Blue Jays are betting on newcomers to double the production of Scherzer and Bassitt

The Toronto Blue Jays face an interesting question as they prepare their roster for the 2026 season. Since the 2025 campaign was considered a success even though it ended in heartbreak, the natural thought would be to run it back and take another bite at the apple.

Of course, free agency would herald the departure and arrival of certain players. Still, the Blue Jays needed to determine how much of the 2025 core they would bring back for another season. Two such players, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt were the most prominent of those potential departures. Scherzer spoke of how he still wants to chase another World Series ring for a team next season.

The Blue Jays had to balance that with the reality that their pitching staff needed reinforcements. Judging by the Blue Jays' signings of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, it appears the club is heading in a different direction. The best part about this maneuvering is that the Blue Jays appear to be increasing the upside while maintaining the cost. Sounds like a smart allocation of resources.

Blue Jays are betting on newcomers to double the production of Scherzer and Bassitt

Ponce is coming over on a $10 million salary for 2026 while Cease is projected to make roughly $22 million on a heavily-deferred contract. For approximately the same cost as both Scherzer and Bassitt, the Blue Jays are unlocking more upside while maintaining a similar floor of production. In 2025, Bassitt & Scherzer combined to make $35.5 million, and produced 2.8 fWAR.

Ponce and Cease each posted a K/9 above 11 last season while the other two settled in around 8. Cease is still only 29 years old and has finished top four in Cy Young voting twice. To wit, Cease posted a healthy .323 BABIP and 3.56 FIP last season despite the elevated 4.55 ERA. Combine that with pitching in front of a porous Padres defense and the upside potential is high.

Ponce, 31, represents even more potential since his ill-fated stopover in Pittsburgh five years ago. His fastball has experienced rapid jumps in velocity and the changeup is now more potent. The splitter is a pitch that the Blue Jays pitching coaches probably can't wait to get their hands on. Ponce's command is improved and it feels like there is more to unlock in either a rotation or bullpen role.

The glut of pitching options means that Bassitt and Scherzer wouldn't be returning to the same roles they had last season. Bassitt in particular may prefer pitching for a club with a more pronounced need for pitching. Bassitt fit really well as a leader with the Blue Jays and his best contribution could be in a different city.

Overall, the Blue Jays have been one of the more active teams in free agency. While the memories of Scherzer yelling at John Schneider and Bassitt doing yeoman's work out the bullpen will live on for generations of Blue Jays fans, it could be time to turn over a new chapter. Kudos to the Blue Jays for showcasing aggression in their offseason pursuits, which is something that fans haven't seen in some time.