3 upcoming Blue Jays free agents who have been good but don’t need to be re-signed

Looking ahead to the upcoming offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays will have some tough decisions to make as a select number of players from their current roster will be heading to free agency. With the Blue Jays returning to prominence this season after a disappointing 2024 campaign, they will look to retain key assets that they believe will help give them the best chances at winning and success going forward.

From the prospective Jays free agents list for the upcoming 2025-26 offseason, all of the candidates have provided valuable contributions to the team this season. However, we will take a look at three soon-to-be Toronto free agents who have been good, but don’t really need to be re-signed for the 2026 MLB season.

3 upcoming Blue Jays free agents who have been good but don’t need to be re-signed

Ty France

Acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline along with reliever Louis Varland, veteran first baseman Ty France has been delivering for the Jays whenever he has been called upon. In 32 games played, France has posted a solid .301 batting average, .758 OPS, along with nine runs scored, six doubles, one home run and eight RBIs in 83 total at-bats. In particular, he helped hold down the fort when star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was out a few games due to a hamstring injury.

However, France’s primary positions in the lineup are at first base and the designated hitter slot. With Guerrero firmly entrenched at first for the foreseeable future, along with George Springer likely seeing more time at DH as he ages, with Anthony Santander also likely to see time at DH in his proceeding years with the club, the need for France will not be a necessity going forward. Added to the fact that the 31-year-old veteran had seen his playing time drastically reduced in recent weeks, he does not appear to be in the long term plans of the Blue Jays beyond this season. 

Chris Bassitt

For starting pitcher Chris Bassitt, he had an impressive start to his Jays’ tenure in 2023 when he led the team and the entire American League in wins with 16 while averaging more than six innings per start for Toronto.

However, he would follow that up with his first losing season since 2018 as he went 10-14 for the Jays in their throwaway 2024 campaign. Bassitt has bounced back nicely this season by posting an 11-8 record with a 3.90 ERA along with 163 strikeouts in 166 innings over 30 starts.

Nevertheless, Bassitt will be turning 37 prior to the start of the 2026 MLB season. Looking for that one last big contract leading up to his potential retirement, the Jays will need to also consider that Father Time could catch up to him any moment now.

As a result, if the 11-year veteran pitcher is willing to accept a one-year deal, then Toronto could consider bringing him back. But with Bassitt likely looking for more security than that, it will be time for the Jays to move on from the trusted right-hander.

Max Scherzer

Finally, we have the former three-time Cy Young winner in Max Scherzer. Scherzer has been a revelation for the Jays this year after coming back from his thumb injury that kept him out for much of the first half of the 2025 season. More importantly, he has shown some flashes of the Max Scherzer of old in helping Toronto in stabilizing their rotation for the stretch run.

In 15 total starts, the 41-year-old right-hander has compiled a 5-3 record with a respectable 4.31 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, together with 75 strikeouts in 79 innings of work. That included going through a stretch in which he gave up only three runs or less in 10 of his first 11 appearances with the team.

Despite the consistent performance, injuries still remains one of his main Achilles heel in recent years as he managed only 19 starts in 2023 and just nine starts in 2024 due to various ailments. This year was no different when Scherzer left the Jays with a huge void to fill when he became unavailable for almost the first three months of the season.

Even recently, he had experienced some back tightness towards the end of August/early September and it just so happens that he also put up his worst starts of the season during that time frame. As a result, with Scherzer and his injury risk, as much as the Jays and their fans appreciate what he has done for the team this season, they will likely be aiming for a consistent, healthy, dominant arm to be part of the rotation with Shane Bieber being the prime candidate to fulfill that role going forward.