball and hopefully some good vibes at home and some crowd support and a little bit of energy kicks us into gear.”

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The Toronto Blue Jays had just lost consecutive games to the Chicago White Sox, a far inferior team on paper, and Heineman, normally the team’s backup catcher, had figured prominently in both losses. He wiped tears from his eyes as he spoke.

“The last two games, those losses, they’re on me,” he told Sportsnet. “You can sugarcoat it any way you want and say there’s other things going on, but they’re on me.”

A costly baserunning mistake by Heineman and a subsequent throwing error did figure prominently in the Blue Jays’ 6-3 loss to the White Sox. But while Heineman was willing to accept full responsibility for the two defeats it’s unfortunately not that simple for the Blue Jays.

An underwhelming offensive performance contributed to the loss as did another poor showing from Brendon Little, whose grasp on a roster spot appears to be slipping. It was, unfortunately, a team effort.

“We’re eight games into the season and we’ve had some games that scream ‘not us,’” said manager John Schneider. “When we play (like) us, we are good. So, we’ve got to get back to it.”

The Blue Jays are now assured of series losses against both the Rockies and White Sox and what appeared to be a forgiving week on the schedule has largely been squandered. 

“There’s been some things that are magnified,” Schneider said. “The more you dwell on it and the more you say ‘woe is me,’ the worse you’re going to get. They’re very well aware of the standard that is set here and the expectations that we hold and what we think is important. And when you don’t hit those, we’re going to have to have some more conversations.”

Big picture, yes, this is a talented group with a respectable 4-4 record and 154 games remaining. But this has still been an exceptionally difficult week, especially since injuries to Cody Ponce and Alejandro Kirk are further testing the Blue Jays’ depth, with Kirk officially hitting the injured list due to a fractured left thumb Saturday.

Midway through the sixth inning, the Blue Jays looked to be turning the momentum around. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had just homered to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead, but Little entered the game and immediately got into trouble.

Miguel Vargas doubled off Little to lead off the sixth and the next hitter, Munetaka Murakami, hit a no-doubt home run to centre field. Two batters later, Colson Montgomery hit another home run, extending Chicago’s lead.

Little has now allowed more earned runs than outs recorded in three of his five appearances this season. More than half of the total hitters he has faced have reached base — often on hard contact. And while he’d ideally neutralize left-handed hitters, both hitters to homer off him Saturday bat left-handed.

The case for optioning him to the minors to revisit his mechanics and build some confidence has never been stronger.

“We’ve got to figure it out,” Schneider said when asked about the reliever. “We’re going to try to put the best team out there every single day, so we’ll definitely sit down and talk about it.” 

Otherwise, the Blue Jays’ pitching was strong Saturday with Lazaro Estrada providing four scoreless, hitless innings. And after narrowly missing his first home run of the season in the fourth inning, Guerrero Jr. hit a no-doubter into the left field bleachers in the sixth.

Still, the Blue Jays cost themselves a chance for further damage from Guerrero Jr. in the seventh when Heineman was caught trying to advance to third on a sacrifice fly. Making the third out at third is a baseball no-no, especially with a hitter like Guerrero Jr. on deck.

“It’s just the wrong play,” Heineman said. “It’s inexcusable.”

“We can’t do that,” Schneider added. “It’s as simple as that. Heineman knows that. Everyone in the dugout and everyone in the stands probably knows that.”

Later, Heineman’s tough day would continue as he threw a ball into shallow left field during a rundown, allowing the White Sox to add two unearned runs. He said afterwards that his errant throw late in Friday’s game weighed heavily on him Saturday.


“I just need to find a way to not let this stuff snowball,” he said. “And I just got to take ownership of it.”

Before the game, the Blue Jays placed Kirk on the injured list with a fractured left thumb, an injury that will sideline him for weeks to come. A visit with Dr. Thomas J. Graham Monday will help determine next steps and timelines for Kirk, who’d ideally avoid surgery.

Considering his impact on the team’s offence and pitching staff, the loss of Kirk will be significant for however long he’s on the sidelines, but the Blue Jays are hoping Brandon Valenzuela can help minimize the impact of his absence alongside Heineman.

Acquired from the Padres for Will Wagner last summer, the 25-year-old Valenzuela hit 15 total home runs in the minor leagues last year while earning a reputation as a strong defender. With Kirk playing at the World Baseball Classic this spring, Valenzuela got plenty of time with Blue Jays pitchers, which should help him transition smoothly at the MLB level.

All told, rival scouts consider Valenzuela’s skillset MLB-ready. More to the point, the Blue Jays do, which is why he’ll start Sunday in the series finale with Eric Lauer starting.

When the emotions calm down a little, 154 games will still remain on the schedule. To make sure they take full advantage of them, the Blue Jays must collectively find a way to play a cleaner game.

“Those mistakes cannot happen,” Schneider said. “Whether it’s April, October or November. Those mistakes can’t happen.”

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Unable to get much offence going against the White Sox, the Blue Jays dropped their series opener Friday, losing 5-4 in 10 innings. A late home run by Andres Gimenez made things close, but the White Sox rallied in the 10th to win their home opener in front of 33,171.

Worse still for the Blue Jays, Alejandro Kirk’s status is uncertain after taking a foul ball off his left thumb in the 10th inning. Moments after the ball struck his glove, Kirk told Blue Jays coaches he needed to leave the game.

Tyler Heineman then replaced him midway through the frame, making a throwing error that helped the White Sox tie and eventually win the game. The Blue Jays sent Kirk for X-rays that will determine the next steps.

“It sucks, it hurts, especially on a cold day,” said manager John Schneider. “So we’re just hoping it’s nothing serious. He’s about as tough as they come, so for him to come out, you don’t love it.”

“I mean, it’s extremely unfortunate,” said starter Dylan Cease. “He’s a big part of the team. Hopefully he’s OK.”

Should the Blue Jays decide they need an extra catcher on hand for the rest of the weekend, Brandon Valenzuela “makes a lot of sense,” Schneider said. Not only is the 25-year-old switch-hitter on the 40-man roster, but he also impressed in spring training, when he worked closely with most Blue Jays pitchers.

“He’d be the first one,” Schneider said.

The defeat comes after a series loss to the Rockies and gives the Blue Jays a 4-3 record on the season. With 155 games remaining in the regular season, there’s all kinds of time left for the Blue Jays to recover. They have time, and they have talent.

At the same time, it’s rare to get a week like this with series against two of the weakest teams in baseball, and the Blue Jays have so far failed to take advantage of the opportunity. To this point, they’re 1-3 against the Rockies and White Sox, who lost a combined 221 games last year. 

It’s frustrating, especially when it comes to the offence, which managed just four runs on seven hits Friday and has scored more than five runs just once in 2026. Kazuma Okamoto struck out four times Friday, and Jesus Sanchez whiffed three times while no Blue Jays hitter collected more than one hit.

“I also thought we hit some balls hard,” Schneider said. “I thought there was some unlucky batted ball stuff for us.”

That may be so, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went straight to the batting cage after a one-for-four day in an attempt to get his swing to where he wants it.

Earlier in the afternoon, with Ernie Clement on first and the Blue Jays trailing 3-1 in the eighth, Gimenez pulled a home run down the right field line to tie the game. The shortstop’s second home run of the season extended the game just long enough to buy some more time against the White Sox, now 2-5.

In the top of the 10th, the Blue Jays seemed poised to pull off a comeback win as an errant throw by Miguel Vargas pulled newcomer Munetaka Murakami just far enough off first base for George Springer to reach and Davis Schneider to score. 

Meanwhile, Cease’s spotty command kept him from completing five innings – far from ideal considering the Blue Jays will be relying on Mason Fluharty to start a bullpen game Saturday.

“I didn’t command the ball well today,” Cease said. “I just wasn’t getting ahead. Didn’t have a great feel.”

The former White Sox starter struck out six while allowing just three runs, but he fell behind hitters too often, walking three and allowing five hits. While Cease touched 100 m.p.h. and generated 16 swinging strikes, his command wasn’t as sharp as it was in his impressive Blue Jays debut last weekend.

“He still had this stuff, but I think the biggest difference was not getting the curve and the change-up in zone as much,” Schneider said. “And I thought he probably could have used his fastball a little more, but he’s got confidence in all of his pitches.”

Soon after the game ended, the Blue Jays signed Patrick Corbin to a one-year, $1 million deal to bolster their pitching depth. The Blue Jays immediately optioned the left-hander to class A Dunedin, where he’ll build up toward the MLB level.

But Corbin’s already been working extensively out to prepare for the season, so he may not require more than a start or two to become a viable big-league option. Trey Yesavage, who was slated to start Friday night in Dunedin, is also pushing closer to the majors – an encouraging development for a team with just four starters.

For now, the challenge facing the Blue Jays is simple: make the most of the remaining two games against the White Sox, even if the roster isn’t at full strength.

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Lauer probably could have pitched through the bug, but since the Blue Jays only had two starters firmed up for the weekend anyway, they pushed Lauer back to give him a little more rest.

“We have the luxury to just give him an extra day,” manager John Schneider said from the Rate Field dugout Friday morning.

That means Saturday’s starter is now TBD, with recently recalled Lazaro Estrada one candidate to play a significant role.

The uncertainty is tied to the right knee injury sustained by Cody Ponce on Monday, but while the Blue Jays await word on Ponce’s knee, they’ve been actively pursuing pitching reinforcements. According to industry sources, the Blue Jays had serious talks with at least one free agent starter this week.

While those talks may not lead anywhere in the end, it’s always prudent to seek pitching depth, and the Ponce injury intensified those talks — at least for a few days. For now, though, the Blue Jays are making it work in-house.

Meanwhile, in the minor leagues, Trey Yesavage will take a significant step Friday as he starts a rehab assignment with the Dunedin Blue Jays. That outing will begin a 30-day clock for Yesavage to return to the majors, but there’s hope he won’t need that long.

Asked what will be next for Yesavage after Friday, Schneider said, “We’ll see.” First things first, the Blue Jays want to see that he’s recovering well from the shoulder impingement that has him on the injured list.

“As long as his stuff is there, we’ll feel good about that and just do what’s best for him,” Schneider said.

One of three pitchers rehabbing away from the big-league team, Yesavage is likely ahead of Jose Berrios, who’s throwing live batting practice Saturday, or Shane Bieber, who’s slated to pitch off a mound for the first time in 2026 Saturday.

“Probably (Yesavage) followed by Jose and then Biebs in that order,” Schneider said.

Until then, it’s a matter of taking advantage of a 1-5 White Sox team regardless of pitching injuries or clubhouse ailments.

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Three wins, including two walk-offs, an MLB-record 50 strikeouts by the pitching staff and strong debut performances from newcomers such as starter Dylan Cease and sluggers Kazuma Okamoto and Jesus Sanchez, each of whom hit their first Blue Jays home runs on Sunday. 

As pitcher Eric Lauer said: “It doesn’t feel like we ever left.”

That’s before even considering the near-sellout crowds on hand to unveil the 2025 AL Championship banner and start the celebration of the franchise’s 50th season. Or Dub Gleed, an aptly named acquisition for a team that’s still undefeated.

Now 3-0 for the first time in 30 years, the Blue Jays have a chance to gain even more ground in the standings over the next week. A rare weak spot in the schedule brings the Rockies to Toronto for three followed by three in Chicago against the White Sox.

On paper, it’s as favourable a week as the Blue Jays will get all season. Of course, it’s now a matter of executing on the field to ensure the opportunity doesn’t go to waste — and after a weekend of dominant pitching, it’ll be time for Cody Ponce to make his Blue Jays debut Monday (coverage begins on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 6:30 p.m. ET / 3:30 p.m. PT). 

“The first outing is always cool,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “Cody fits in with what we’re trying to do here, he understands how his stuff works. I’m excited to see him pitch.”

While we await first pitch against the Rockies, here are three more stories emerging from the weekend:

Okamoto fitting in nicely

Because Okamoto produced on the field, his teammates had plenty of moments to celebrate him, showering him with Gatorade and beer and dressing him in the home run jacket he’d previously admired from Japan.

“I didn’t think this day would come,” he said through interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “That was an awesome feeling.”

While the home run was his biggest moment of the weekend, Okamoto collected three other hits while making all the plays at third, where he started all three games.

“I don’t think he’s going to have many problems adjusting,” Lauer said. “He’s very polished and ready to go.”

Quietly, other aspects of Okamoto’s game were tested, too. For instance: he found himself running at third base on two different occasions Friday, putting his communication skills to the test right away. 

Interpreters like Oshima obviously aren’t permitted on the basepaths so in those moments, it’s on Okamoto to communicate directly with third base coach Carlos Febles about what to anticipate.

As the Blue Jays saw in Game 7 of the World Series when Isiah Kiner-Falefa was thrown out at home on a close play, even a fraction of a second matters. Realizing the importance of communication, Febles worked with Okamoto throughout spring training, speaking in English and even a little Spanish. Now a few games into the regular season, the Blue Jays are encouraged by how well Okamoto can understand instructions from Febles and put them into practice.

“He’s fine,” Febles said. “He knows baseball, and baseball has the same language. Like ‘Attack,’ or ‘See it through here’ or ‘Go on contact.’ He dominates on that, and we can also add in hand signals. It’ll take a little bit, but so far so good. He’ll be fine.”

Depth on display

Schneider found a way to get every player from the roster into the opening weekend except for starters Ponce and Max Scherzer, who didn’t appear for obvious reasons. Mixing everyone in wasn’t the first priority — Job 1 is winning the games, of course — but it’s a pleasant byproduct of how things unfolded.

Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles earned his first big-league win in his MLB debut, an experience he described as “surreal,” while bench players Tyler Heineman and Myles Straw each earned starts and responded with hits.

None of that fundamentally shifts how the Blue Jays are likely to use their roster, but Sanchez did make a strong impression by hitting a 417-foot home run out of the No. 2 spot in the batting order Sunday. With Tomoyuki Sugano slated to start for Colorado on Monday, that could be another chance for the Blue Jays to deploy Sanchez’s power against a right-handed starting pitcher, often a favourable matchup.

Starting rotation shines

Lauer’s impressive start Sunday showed that the Blue Jays have the starting pitching depth to hold their own even while the likes of Trey Yesavage, Jose Berrios and Shane Bieber work their way back to full strength. The left-hander pitched 5.1 innings Sunday, walking just one while striking out nine.

Eventually, there could be some tough decisions for the Blue Jays but no one’s on the brink of returning, so for now there’s no need to consider adjusting the rotation. That means Lauer will get more chances to prove he belongs, including over the weekend against the White Sox.

With Lauer now in the rotation, it’s less clear who the organization’s next arm up would be, but a couple of pitchers on the big-league radar had notable performances over the weekend. Grant Rogers struggled in his first start of the season, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings, but Chad Dallas struck out five over three innings Sunday while allowing one run and throwing 58 pitches. Meanwhile, Adam Macko and Lazaro Estrada pitched well in multi-inning relief roles.

Regardless of who’s pushing toward the major leagues, there’s rarely if ever any reason for a pitcher to fear for their rotation spot when their strikeout-to-walk ratio is 9:1.

The Blue Jays acquired minor-league infielder Dub Gleed and international bonus money from the Marlins in the deal, the team announced.

Jimenez was in contention to make the Blue Jays’ opening-day roster until last week, but was designated for assignment when Davis Schneider earned the 13th and final position-player spot on the roster. 

While the Blue Jays liked what Jimenez had to offer enough to consider him seriously this spring, they also were impressed with the work of minor-league shortstop Josh Kasevich, who could be added to the 40-man roster if needed later in the season.

The 24-year-old Jimenez has appeared in 81 career games with the Blue Jays, hitting .207 with five home runs and a .635 OPS while playing shortstop and second base.

He’s out of minor-league options, which meant he had to be placed on waivers before being sent to the minors. Evidently the Marlins liked what they saw enough to want to jump the waiver queue and make a deal.

First came a dominant pitching performance from Dylan Cease. Then a bizarre seventh inning undermined Cease’s start and stress-tested the Blue Jays’ left-handed relief. And finally, clutch swings in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings led to the Blue Jays’ second walk-off win in as many days.

The decisive swing came from Ernie Clement — a single into left-centre field that gave the Blue Jays an 8-7 victory. Yet it wouldn’t have been possible without Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles, who pitched a scoreless 11th, earning his first MLB win with an impressive performance.

“It’s great to see,” Clement said. “We’re battling. We’re fighting back. We’re picking guys up. It’s what was special about last year’s team and it’s what will be special about this year’s team. We’re never out of it.”

Before the game veered off-course, Cease was everything the Blue Jays could have hoped for.

He walked out to the bullpen 40 minutes before first pitch and waved back at the applauding fans – a rare move for a starting pitcher, even at home. Wearing his new home whites, the 30-year-old took in the scene around him and responded to his new fans.

“It felt right in the moment,” Cease said. “I was awkwardly smiling, so I figured I might as well give them a wave.”

With 12 strikeouts in his Blue Jays debut, Cease set a franchise record. He turned the game over to the bullpen with a couple runners on base, but was charged with just one earned run over 5.1 innings of work.

“Awesome to see him work,” Clement said. “He pitched great.”

Yet as impressive as that line is, it might actually undersell how dominant he was. Touching 100 m.p.h. on the radar gun, he completely overmatched the Athletics, striking out every member of their starting lineup at least once and never letting Max Muncy or Denzel Clarke put the ball in play.

Even the balls the Athletics did hit weren’t hit well. They hit just five balls harder than 71 m.p.h. against Cease and only one harder than 93 m.p.h. – a 108 m.p.h. Tyler Soderstrom single in the first inning. Otherwise, it was whiffs or extremely weak contact.

An outing that strong offers a reminder of why the Blue Jays spent $210 million to make Cease the highest-paid pitcher in franchise history. As Blue Jays assistant GM Mike Murov said at the time, “I don’t think it takes a genius to uncover” that Cease can pitch.

That may be so, yet it did take a significant financial commitment and a strong sales pitch, both of which were on offer. Now, the Blue Jays have a second frontline starter to pair with Kevin Gausman, who opened the season with 11 strikeouts of his own on Friday.

“It’s what we were looking for when we acquired him,” manager John Schneider said.

As Cease left the field, the fans stood and cheered.

“That was a blast,” he recalled. “Everyone was cheering and extremely supportive. It’s an electric atmosphere and I think that really does make a difference.” 

Not long after Cease left, the seventh inning played out in bizarre and unfortunate fashion. With Mason Fluharty pitching in the top of the seventh, both Jeff McNeil and Muncy reached on infield singles that ricocheted off the pitcher’s legs. The second hit Fluharty hard enough that it chased him from the game with a right knee contusion.

X-rays were negative, so Fluharty’s expected to be available for Sunday’s series finale.

That brought Brendon Little into the game, and after striking out the first hitter he faced, a third infield single to the pitcher brought home McNeil to tie the game 2-2. Little then walked Nick Kurtz and threw a knuckle curve below the strike zone to the locked-in Shea Langeliers, who sent it over the centre field wall for a game-changing grand slam.

Clearly, it’s a results business for both Little and the Blue Jays. Bad luck or not, it was a rough afternoon for Little, who could have used a bounce-back outing after allowing game-changing home runs in each of the final two outings of his 2025 post-season against the Mariners and Dodgers, respectively.

Yet rarely will three weakly hit grounders to the pitcher and a curveball below the strike zone result in a five-run rally. What unfolded Saturday was literally the worst-case scenario for that combination of events. It’s frustrating, but the Toronto pitchers actually generated lots of weak contact while striking out 17 A’s. Those are positives.

Despite the 6-2 deficit, the Blue Jays rallied. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jesus Sanchez and Andres Gimenez each hit RBI singles to bring the score within one, then Alejandro Kirk hit a game-tying home run into the left-field seats in the ninth.

After the A’s scored in the 10th, Addison Barger hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, setting up Miles’ MLB debut. The right-hander “blacked out a little,” but kept the score tied while earning his first MLB strikeout.

“He checked all the boxes today,” Schneider said. “That was a big test. A good way to start.”

That set up Clement’s walk-off hit, the third of his career, and led to a joyful celebration in shallow right field. 

“We’ve just got to focus on playing our game,” Schneider said. “And let the chips fall where they may.”

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Standing by his locker in the Blue Jays’ clubhouse Friday afternoon, the 29-year-old said these past few days in Toronto had gone well, with friendly people and good food in his new home city, but he was looking forward to finally taking the field and contributing.

By the end of the night, Okamoto had made a considerable impact with his new team, collecting two hits, including a ninth-inning single that sparked a walk-off 3-2 win over the Athletics. And not only did he score the game’s winning run, but he also made a pair of nice defensive plays, drew his first big-league walk and earned a post-game Gatorade shower.

“I’m just glad I could contribute,” Okamoto said via interpreter Yusuke Oshima. “Great vibes overall today.”

That skillset is why the Blue Jays pursued Okamoto seriously this winter, ultimately signing the former Yomiuri Giants star to a four-year, $60 million deal. And by showing it off in the Blue Jays’ first game of the 2026 season, he proved he’s capable of making a significant impact.

“I’m happy for him,” manager John Schneider said. “That’s really cool. The guys were happy for him. I’m sure there were some nerves there, too, but I was really impressed with the way that he just played his game. He understands what we’re doing here, and I sound a little bit giddy, but it’s a guy who just fits in with what we’re doing.”

About 20 minutes before the game even began, Okamoto got his first loud ovation of the night. Wearing No. 7 and a throwback, white-panel Blue Jays hat, he was introduced along with his teammates, most of whom were playing at Rogers Centre for the first time since Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. 

When Okamoto stepped to the plate for the first time, many fans were standing in anticipation of a memorable at-bat, but A’s starter Luis Severino won that round, striking Okamoto out on a series of five fastballs up to 98 m.p.h.

As Schneider joked later: “Welcome to the big leagues.”

His next test came on defence, when Tyler Soderstrom hit a slow chopper to third in the top of the fourth. Okamoto charged, fielded the ball with two hands and threw off-balance to first, where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did the splits to record the out.

From second base, Ernie Clement was impressed.

“A heck of a play on both ends,” Clement said. “He just seems really comfortable. I think he understands who he is as a player, and it doesn’t look like he’s trying to do too much out there. The internal clock on that play was great. It’s been fun to watch. I think he’s only going to get better.”

The next inning, Okamoto worked an eight-pitch walk against Severino, and it’s at that point that his nerves started to subside. 

“I settled down,” he recalled. “I was able to lock in.”

“He’s got a really advanced approach,” Clement added. “I’m so impressed with the walk he drew. He took some really tough pitches there, and it’s those little things that win you the game. We’ll all talk about the extra-base hits that we scored on, but it doesn’t start without him.”

Soon after reaching base, Okamoto scored the Blue Jays’ first run of the season on an Andres Gimenez triple. He then returned to the field where he made another nice play, picking up a tough hop and throwing cleanly to first for another putout. By now, his comfort level was building.

“I want him to enjoy it,” Schneider said, leading up to the game. “I want him to just be who he is.”

Then, in the bottom of the seventh, Okamoto connected on a Scott Barlow sweeper for a line drive to left field that will go down as his first major-league hit. Fans responded with a standing ovation, while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. called for the baseball from the third base dugout, making sure that it could be authenticated and saved for Okamoto.

Back in Japan, many of his former Giants teammates were watching. As for Okamoto, he enjoyed the support from his new fan base.

“It’s great in Tokyo as well, but it was even louder today,” he said. “I felt the support right from the get-go, and it was an awesome feeling.”

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the game on the brink of extra innings, Okamoto took a pitch from Justin Sterner to the opposite field. Clement later doubled, setting up a Gimenez walk-off single and giving the Blue Jays a 1-0 record.

As usual with this group, it was a team effort. Yet by showing right away that he can contribute, Okamoto eased his own nerves and validated his new team’s faith in him.

“It’s really impressive,” Clement said. “He’s definitely not a bottom-of-the-order kind of guy, but we love having him down there. Our 7-8-9 will go to work all day. He’s been a great teammate so far, too. He fits right in. He’s joking around. We love him.”

“It’s one game, but we think he’s going to fit in quite well, and it was a good start for him,” Schneider added. “He’s a good hitter. When you have 30-plus homers for a lot of your career, people think about the power, but he’s kind of like Vlad where he’s a hitter before he’s a power hitter, taking what the pitcher’s giving.”

While Okamoto isn’t one for collecting much memorabilia, he does plan on keeping the baseball from his first hit. And already, he’s looking forward to his next chance to help his new team.

“It was an awesome experience,” he said.

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A gathering of local media members turned their eyes to the front of the room, where Shapiro settled in at the head of a long table. With the Blue Jays’ 50th season about to begin, it was time for the team president to take questions.

A brief silence descended over the room – “I’m just going to call on people,” Shapiro joked – but soon the conversation started rolling. Over the course of the next hour, Shapiro spoke at length about key topics concerning the Blue Jays, including expectations for the upcoming season, plans for future events at Rogers Centre and how recruiting free agents has become a strength of the organization.

“Guys love playing here, and that is no longer a small subset,” he said. “They still want to get paid, but they want to play here.”

Starting with Rogers Centre itself and making our way to Vladimir Guerrero Jr., here’s a closer look at some of the key themes to emerge from Shapiro’s annual pre-season availability: 

The big-picture outlook for Rogers Centre

While the biggest renovations at Rogers Centre are now complete, Shapiro said the Blue Jays could look at some smaller-scale upgrades, such as freshening up the stadium’s many suites and adding a bigger kids’ area.

Eventually, a discussion about the stadium’s long-term future will be necessary, but that’s likely “a good 15 years” away. It’s perhaps premature to discuss what that means in much detail, but Shapiro said all options would have to be considered, including an even larger-scale renovation of Rogers Centre or building an entirely new stadium on the same site (a scenario that would likely require a temporary home elsewhere for a year or two). 

“You’d hate to ever give up this location,” he said. “It’s just such a unique one. There’s not many like it. Maybe the Cubs, (but) not really. Maybe the Red Sox. Maybe San Francisco. There’s not many teams that are in such a central walking distance in downtown.”

For now, the bones of the stadium are holding up well, giving the Blue Jays stability for now and flexibility years down the line.

“We’re in good shape from a structural perspective,” Shapiro said. “And I think now we’re in good shape from offering fans a true best-in-class fan experience and players a best-in-class player experience. We’re always going to need to fight to keep current and fight to keep that up to date. But I do think we bought ourselves some time.”

All-star hopes delayed

Only two teams have waited longer than the Blue Jays to host an All-Star Game: the Cubs, who are slated to host in 2027, and the Athletics, whose stadium fell into disrepair before they moved, temporarily, to Sacramento. Any fair distribution of All-Star Games would logically see the event return to Canada for the first time since 1991, but MLB officials have told Shapiro there’s no timeline for that to happen.

As Shapiro noted, MLB’s involvement in the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics could have a big say on how and if the 2028 All-Star Game unfolds. Under those circumstances, the Blue Jays might have to wait until 2029 or later.

“It’s been put, frankly, on hold due to the Olympics,” Shapiro said. “Things keep coming up that keep pushing us a little bit further in the queue. But we have an application in. We’re going to have an All-Star Game here. It’s just a question of when. But things have pushed it back, whether it’s the U.S. celebration for Philadelphia (this summer), things have just conspired to kind of push us back a little further.”

Interest in hosting WBC

Toronto hasn’t hosted World Baseball Classic games since 2009, but the Blue Jays would like to see that change. Asked whether Rogers Centre could host part of a future tournament, Shapiro answered without hesitation: “Yes.”

“We’ve lobbed that interest,” he added. “It’d be great for the city.”

Some logistical concerns would exist, as there’s no obvious alternate site for teams to train on days they aren’t playing games, which take place in March when it’s typically cold outside in Toronto. 

Payroll can remain high

The Blue Jays are spending to historic levels with an opening-day payroll of approximately $318 million, according to Roster Resource. Asked whether he expects to be able to sustain a similarly substantial payroll in years to come, Shapiro pointed to their last few seasons.

“The question is best answered by the recent precedent,” he replied. “We do have a budget every year when we go in. We do go through the process of looking at where our major-league payroll is and where it could go. But we also are given, from Edward (Rogers) and from Tony Staffieri (the president and CEO of Rogers Communications Inc., which also owns Sportsnet), a clear mandate that if there’s an opportunity to make this club meaningfully better, bring it to them. You’ve seen the outcome of that, whether it’s the trade deadline or the off-season, that we’ve been greenlit to go and pursue some upper-level talent that has impacted and helped in many ways … That’s the mandate. The mandate’s still there. The desire from ownership is to win.”

For context, the Blue Jays spent $258 million on payroll in 2023, $234 million in 2024 and $286 million last year, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Vlad Jr.’s joy

When the topic of Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came up, Shapiro compared the first baseman to Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett, who hit .318 with an .837 OPS in 12 seasons with the Twins. 

“Kirby made it better for every single person to come to the ballpark,” Shapiro said. “Whether it was the equipment manager, the groundskeeper, or the starting third baseman. Everybody, every single person, enjoyed coming more because of Kirby. He had that energy, and Vlad, he has that same joyful exuberance, love of the game, joy in playing the game. So I think the power that he brings (is) a joy of playing the game of baseball. That impacts us more powerfully. And if that never changes, then that will be his greatest impact on this team and on this franchise and on his fan base because they feel it. It’s authentic, it’s genuine, and I do think that he’s thinking about leadership differently.”

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One moment, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was yelling ‘Daaaaaaa Yankees lose’ and the next it was time to pack up and gameplan for the Mariners. By the following week, Brendon Little was tearing up in the visiting clubhouse in Seattle as the Toronto Blue Jays fell behind 3-2 in the ALCS. But a George Springer home run in Game 7 assured the Blue Jays of a berth in the World Series, where the emotional swings ratcheted up to yet another level.

From the Game 1 win at home and the 18-inning thriller that teetered on the edge of resolution for six hours and 39 minutes to Trey Yesavage’s epic Game 5, the hope that surged through the crowd at Rogers Centre ahead of Game 6 and the devastation that followed later that night, the World Series tested the emotional resolve of all involved day after day. By Game 7, the teams had grown more and more frustrated with one another after 10 days spent lobbying umpires and MLB officials for even the tiniest edge. And after all that, in the 11th inning of Game 7, the ending came swiftly and painfully.

To say it happened in a blur wouldn’t be quite right because there are distinct moments that characterized every single one of those games, but it all went by so fast. All of four weeks passed between Game 1 against the Yankees to Game 7 against the Dodgers.

A few months later, it’s already clear many all-time Blue Jays moments occurred during that brief span: beating the Yankees in their first ever post-season matchup, Max Scherzer’s clutch performance and emphatic shouting in Seattle, Springer’s homer, Addison Barger’s pinch-hit grand slam, Yesavage’s dominant start and Bo Bichette’s Game 7 homer against Shohei Ohtani, to name a few. And that’s before you get to the month-long hot streaks from Guerrero Jr. and Ernie Clement. All told, that four-week period led to so many of the best-ever moments in the franchise’s now 50-season history.

As the Blue Jays return home to Toronto, it’s a good time to reflect on the success of 2025. While millions of Blue Jays fans live in and around Toronto all year, this will be the first time back at Rogers Centre for most players, who make their off-season homes elsewhere. That alone will prompt those in uniform to reflect. And with pre-game celebrations planned and an American League Championship banner set to fall from the rafters, everyone in the building will have occasion to look back a little.

It should be pretty special. And then, as soon as Kevin Gausman throws the first pitch of the 2026 season, it’ll be time to look ahead again.

In the years to come, there should be further chances to celebrate the 2025 team but this coming season offers the only chance to build on it, and as well-positioned as the Blue Jays are to gain further momentum, it’s unclear how long that opportunity will last, adding to the importance of each game.

Some of the uncertainty connects to the possibility of a lockout, which many players expect once the current collective bargaining agreement ends on Dec. 1. For a rebuilding team like the Nationals or the White Sox, a work stoppage isn’t ideal but it’s perhaps less devastating than it would be for win-now teams like the Blue Jays.

Ultimately, that’s not something any one individual can determine so there’s little point in dwelling on it now, but those within the industry don’t expect the 2027 season to start on time — and many are readying themselves for an extended work stoppage.

Labour relations aside, there’s also the fact that Gausman, Springer and Daulton Varsho are on the brink of free agency. Based on recent history, we can expect the Blue Jays to keep spending aggressively as needed, but if the group that celebrated, cried and vacationed together in 2025 wants more, well, their best and possibly final chance begins now.

The players realize this, of course. As special as last year was, they know it doesn’t entitle them to further success. They have to earn every win, and many of them started working toward that goal soon after the World Series ended, even though the off-season felt — and was — considerably shorter than usual.

As Barger said recently: “The thing about baseball is it’s just never-ending.”

Ahead of the 2026 season, the Blue Jays are in a great place. A year ago, immense pressure surrounded everyone from Ross Atkins to John Schneider to Springer. Now, all have answered significant questions by winning, leading to newly earned extensions for the team’s GM and manager, and a lasting legacy for Springer and other players. Not only that, the entire roster, coaching staff and front office has gained valuable experience from the 2025 World Series run — and while it’s tough to quantify, there’s no question that experience will help. Most importantly, this is a strong roster.

Where that leads, who knows. Internally, the Blue Jays loved their off-season. They didn’t expect to be able to add Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Tyler Rogers, Kazuma Okamoto, Jesus Sanchez and Scherzer — but they still managed it. Cease, Ponce, Rogers and Okamoto all genuinely wanted to come here, a testament to the organization’s on-field success and off-field resources. Now, granted, the 2026 Blue Jays are still winless right now, just like every other MLB team. There’s no telling where the season will go. As always, health will go a long way toward determining what happens next.

In some ways, the pressure’s off now. The Blue Jays proved something significant last year. Yet sandwiched between the incredible 2025 season and the uncertainty over 2027, there’s another opportunity for the Blue Jays to do something special. Starting Friday, it’s time to take advantage of it.

And sometimes knowing what to ignore is just as important as knowing what to watch closely. Maybe the dream of a former star returning to greatness is too good to be true, as it was for Joey Votto and the 2024 Blue Jays. Or maybe a spring training storyline gets a little more attention than it actually merits, like last year’s Jays batting order.

With spring training now well underway, let’s identify six myths, consider where they come from and apply them to the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays:

Myth 1: Spring batting orders matter

Why it happens: As Opening Day draws closer, there’s typically more discussion about lineups. Fans are interested, media members are intrigued by the storyline and even those in uniform care.

Why it can be a trap: Regardless of what teams expect in spring, the season’s inevitably full of surprises in the form of injuries, breakout performances and disappointments.

Applied to the Blue Jays: This time last year, Will Wagner and Andres Gimenez were among the leading candidates to hit high up in the batting order while George Springer opened the year hitting sixth before finishing third in all of baseball in wRC+, trailing only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. By year’s end, the 2025 Blue Jays used 146 different lineups over the course of 162 games. So no matter what we all expect this time of year, the only thing we really know is that there will be a different lineup just about every day.

Myth 2: A former star is about to bounce back

Why it happens: Remember Curtis Granderson leading the team in spring homers back in 2018? Or Joe Panik hitting .364 in 2020? How about Greg Bird’s epic spring in 2022? And Joey Votto homering off Zack Wheeler two years later? It’s always fun to dream about a veteran who’s about to recapture the magic. Spring training is long. It would be lunacy to go through an entire six-week ramp-up without discussing stories like this, and yet …

Why it can be a trap: Granderson hit a bit, but his 11-homer season didn’t exactly match the hype. Panik was OK, but not great. And neither Bird nor Votto ever played a big-league game again. Ultimately, spring training is just one month and it’s far noisier than any other month of the year because the quality of competition varies so much. Going yard against a few minor leaguers is great but it doesn’t necessarily forecast success against the best pitchers in the world. In fact, it doesn’t even guarantee a big-league roster spot.

There’s another side to this, of course. It was just last year that Max Scherzer signed a one-year deal and went on to start Game 7 of the World Series. But the key here is to remember that veteran bounce backs are never guaranteed.

Applied to the Blue Jays: Eloy Jimenez is having a big spring for the Blue Jays. Still just 29 years old, he’s a genuinely intriguing player. But around baseball many established players are looking for the bounce back and some of them — Mike Yastrzemski with Atlanta, Santiago Espinal with the Dodgers — are also having huge springs. Not all of them will see that production translate to the MLB level. The Blue Jays are optimistic Jimenez can be an exception.

Myth 3: He’s in the best shape of his life

Why it happens: When a player shows up in great shape, it’s a fun story. In the course of a six-week spring training camp, media members will inevitably gravitate toward a player who’s trimmed down or added muscle. 

Why it’s a trap: Lots of players are in great shape — these are pro athletes, after all — and not all of them have career years.

Applied to the Blue Jays: There’s no singular best-shape-of-his-life story in Jays camp, but Jimenez is among the players who showed up noticeably stronger. That’s a great starting point — it just isn’t a guarantee of results.

Myth 4: Results don’t matter in spring

Why it happens: Most results don’t matter, so this is a useful guideline. Reminding fans can be a way for teams to take the pressure off players who are struggling. Take Bo Bichette’s early spring fumbles with the Mets, for instance. That’s not a big deal in February, so there’s some truth to this one.

Why it can be a trap: Some results do matter. If a pitcher can’t find the strike zone or his velocity’s down, that’s significant. If a position player has trouble adjusting to a new position, that matters, too. So while we shouldn’t over-react to spring stats, we can’t discount spring results.

Applied to the Blue Jays: Kazuma Okamoto’s third-base defence has looked good; Max Scherzer sat at 94 m.p.h. in his first spring outing; Jose Berrios found his velo after a slower start. All of those developments fall into the results-that-matter category.

Myth 5: Spring is all about building the opening-day roster 

Why it happens: The opening-day roster is a fun topic for fans, media, players and coaches alike. After weeks of games that don’t count for anything the opener represents the moment everything starts to matter. Plus, deadlines spur action in baseball and as teams pare their rosters down to 26, minor trades tend to follow. The intrigue is real.

Why it can be a trap: Opening Day is just one game out of 162, no more important than the results on May 9 or Aug. 21. A quick glance back at last year’s Blue Jays roster shows how much things change. Jacob Barnes, Chad Green, Richard Lovelady, Nick Sandlin, Will Wagner and Alan Roden all opened the season in the majors while Tommy Nance, who would go on to post a 1.99 ERA last year, was designated for assignment.

Applied to the Blue Jays: Opening Day matters, and so does the roster the Blue Jays select. The important thing is keeping the big picture in mind and knowing that the roster will keep changing every few days for the duration of the season.

Myth 6: He’s day-to-day, we’re just taking precautions

Why it happens: Teams often downplay injuries. Sometimes, players simply sometimes prefer privacy. Plus, being completely transparent can diminish leverage in trade and free agent talks.

Why it can be a trap: Sometimes an injury that appears to be day-to-day can extend well into the season. One memorable example in this category: Josh Donaldson’s calf issues in 2017 and 2018. 

Applied to the Blue Jays: At this point, it’s unclear how soon Shane Bieber will be ready to contribute in the major leagues. On Feb. 10, he was described as week-to-week. Nearly a month later, he has yet to pitch off a mound. Best-case scenario, he’s able to get off a mound soon and build up toward game action. Yet, until he starts a mound progression, it’s simply hard to say what the Blue Jays can expect from the 30-year-old.

“Right off his face,” as manager John Schneider put it.

More notable was the fact that Barger sent one to the opposite field, something he’s never done in a big-league game, a post-season game or even a spring training game. There’s also the fact that it came against a left-handed pitcher, in this case Bryan Sammons of the Tigers. And don’t forget the two-run single that came in his next at-bat off yet another left-handed pitcher.

But for a player who hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history, spring training must be kept in perspective. Days like this are pleasant pit stops along the way for a player like Barger, but they aren’t the destination. Asked how his swing feels, he shrugged and smiled.

“I don’t know. It feels okay, I guess.”

Just okay?

“It feels good,” Barger said. “It’s just getting back in the games, getting the reps. Right now, I’m more focused on getting ready. I’m not having a ton of swing thoughts at this point, just because I haven’t had that many at-bats.”

Even if Barger isn’t thinking much about his swing, it seems to be where it should be, and for a Blue Jays team that’s about to rely more heavily than ever on Barger, that’s welcome news. Not only will he be asked to hit left-handed pitching more often, he’ll still bounce between right field and third base on defence. Simply put, he’s in the middle of everything this team’s trying to accomplish in 2026.

“Addy can get pretty locked in pretty quickly,” Schneider said. “It’s pretty free and easy right now. That’s a really good thing for a hitter and hopefully he can stay right there.”

“He brings a level of intensity for sure,” added Kevin Gausman, who pitched 3.1 scoreless innings Sunday, putting him on track for a potential opening-day assignment. “I just know from a pitcher’s standpoint, any time you have a guy in the batter’s box that’s going to swing as hard as he can more often than not, you’re always aware of who it is. You don’t want to get beat by those guys and I think pitchers try to do too much against him – try to maybe overpower him. But he’s just gotten better and better. Great post-season and hopefully he can build off of that.”

While Barger has already translated his substantial raw power into results, he’s also done well at limiting strikeouts. He struck out 26.7 per cent of the time as a rookie in 2024 before lowering his strikeout rate to 24.1 per cent in 2025, far closer to the MLB average of 22.2 per cent. 

As spring training began, the Blue Jays’ coaching staff wanted to find ways to test the likes of Barger and fellow left-handed hitter Daulton Varsho against left-handed pitching to prepare them for the season. So far, Barger’s liking the challenge.

“It’s nice to get thrown into the fire a little bit,” he said.

Then there’s the defensive side of Barger’s game. After playing 91 times at third base and 57 times in right field a year ago, he’ll now transition into more of an outfield forward role because newcomer Kazuma Okamoto will get most of the starts at third.

But with Okamoto and the rest of the Blue Jays’ infield now playing in the World Baseball Classic, Barger and Davis Schneider have been spending most of their time on the infield over the last week or two. It’s a useful refresher for Barger, but he’ll soon return to the outfield in preparation for regular reps in right once the season begins.

“We want to get him as comfortable as we can,” John Schneider said.

For Barger, it’s easier to transition back to the outfield as long as he gets the chance to shag some fly balls. The footwork and quick reactions required at third base require a little more time, but after spending the last week there, he’s comfortable again.

“It took me a couple days, but I feel pretty good over there,” he said. “It’s a lot of back and forth. I’m going to go back out to right and not feel great for a day, and then get comfortable there, and come back at third, and not feel great. You just do the cycle.”

When Barger looks ahead, his focus is on staying healthy. As he says, getting hits in spring training is great, but they mean nothing if he can’t start the season at full strength. He wants to contribute to another winning team – and he’s already excited about hearing the fans at Rogers Centre on opening day.

“Just being a big part of a team going to the World Series is something to be proud of for me,” he said. “But the thing about baseball is it’s just never-ending. So my sights are always set on the next thing.”

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These pre-game discussions were a near-daily fixture of the Blue Jays’ 2025 run to the World Series, and as soon as Scherzer arrived in camp this week, they immediately resumed. The conversations typically begin about baseball minutiae, but before long, they veer into different topics with occasional cameos from the likes of outfielder Myles Straw or pitching coach Pete Walker.

“They’re never dull,” Schneider said. “Pretty fun. But yeah, you never really know where it’s going to go.”

This Saturday, ahead of Scherzer’s 2026 Grapefruit League debut, the eight-time all-star remarked to Schneider and Walker that young pitchers often throw hard early in spring. But as the 41-year-old Scherzer told Schneider and Walker, he doesn’t feel the need to do that. Better to ramp up gradually, he said.

So when Scherzer touched 96 m.p.h. in his first inning of action since pitching Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, Walker and Schneider joked that they were surprised to see him come out quite that hot.

“I wasn’t expecting that,” a smiling Schneider said after the game in a tunnel at BayCare Ballpark. “I thought he was really good. He looked like him – just in control of what he was doing.”

When Scherzer broke down his outing from a spot nearby, his tone was neutral.

“Checked a lot of boxes today,” he said. “I feel good, and I’m looking forward to my next one.”

Of course, velocity is just one part of the equation. Although other aspects of Scherzer’s start were equally encouraging, lending credence to his insistence that he’ll be ready on time for Opening Day and adding to the sense of optimism around the Blue Jays’ starting rotation.

“Really good to see he seems healthy,” said catcher Tyler Heineman. “Any time we can get him to be healthy, we have a chance to get the best out of him. Then, on top of that, just how sharp he was for it being early March.”

Not only did Scherzer throw hard, but he mixed in five pitches while attacking the strike zone. In fact, the very first hitter of the game tested his repertoire as Trea Turner, his former teammate with the Nationals, grinded out a 10-pitch at-bat before popping out to second base.

As much training as Scherzer had done on his own in recent weeks, he gains even more from the challenge of facing a two-time batting champion like Turner.

“To get into a battle with him is great,” Scherzer said. “You can’t simulate that. That’s a game situation. Like, okay, that’s a 10-pitch at-bat. Now, what do you do on the 11th pitch with the next hitter? You’ve got to be executing in that spot. You can’t relax. So that’s the stuff you just can’t replicate, and that’s why it’s good to be out here in spring.”

As Turner circled back towards the Phillies’ dugout, he and Scherzer exchanged a few words.

“Yeah, we had a little fun inside joke going on,” Scherzer said. “It’s a good time.”

From there, Scherzer settled in, averaging 94 m.p.h. with his fastball, up from the 93.6 m.p.h. he averaged in 2025 and ahead of where he was in his recent bullpen sessions.

He was efficient with his pitches, needing only 40 to cover four innings against a Phillies lineup including regulars like Turner, Alec Bohm and Adolis Garcia. Some strong defence helped, including yet another impressive play by minor-league shortstop Josh Kasevich, who continues to impress. And while Scherzer struck out just one hitter, he did generate six swinging strikes on a day his change-up was especially effective.

“It just shows that he was doing what he needed to do before we signed him,” Schneider said. “The work here was really good.”

“I thought he was great,” added Heineman. “His locations were really good.”

The way Schneider sees it, Scherzer’s velocity and breaking stuff are ahead of where they were this time last year. More importantly, though, Scherzer believes he’s found a way around the thumb issue that sidelined him for stretches during the first half of the 2025 season.

“It was at this point last year that the thumb came back into play,” Scherzer recalled.

A year later, there’s a significant difference.

“It just doesn’t hurt my arm,” Scherzer said. “I can manage this. It allows my arm to be normal and now I can pitch normal.”

From here, Scherzer will continue building up volume beyond 40 pitches while also working to sharpen up his location and pitch shapes – all standard stuff for pitchers at this point in the spring.

There’s still work to do with nearly three weeks remaining before opening day, yet Saturday’s outing answered some questions about Scherzer’s timeline to the big leagues. After the way he handled the Phillies so efficiently, any conversation about the opening-day roster is incomplete without the three-time Cy Young winner.

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Take Friday for example. The day started with Davis Schneider taking batting practice in a Team USA Ernie Clement jersey and continued with a Nathan Lukes grand slam and four strong innings from José Berríos, who averaged 93.3 m.p.h. on his fastball while bolstering his case for a rotation spot.

“I’ve got that in mind,” he said. “Just be me and just keep competing out there.”

With exactly three weeks to go before Opening Day, here’s a closer look at the three biggest questions remaining for the Blue Jays this spring:

How will the Blue Jays set up their rotation?

With each day that passes, we learn a little more about the team’s starting-rotation mix, which now includes seven healthy pitchers for what would ideally be five slots. 

“It is nice to have options,” said manager John Schneider. “I know it can look crowded at times (but) they’re all going to get stretched out in camp and then probably — hopefully — if everyone’s healthy and performing, we’ll have some tough decisions to make.”

Eric Lauer will keep stretching out after throwing 46 pitches on Thursday, and Max Scherzer could be ready to throw upwards of 50 pitches in his spring debut Saturday. On the other hand, Trey Yesavage is only built up to one inning and will likely pitch at least one more live batting practice before getting into games.

“We’re slow-playing him and I’m sure he’s getting a little antsy but everything was good,” Schneider said.

Asked whether there’s any chance Yesavage starts the season by pitching out of the bullpen, the manager downplayed the possibility.

“Right now we still view him as a starter,” Schneider said. “And we want to keep that pretty regular. Last year was a year of disrupting a young guy’s routine as much as we could, so we want to be pretty regular with him.”

Best-case scenario, the Blue Jays are piggybacking Yesavage with someone like Lauer or Ponce while another starter gets bumped to the bullpen temporarily. Yet more likely, the situation resolves itself over the course of the next three weeks.

Speaking of Yesavage, he’s expected to agree to terms with the Blue Jays on a pre-arbitration salary for 2026 when that process is completed this month. In the past, pre-arb players like Bo Bichette and Alek Manoah have had their contracts renewed — a way for the players to indicate disagreement with the team’s process for setting pre-arbitration salaries. This time, there doesn’t appear to be any such tension with Yesavage.

Who will round out the bullpen?

The rotation sweepstakes will have a major say on how the bullpen comes together because the team can only roster 13 total pitchers.

Left-handers Brendon Little and Mason Fluharty appear well-positioned to break camp, and both would be useful in the first series of the year against a lefty-heavy Athletics lineup.

That would give the Blue Jays five bullpen locks for eight spots, as right-handers Jeff Hoffman, Tyler Rogers and Louis Varland are among the team’s most trusted relief arms. Plus, it now seems likely that at least one starter will occupy a long-relief role to start the year.

In that way, a bigger rotation puts more pressure on those competing for the last couple bullpen spots, a group including right-hander Braydon Fisher, the recently acquired Chase Lee, the out-of-options Tommy Nance and Rule 5 picks Spencer Miles and Angel Bastardo. 

Since Miles has only appeared in 10 career minor-league games, industry observers don’t expect him to break camp. But both Miles and Bastardo have impressive stuff, so there’s no harm in having them pitch more and seeing where it leads. Plus, a trade is always possible if the Blue Jays want to get creative.

Given how well Fisher (2.70 ERA in 50 innings) and Nance (1.99 ERA in 31.2 innings) pitched for the 2025 Blue Jays, they may be ahead of Lee and the Rule 5 picks for now. Yariel Rodriguez, who impressed for Cuba in the WBC Friday, also appears to be on the outside looking in for now since he’s off the 40-man roster.

What’s the composition of the bench?

As of Friday, the most likely bench configuration for the Blue Jays would look like this:

• C Tyler Heineman

• Util Davis Schneider

• OF Nathan Lukes

• OF Myles Straw

Although Lukes technically has an option remaining, the Blue Jays like what he offers defensively, on the bases and against right-handed pitching (career .751 OPS). His grand slam off right-hander Jarod Bayless in Friday’s game against the Pirates offered a reminder of that offensive ability.

“We expect him to be a huge contributor,” Schneider said. “Everyone’s competing to a certain degree, but we feel really comfortable and confident with Nate and how he fits in with us and how he’ll continue to be counted on.”

But as nice as this outfield mix is, it corresponds to less depth on the middle infield behind Andres Gimenez and Clement. Davis Schneider would be the third option there, but he’s also needed in the outfield mix, putting pressure on Gimenez and Clement to play just about every day.

While the Blue Jays could roster Leo Jimenez to bolster their infield, he appears to be on the outside looking in for now.

Instead, Jimenez could be sent to the minors — he’d have to clear waivers first — where he’d just be a phone call away along with prospect Josh Kasevich, who’s been impressing team decision makers.

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How’d he feel? Good. How many pitches did he throw? Thirty-five or so. And what about the rest of the rotation? Does he care whether the Blue Jays open the season with a traditional five-man rotation or something different?

“I do whatever they ask,” he said. “I’m an employee.”

While Cease pitched in Dunedin, teammate Eric Lauer pitched a couple hours south in North Port, Fla., against Atlanta, going 2.1 innings while building up to 46 pitches.

Meanwhile, five others are also stretching out as starting pitchers with a view toward being ready for Opening Day: Max Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Cody Ponce and Trey Yesavage.

While a six-man rotation hasn’t fully been ruled out, there’s no chance all seven are starters when the season begins in three weeks, so as well as Cease’s buildup is going, some tough decisions may await team decision makers.

Behind the scenes, the Blue Jays are surely considering various scenarios knowing that most will be discarded by Opening Day. With that in mind, let’s explore some of the factors that will and won’t impact the team’s decision making.

Non-factor: Contract status

Technically speaking, if the Blue Jays optioned Yesavage for 30 days or more, they’d prevent him from obtaining a full year of service time by season’s end and delay his arrival to free agency by a full year (barring a Rookie of the Year Award).

Doing so would weaken the big-league team, however, so the Blue Jays plan to open the season with Yesavage on the MLB roster even if he’s not fully stretched out to five-plus innings.

“We think he’s proven that he belongs on the team,” manager John Schneider said recently. “I think it’s just making sure that he’s ready to have a normal-ish workload.”

“As long as Trey is built up to the point where we’re comfortable, he’s going to be on our team.”

As for Yesavage, he’s on board with the plan. But while Cease pitched two innings Thursday, Yesavage pitched just one, meaning it may be more likely he’s ready for just 3-4 innings when the season begins.

It’s also worth noting that Scherzer’s contract includes incentives that pay him up to $10 million if he pitches 155 or more innings. Yet Schneider says he has told all his pitchers, Scherzer included, that they’re going to make decisions on merit rather than seniority.

Non-factor: Weather

Because the Blue Jays play four of their first five series at home, they don’t have to worry about weather as much as most teams. That makes life slightly easier for Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker because they no longer have to plan around the possibility of rain delays and double-headers — with the possible exception of the first road trip of the season in Chicago in early April.

Potential variable: Past experience

Of all the pitchers in the mix for rotation spots, it’s Lauer and Ponce who have the most experience pitching out of the bullpen. It’s possible that could impact the team’s eventual decision even though both continue stretching out as starters for now.

Potential variable: Respect

Priority No. 1 is winning, but at least for the opening-day assignment there’s an element of respect to consider. Now entering his fifth season with the Blue Jays, Gausman has yet to make an opening day start. After an exceptional 2025 season that included some big post-season performances, this could be a chance to honour Gausman in front of a sellout crowd — while also starting the season with a frontline arm.

Potential variable: Opponent

The specific order of the starting rotation will impact which pitchers face which teams, and some slots are far more favourable than others. For instance, whoever starts the season as the Blue Jays’ fourth starter would open the season against the Rockies and White Sox, assuming a five-man rotation. It’s hard to envision a softer landing than that, so it could be a good way to ease Ponce back into the majors or get Berrios started on a strong note.

Conversely, whoever starts in the No. 5 slot would get the Rockies and the Dodgers — a more challenging combination. Ultimately, each one of these pitchers will have some tough assignments as the year unfolds and there’s no hiding in the AL East, but it’s a variable worth considering to a small degree.

Important variable: Workload

The Blue Jays are mindful of the workload for all of their pitchers, but especially Yesavage, a 22-year-old who logged a career high 139.2 innings last year. Starting him up slowly should preserve him for later in the season, but it also means the Blue Jays could consider pairing him with a piggyback reliever like Lauer to start.

Important variable: Health

Ultimately, health will be the biggest driver in what happens here. If anyone needs extra time to get ready, they could begin the season on the injured list along with Shane Bieber.

With three weeks remaining in spring training, there’s still a long way to go before everyone can be declared healthy and ready to roll. It’s always possible these potentially tough decisions will end up resolving themselves.

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The five-foot-10 Garkow was never drafted, but he landed with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League and soon struck out an outrageous 37 hitters in 15.2 innings while allowing just four hits. Quietly, the Blue Jays were watching.

“I had no clue I was getting looked at,” Garkow recently recalled within the Blue Jays clubhouse. “It was always in the back of my mind, like, ‘I’m doing really well, so hopefully someone’s looking at me.’”

At the time, Garkow didn’t even have an agent, but his manager told him the Blue Jays were interested and he signed within 24 hours. More success has followed in affiliated baseball, and after reaching double-A in 2025, Garkow is now in big-league spring training, on the precipice of contributing at the highest level. While the 28-year-old right-hander doesn’t seem likely to break camp with the Blue Jays, his fastball-change-up combo has him very much on the radar of big-league decision-makers as a candidate to be called up mid-season.

“Really good change-up,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “When you get to the double-A or triple-A level, you’ve found what you’re good at. And then it’s, How do you get to that skillset? I’m anxious to see him. You read guys’ stats and you see the swing and miss on certain pitches. What does that look like, even in major-league spring training, as opposed to the minors? That’s what we’re targeting with him is, ‘How do you use everything else to get to that change-up?’”

By the standards of most big-league relievers, Garkow doesn’t throw hard. His fastball sits in the 88-90 m.p.h. range, but the pitch gets about 24 inches of induced vertical break, meaning it drops far less than hitters expect and therefore generates swing-and-miss. Perhaps more importantly, his frequently used change-up tunnels off his fastball to create the illusion of a four-seamer before diving away from hitters’ bats.

“It looks like a heater coming out, and it just dies,” said Garkow, who struck out 54 hitters in 37 double-A innings last year while posting a 1.22 ERA at New Hampshire. “To this day, they haven’t really done too much damage on it.”

Garkow also mixes in a slider to “put a wrinkle in the mix” and keep hitters guessing. He’s not on the 40-man roster and many others are ahead of him on the depth chart, but considering the Blue Jays used 29 relievers last year (not counting position players), there’s little doubt an opportunity will emerge for the minor-league relievers who perform best.

And although velocity drives pitchers up prospect rankings and draft boards, look no further than last off-season for a reminder that the Blue Jays are willing to invest in non-traditional relievers. In December, GM Ross Atkins signed sidearmer Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37-million deal that went down as the biggest relief expenditure the current front office has made in a decade-plus in Toronto, surpassing Jeff Hoffman’s three-year, $33-million from the previous winter. A deal of that magnitude for a pitcher whose fastball averaged just 83.5 m.p.h. shows that what matters most is results, not velocity.

Just a few weeks into spring training, Rogers hasn’t yet had the chance to work with Garkow, but if the two do chat, the veteran will make it clear he has nothing against big velo.

“I throw as hard as I can,” Rogers said, smiling. “I’m actually a power pitcher.”

Although Rogers has yet to see Garkow’s change-up in person, prospect Sean Keys has felt its impact first-hand. Keys, a 2024 fourth-round pick who hit 19 home runs with a .773 OPS for Vancouver last year, enjoyed seeing Garkow pull the string on his change-up before his promotion to double-A. 

“He makes hitters look foolish every time he pitches,” Keys said. “It’s incredible. Everyone says ‘Bugs Bunny change-up.’ He has a fast motion and he can go at 100 per cent, and it looks like the ball is coming in slow motion. It’s incredible — definitely a plus-plus pitch.”

At one point last year, Keys stood in against Garkow and tried sitting on the pitch to see if that helped him make contact.

“It was still hard to hit,” he recalled.

As Garkow has gotten closer to the major leagues, his off-seasons have changed a little, too. For now, the days of working three jobs are over. He didn’t teach this past off-season, nor did he work retail.

“I enjoyed doing that,” he recalled. “I did what I had to do to make ends meet. Hopefully, I don’t have to fall back on that anymore, but you know what? I’m not worried about it.”

Instead, the right-hander taught baseball lessons just outside of Pasadena, Calif., while preparing for spring training. As a new minor-league season approaches, Garkow has a strong sense of what he wants to do on the mound, and he intends to ride that fastball-change-up combination as far as it will take him.

“Simplify,” he said. “I know what makes me good.”

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“It’s a good vibe,” said manager Ernie Whitt. “We want to win every game we play, but it’s a learning (opportunity) for us, too.”

A wide range of arms contributed against a Phillies lineup featuring the likes of Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Alec Bohm, Adolis Garcia and Bryson Stott. Veterans like James Paxton and Phillippe Aumont needed the tune-up since they aren’t in affiliated baseball right now, while minor-leaguers like Guardians left-handed starting pitching prospect Matt Wilkinson seized their first chance to make an impression.

As the team leaves for Puerto Rico, Whitt believes this group has a real chance to advance beyond the first round for the first time in six attempts.

“Just a feeling, a gut feeling I have,” a smiling Whitt said from the first base dugout at Phillies camp, a Canadian flag pinned behind him while he spoke. “I guess that’s the biggest thing. I don’t have an analytic feeling about it. No, it’s just a gut feeling, you know, and I think we’re pooling both our guts together and the analytics.”

Canada will practice twice in Puerto Rico before opening the tournament against Colombia on Saturday. In the meantime, here’s a closer look at what we learned in the course of their brief training camp in Florida:

Important reps

Each day matters with less than a week to prepare for the tournament, so it’s helpful that Canada faced some talented big-league pitchers like Kevin Gausman, Aaron Nola and Jhoan Duran in their exhibition games.

“It’s good,” Whitt said. “Whether we’ll see that type of pitching with a lot of the countries, we don’t know. But, we’re going to try to be prepared for it.”

Beyond the results of the games, the Canadian coaches were impressed by the mental resilience their team showed on Tuesday, coming back to tie the game against the Blue Jays after falling behind 7-0.

“There’s no give-up,” Whitt said. “That’s not what we accept with Baseball Canada. And I mean, perfect example, you look at the Blue Jays last year, how they never gave up, and they kept grinding the at-bats. That’s something that we’re trying to instil into these players here.”

Stacked lineup

From veterans like Josh Naylor and Tyler O’Neill to up-and-comers like Denzel Clarke and Owen Caissie, there’s a lot of position player talent on Team Canada. 

“I think it’s great,” said Naylor, Canada’s first-ever captain. “We have power through the lineup and speed through the lineup with a lot of intelligence and experience. I really hope the young guys pick the brains of the veteran players here and gain some knowledge for their careers. Maybe one thing sticks with them, which could be valuable.”

Canada’s lineup started with Edouard Julien, Abraham Toro, Naylor and O’Neill on Wednesday, but Whitt said he “might tweak it a little bit” once the games count for real. Regardless of how Whitt and GM Greg Hamilton line things up, there’s a lot of offensive talent in place – and that’s before you even get to the stacked coaching staff featuring Russell Martin and Justin Morneau.

“You take a lot of pride in wearing your country across your chest,” Naylor said. “There’s so much that goes into this. As a player, you sometimes get caught up playing for the name across the back. It’s a very individual sport, obviously, and you want to be successful on your own. At the same time, when you play for your country, you’ve got to represent everyone who came before you, your family, everyone that’s from your area, your friends from that area. It’s super cool to wear your country across your chest, and I take a lot of pride in that as a player.”

Whitt’s legacy

Only one person in WBC history has managed all six tournaments, and it’s Whitt. The 73-year-old veteran of 15 big-league seasons has a 5-10 record at the WBC and has led Canada to gold medals at the Pan Am games in 2011 and 2015. Ahead of his sixth WBC, Whitt reflected on what the role has meant to him.

“I’m honoured,” Whitt said. “I mean, I am very honoured to be able to put the country across my chest. They keep asking me back, and as long as they ask me back, I think I’ll continue on. Of course, we want to succeed a little bit farther; we want to move forward. Anytime I take the field, I want to win. I don’t care who it’s against. Our ultimate goal is we win, and we know that this is a sprint, so we just have to grind.”

Closer not yet determined

Michael Soroka and Jameson Taillon will start Canada’s first two games, but how they’ll handle late-game situations is less clear as the team flies south. With potential late-game options like Cade Smith and Matt Brash off the roster, Whitt said there’s no clear-cut closer on the team.

“Not yet,” Whitt said. “A lot might depend on match-ups and what we see, who we feel would be the best for it at that time.”

On Wednesday against the Phillies, it was the Vancouver native Wilkinson who pitched the final two innings, but that’s not necessarily reflective of how Canada will handle WBC games. Of course, there’s one way around the closer question: use that formidable offence to build comfortable leads against the likes of Colombia, Panama, Puerto Rico and Cuba. 

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The story began in Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, which Scherzer started. In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Blue Jays were ahead 4-3 with a chance to add to their lead. 

On the field, Ernie Clement doubled to lead off the inning then Andres Gimenez lined out to third base. Meanwhile, in the Blue Jays’ dugout, Schneider was thinking strategy. Jeff Hoffman was warming up in the left-field bullpen and Shohei Ohtani was due up third in the top of the ninth, so the question was: would the Blue Jays pitch to Ohtani if he came up with two outs, nobody on and a championship on the line?

Within the third-base dugout at Rogers Centre, Schneider turned to his most trusted coaches: Don Mattingly, DeMarlo Hale and Pete Walker. Each weighed in, but Schneider wanted one more opinion before he made the final call — Scherzer’s. 

“Hey, what do you got?” Schneider asked Scherzer while Dodgers pitcher Emmet Sheehan started working his way out of trouble. 

“Whatever you decide is gonna be right,” Scherzer replied. “You’ve been making the right decisions all year.”

Scherzer then walked away and Schneider made his decision: the Blue Jays would pitch to Ohtani. Ultimately, Hoffman would allow a game-tying home run to Miguel Rojas and the Dodgers would go on to win, but that moment illustrated how much trust had built between the 46-year-old manager and the 41-year-old pitcher.

As Scherzer arrived in Blue Jays camp for his second season with the team, that relationship was again front and centre. How soon will Scherzer pitch? What kind of workload is realistic? Could he be asked to pitch out of the bullpen?

Answering all these questions will require honesty and communication, but after a year of near-daily conversations about the nuances of the game, some real trust is already in place as a new season begins.

“We came as close as you possibly can to winning the whole thing,” Scherzer said Tuesday morning. “It’s something you can never get over or forget, so that was a huge reason why I wanted to come back, because this team can win and I want to be a part of it.”

First, Scherzer will have to ramp up to game readiness, but he says he’s well on his way toward being ready for Opening Day. Before finalizing his one-year deal with the Blue Jays he faced free-agent hitters, building up to two innings and 45 pitches on his own. 

“I’m ready,” he said.

And the goal is to break camp on the opening-day roster? “Yeah.”

At a time that six other starters are gearing up for Opening Day, that has the potential to create some tough decisions for Schneider and the Blue Jays. While the Blue Jays would consider a six-man rotation, Schneider acknowledged that’s not his personal preference at this point. 

And unless there’s an injury, that would mean two of Scherzer, Eric Lauer, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce or Jose Berrios is not in the rotation to begin the year (that’s in addition to Shane Bieber, who will open the season on the injured list).

“For me, it’s just focusing on myself,” Scherzer said. “Making sure I’m healthy and going out there and pitching the way I can. If I can go out there to be myself and who I can be (then) I can definitely help the ball club win. That’s why they called and wanted to see where I was at. I told them I feel good, ready to go and that’s how we got a deal done.”

The Blue Jays see Scherzer as a starter, but they also intend to run a meritocracy with their rotation and every pitcher is aware of that, Scherzer included. At the same time, Schneider is aware that Scherzer will let his displeasure be known if needed, just as he did in Game 4 of the ALCS.

“He’s definitely earned the right the yell at me on national TV,” Schneider joked.

The thumb issues that sidelined Scherzer for stretches last year have been solved, he said. And while he’s had to cut back on pickup basketball as he’s gotten older, everything else about Scherzer’s off-season prep remains the same as it was 10 years ago.

As Scherzer showed in the 2025 post-season, he’s still capable of being a difference making arm against the best hitters in the world. There weren’t many teams he would have considered signing with, but after the experience he and his family had last year, the Blue Jays were atop that list.

Within the Blue Jays organization, the interest was mutual. As talks with Scherzer ramped up, the Blue Jays met internally to discuss how Scherzer would fit on and off the field. Schneider was all in and the front office was able to get a deal done for $3 million plus incentives — less than one per cent of their overall payroll.

Relative to the money he’s making, Scherzer will have an outsized impact on the culture of this team. He loves talking strategy with Schneider and is “hyper aware” of things like baserunning and advancing runners, according to the manager.

And whether the Blue Jays are facing adversity or cruising along in first place, the coaching staff trusts the three-time Cy Young winner to read the room and help the group adjust on the go.

“It’s just controlling the undertow of the team,” Schneider said. “There’s always an undertow, good or bad. (Max) understands when it’s good to keep it going there and when it’s getting off the tracks a little bit make sure it goes back out to sea.”

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