Blue Jays roster moves you may have missed from a surprisingly active Thursday

The major move of the day for the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday was when they officially extended a qualifying offer to shortstop Bo Bichette. It was a necessary, if not unsubstantial, piece of business for the Blue Jays to make sure that at the very least they'll get a supplemental draft pick if Bichette signs with another team.

However, there were a few other roster moves that were made that will have some impact on the Blue Jays plans for their 2025-26 offseason as they gear up for a potential run at a second straight AL East division title / AL pennant.

Blue Jays roster moves you may have missed from a surprisingly active Thursday

The Blue Jays dealt with way more pitching injuries than they would have liked during the 2025 season, and yet they showed off their depth by piecing together a rotation and a bullpen that was capable of getting to the seventh game of the World Series.

They did that without the services of three guys who were on the opening day roster; Bowden Francis, Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin. All three of them went on the IL in the middle of the season and missed the playoffs but on Thursday, they were all reinstated from the 60-day IL. Each of these guys will be looking for a fresh start in 2026 and if healthy, they could easily raise the floor of the Blue Jays.

Who knows what the Blue Jays would have been able to do, if a healthy Garcia was available during the playoffs. Garcia pitched in just 21 innings this past season and had a 3.85 ERA with 25 strikeouts. Sandlin also could have been a medium to high leverage arm. He had 16 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched with a 2.20 ERA in 19 games. Francis did not have a great season with a -0.8 bWAR in 14 starts, with a 6.05 ERA.

However, if Francis is able to get back to his 2024 form, when he went 8-5 with a 3.30 ERA and a 1.6 bWAR in 103.2 innings pitched. He also took a no-hitter into the ninth twice that season and didn't give up more than three earned runs in a single start over 21 games from June 9 to the end of the season, pitching to a 2.83 ERA and a 3.83 FIP. While GM Ross Atkins mentioned that they are looking to the Free Agent market and considering trades to round out the rotation, a healthy and effective Francis would be a major internal addition.

The Blue Jays also reinstated Angel Bastardo whom they picked up in the Rule 5 draft in December of 2024 and he spent all of 2025 rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The 23-year-old, six-foot-one Venezuelan starter will be an intriguing arm to watch in Spring Training, and like Francis, could really boost the Blue Jays rotation depth.

In terms of bullpen depth, Robinson Piña was reinstated from the 60-day IL and assigned outright to Triple-A. He threw 1.1 innings in the majors this year and the 26-year-old right hander will likely begin the season with the Buffalo Bisons. The six-foot-five, Dominican Republic native was traded by the Miami Marlins to the Blue Jays in June of this past season and has pitched in 33 games at Triple-A over the last four seasons with a 5.50 ERA in 121 innings. Piña is pretty low on the depth chart but his size and power make another name worth keeping an eye on.

Two players who won't add to that depth in 2026 are Ryan Burr and Dillon Tate. They both spent very brief time in the majors with the Blue Jays, with less than ten innings pitched combined, and on Thursday they both cleared waivers and elected free agency.

Last but not least, Brandon Valenzuela was added to the major league roster. The 25-year-old catcher was a part of the Padres organization since 2018, but was sent to the Blue Jays at this years trade deadline in exchange for Will Wagner. The acquisition was made as emergency depth at the catching position as both Alejandro Kirk and Tyler Heineman had suffered injuries within a few days of each other. However, Valenzuela didn't get called up to the major league roster and instead, finished the year by playing 26 games with Triple-A Buffalo.

Valenzuela is highly regarded as a very capable defensive catcher and ranked second among double-A catchers with a 34.7 per cent caught stealing percentage prior to the trade. Heineman is expected to make $1 million in arbitration this offseason and there's no reason to think he wouldn't be welcomed back to the Blue Jays for 2026. However, having Valenzuela on the roster as well could pay off for Toronto at some point in the event of injuries next summer.