TORONTO — Concrete answers were few and far between at the Rogers Center Thursday afternoon, understandably so given the circumstances.
At the start of the offseason and shortly after the conclusion of the seven-game World Series in which Toronto Blue JaysIt is almost impossible for team decision makers to plan everything.
It's not that they didn't prepare for the offseason. Little by little, some team managers have been preparing for the offseason for several weeks. But with so much organizational energy focused on each game, people like team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins probably weren't thinking about free agent recruiting strategies or hidden trade candidates as intensely as usual.
Of course, this is good – reflecting the organization's best season since 1993. But Atkins was unable to outline a clear plan for the offseason Thursday. Instead, he spoke of a desire to improve the roster by any means possible while remaining as flexible as possible, whether that means bringing back a similar roster for the 2025 team or making a course correction.
“I wouldn’t put myself in a box by saying that change is necessary to improve,” Atkins said. “I believe in people. I believe in the power of development, improvement and the power of unity.”
Whatever the Blue Jays decide to do, they expect to have plenty of resources from Rogers Communications, Inc., which also owns Sportsnet. While the wages are “not yet determined,” Shapiro pointed to the “unprecedented level of support,” adding, “I don't see that support going backwards at all.”
Speaking to several dozen media members in a quiet stadium, Atkins did not go into detail. He acknowledged that the Blue Jays have a need for pitching even after Shane Bieber's decision to opt out of his 2026 contract, which already gives the Jays the makings of a strong rotation.
Again, this is hardly a damning admission given the departures of Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and Ceranthony Dominguez. Of course, the Blue Jays need pitching. Barring major changes from the previous off-season, they are exploring all segments of the market, starting with Dylan Cease and Ranger Suarez.
When asked about the position of players on the market, Atkins confirmed that yes, the Blue Jays are interested in returning Bo Bichettewho has received (and will likely reject) a suitable offer. The general manager also referenced players like Ernie Clement and Addison Barger, noting that “we have a lot of versatility.”
However, when asked about the possibility of adding another designated hitter to a lineup that already includes Anthony Santander and 36-year-old George Springer, Atkins fell back to a familiar line.
“I don’t want to box myself in,” he said. “I don't think you're going off base (assuming the match isn't as pure), but also if there's a way to make this team better, even if it's incremental (we'll look at that). It could be a subtraction. There could be moving parts, and versatility allows us to be more creative.”
So everything is on the table?
“Yes,” Atkins replied. “I don’t want to take anything off.”
Fair. There is no need to impose excessive restrictions this early in the winter when literally every trade candidate is still available and all 168 free agents are free to communicate with any team.
While Atkins didn't share details Thursday, the Blue Jays typically use October and early November to get a feel for the free agent market, using their own analytics combined with the intuition and interpersonal knowledge of seasoned executives to predict which players will be the most valuable and most expensive.
Senior team executives are then tasked with initiating trade and free agent negotiations around the league, usually based on pre-existing relationships. Atkins said some early trade talks have already taken place about starting bids, but that's just one part of one market.
When free agency officially opens on Thursday at 5:00 pm ET, the Blue Jays will also reach out to various agencies to express interest in priority free agents. So while Atkins may be vague with the media, behind the scenes the Blue Jays need a precise plan of attack—think Davis Schneider against Blake Snell in Game 5 of the World Series.
Otherwise, it's impossible to prioritize or even make sense of the hundreds of available players amid the swirling rumors and speculation.
For example: Some executives say the Yankees and Blue Jays are two teams to watch for Munetaka Murakami, a powerful Japanese slugger with a lot of swings and misses. Outside of the Blue Jays, others are wondering whether Brandon Lowe and Max Muncy could be available for trade even after their respective options have been picked up.
In all likelihood, the Blue Jays have already collected a wealth of information on dozens of such players, although they are not sharing it publicly. For senior baseball executives, these questions are commonplace. Gathering information takes work and time, but it's an integral part of every baseball offseason, and it begins in earnest now.
Perhaps more challenging is the art of the offseason: knowing when to push and when to back off, when to speak up and when to remain silent. Most likely, Atkins also does not want to push himself into a box.
“We’ll have a little better answer for you in the coming weeks,” he said.
So far nothing particularly intelligible from GM. But after leading the Blue Jays to their first World Series appearance in 32 years, Atkins has assembled a roster that is beginning to speak for itself.
