4 players who will have to step up for the Blue Jays with Bo Bichette gone

The Toronto Blue Jays have failed this offseason to find a player to fill the production void that Bo Bichette left when he became a free agent. They pursued and offered Kyle Tucker a 10-year, $350 million contract. However, the Dodgers swooped in at the last second with a four-year, $240 million deal that Tucker accepted. It's a third offseason in a row that the Blue Jays were outbid for the top free agent.

Bichette last season hit .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs, 78 runs, and 94 knocked in. He finished the season with his second-highest wRC+ (134) over his seven-year career. He's now heading to the New York Mets with a three-year, $126 million contract. Cody Bellinger is the only high-dollar player available, and he could fill Bichette's void, but if he's not signed, the Blue Jays will have to find someone in-house.

4 players who will have to step up for the Blue Jays with Bichette gone

Anthony Santander

Anthony Santander is the easiest choice for this article after his disappointing 2025 season. He signed a five-year, $92.5 million contract last offseason with the Blue Jays after his best season over his nine-year career. In 2024 with the Baltimore Orioles, he hit 44 home runs, scored 91 runs, and had 102 RBIs. However, he struggled in his first season in Toronto.

In his first season north of the border, Santander hit six home runs, scored 16 runs, and knocked in 18 runs. He also had a career-worst 27.6 strikeout percentage and .219 BABIP. A shoulder injury further disappointed him, as he had to miss nearly four months of the season. He returned to the team right before the end of the regular season and played in the ALCS; however, he had to be replaced on the roster due to a back injury.

Santander will be under immense pressure to prove that 2025 was just a fluke season. Blue Jays fans would gladly take anything better than last season.

Daulton Varsho

Daulton Varsho had a decent season in 2025, other than missing half of it. He hit 20 home runs and had 55 RBIs, but only played in 71 games. He had rotator cuff surgery at the end of the 2024 season, which held him out at the beginning of last season. Varsho then missed two months halfway through the season due to a hamstring injury.

Performance isn't what he needs to improve to fill Bichette's absence; staying healthy is what Varsho needs to do to make an impact. When he's healthy, he's a massive contributor. Last season, the centerfielder was on his way to a career year if he hadn't missed so much time. He was only seven home runs shy of matching his best output he hit in 2022 (27), and had 321 fewer plate appearances.

Addison Barger

Addison Barger has had a roller coaster two-year MLB career. He struggled in his 2024 debut, posting a 69 wRC+ in 69 games, but he bounced back last season with a 107 wRC+. He will likely be the player who takes Bichette's spot at the top of the lineup, at least against right-handed pitchers. He'll need to improve on his .284 BABIP to get on base for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Santander.  

Barger also needs to be more patient at the plate. He struck out 24.1 percent last season and only walked 7.2 percent. If he's going to be at the top of the order, he needs to work on finding ways to get on base better. His BABIP and walk percentage are both below average. Over the last four years, when he was in the minors, he drew walks at 11 percent or higher. So he has the ability to work pitchers late in the count.

Kazuma Okamoto

Kazuma Okamoto is the new guy in town. He's the only addition to the lineup so far, so fans will be looking to him to match Bichette's production. If that wasn't enough pressure, he will be coming over from the Nippon Professional League in Japan. Learning to hit American pitchers will be a challenging task in its own right. He will bring a big bat to Toronto. In 2023, he hit 41 home runs and had 93 RBIs. So he has the skills to fill Bichette's void; it'll just depend on how fast he can adjust to the MLB.

The Blue Jays' current roster is more than capable of performing without fans noticing Bichette's absence. It'll come down to whether players can stay healthy and live up to their capabilities. However, with Bellinger still available, the Blue Jays front office may not be done making moves.