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

P Seranthony Domínguez 

When the Jays needed an upgrade for their relief corps at the trade deadline, they turned to veteran Seranthony Domínguez in which they acquired from the Baltimore Orioles surprisingly during the middle of a double-header in July.

After joining the ballclub for the stretch run, Domínguez provided exactly that as he went 2-1 with a tidy 3.00 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, giving up just seven earned runs with 25 strikeouts in just 21 innings of work over 24 relief appearances. By providing some much-needed leadership and stability to the Jays bullpen, it helped Toronto reach the postseason for the third time in four years.

However, one main caveat in his pitching is the fact that when he’s on his game, he can be one of the best in the business. But when Domínguez experiences trouble with his command, which can be more often than expected, he would surrender a high number of walks which could potentially be detrimental, as witnessed from his 11 walks that he issued over just 11 1/3 total innings during the postseason for the Jays.

Therefore, with the number of elite, reliable relief options available in the free agent market that Toronto can upgrade with this winter, Domínguez will be looking elsewhere for a new home this offseason 

P Max Scherzer 

It sure was a wild ride for the Blue Jays after bringing in former three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer in their huge bounce back season in 2025. Signing the aging veteran pitcher always came with risk, which surfaced right away at the start of the regular season when Scherzer had to miss multiple months due to his recurring thumb issue.

However, after returning to the Jays lineup midway through the year, the 41-year-old starter actually displayed flashes of his old form, including a stretch between the end of June to early August where he held the opposition to three runs or less in eight of his string of nine starts.

But perhaps Father Time had caught up to him towards the end of the regular season as he struggled to the finish line while enduring problems with the long ball. As a result, for the year, Scherzer amassed just a 5-5 record with a 5.19 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, while giving up 49 earned runs including 19 home runs in 85 total innings over 17 starts.

With the Blue Jays having only Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and perhaps Trey Yesavage as their main starters for 2026, they will be looking to bolster their rotation this offseason with solid options available in the free agent market. Nevertheless, there’s no doubt his valiant effort during the postseason, including two strong starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the World Series, has left a lasting moment for a lifetime for Blue Jays fans everywhere in the process.