It’s a good thing there are nearly four months until the 2025 season begins because the Toronto Blue Jays would be in serious trouble if the regular season started right now.
Thus far, the only meaningful moves the franchise has made this off-season have been the Andrés Giménez trade and bringing back Yimi García. Those are important additions to next season’s roster — that’s without question. However, it’s only a start, albeit a decent one at that. There needs to be more that follows before Opening Day arrives.
As currently constructed, Toronto’s roster is only marginally better than it was at the end of last season. And there’s plenty of work still to complete. The front office has yet to raise the ceiling of next season’s squad, only slightly improving its floor with the Giménez and García acquisitions.
Those deals checked off a few boxes, further enhancing the club’s team defence and filling one of the many vacancies in the bullpen, which remains a work in progress. One area they haven’t addressed, though, is the offence. On top of that, the starting rotation could also use a significant upgrade or two, given it’s projected to be a bottom-five staff in 2025, per FanGraphs’ Steamer model.
Meanwhile, the rest of the American League has continued to improve around the Blue Jays, especially within the division.
Inside the AL East, the New York Yankees — who’ve recovered nicely since losing Juan Soto to the crosstown Mets — and Boston Red Sox have each raised the ceiling of their respective rosters this winter. While the Baltimore Orioles, despite being under new ownership, continue to shy away from making big splashes in free agency, they’ve increased the floor of their 2025 roster with multiple complementary additions. Everyone expects the Tampa Bay Rays to be competitive next season, too, with many key players returning to full health and their elite player development system likely to churn out a fresh wave of talent.