6 Blue Jays who won’t be back in 2026 after gutting World Series loss

Despite a gutting loss in Game 7 of the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays should be proud of what they had accomplished during the 2025 MLB season. After all, coming off a hugely disappointing 2024 campaign in which they finished in the basement of the American League East division, no one could have predicted what a successful season the Blue Jays would have going from worst to first and push the defending champions Los Angeles Dodgers practically to the brink for the championship title at the end.

But one thing is for sure, with the special core of players that Toronto had, it enabled them to put together the magical season that the Jays organization and their fans will remember for a long, long time.

Nevertheless, with now the offseason and free agency upon us, there is bound to be some changes to their roster as they hope to build upon their success from this year. With that in mind, as much as Toronto would want to keep their whole group intact, let’s take a look at 6 Blue Jays players that won’t be back for the 2026 season.

6 Blue Jays who won’t be back in 2026 after gutting World Series loss

1B/DH Ty France

As part of the trade deadline acquisition with the Minnesota Twins that brought bullpen workhorse Louis Varland to Toronto, Ty France was expected to provide some solid value off the bench both offensively with his bat and defensively with his glove. France impressed initially when he filled in for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in the lineup when Guerrero was sidelined with a hamstring injury in mid-August.

However, once the star first baseman returned to full health, France was utilized more sparingly down the stretch and was even left off the Jays postseason roster until the World Series.

In total, the 31-year-old infielder posted a .277 average, .693 OPS, along with nine runs scored, one home run and eight RBIs in 37 games with Toronto during the regular season while going just 1-for-4 with one RBI during the postseason.

With his primary usage being at first base and designated hitter, those positions have been taken up by Guerrero and likely George Springer respectively for the upcoming 2026 season. Added to the Jays plethora of players that could play multiple positions in the infield, France’s tenure with Toronto will be just a one-and-done outcome.

UTIL Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Being one of the Blue Jays few lone bright spots during the 2024 MLB season, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was brought back as a waiver claim from the Pittsburgh Pirates by general manager Ross Atkins for their stretch run.

Given his veteran experience along with his flexibility to play strong defense at multiple positions in the infield and outfield, Kiner-Falefa was believed to be a valuable bench piece for Toronto in their eventual playoff run. 

However, aside from a couple key hits along the way, his return to the Jays has left quite a lot to be desired. Kiner-Falefa compiled just a .233 average, .625 OPS, along with five runs scored, one home run and five RBIs in 19 games during the regular season and a measly .162 average, .400 OPS with four runs scored and two RBIs in 15 playoff games with Toronto. As a result, just having solid defense and not much bat will make his potential return to the Jays unlikely for the upcoming season.