Ranking the 10 most important Blue Jays for the 2025 season

With the baseball season a mere three weeks away, it is time for baseball fans to fantasize over the potential of their favorite team.

The Toronto Blue Jays enter 2025 in an interesting position, and their season could go a number of different directions. They will look to earn a postseason berth after a disappointing 74 win season in 2024. For that to happen, they'll need a lot of production from these 10 players.

10. Will Wagner

To begin our list, we have Wagner who was acquired along with Jake Bloss and Joey Loperfido from the Houston Astros at the trade deadline last year.

Wagner, the son of Hall of Fame pitcher Billy Wagner, appeared in 24 games last season with Toronto and slashed an admirable .305/.337/.451 with two home runs and six doubles.

If Wagner can keep that production up this season, he should be a mainstay in the lineup and could even work his way into the leadoff spot.

FanGraphs projects Wagner to have a .351 OBP this season, which would give Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santander plenty of opportunities to drive in runs behind him.

Solidifying the leadoff man of the future should be a key emphasis for manager John Schneider, and Wagner could very well be the guy who grabs the opportunity.

9. Daulton Varsho

Coming in at No. 9 is Varsho, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks via trade ahead of the 2023 season. He played in 136 games last year but missed the end of the year due to a late season shoulder injury.

Simply put, Varsho is one of the best defensive outfielders in MLB — he just needs to hit better. He's finished both of his seasons with Toronto with an OPS+ below 100 after having an OPS+ better than 100 in his two full seasons with Arizona.

For the Blue Jays to have any success this season, they'll need Varsho to be productive at the plate. Not only would he become one of the most valuable players in all of MLB, he'd also provide Toronto with some much needed depth in its lineup.

Varsho's off to a good start this spring, as he hit a home run in each of his first two spring training games. If he can keep that up, he could end up being Toronto's MVP.

8. Andrés Giménez

Continuing our theme of left handed hitters, Giménez comes in at No. 8. He was acquired via trade with Cleveland this offseason and should be the Blue Jays' everyday second baseman this season.

Similar to Varsho, Giménez is a Gold Glove defender with an inconsistent bat. Toronto will need him to hit this season.

FanGraphs projects Giménez to record a 106 wRC+ and accumulate f4.1 WAR. These are solid numbers for the Venezuelan that would also quiet the noise around his hefty contract.

Now we've talked about his defense at second, but, should something happen to Bo Bichette, Giménez could easily shift over to SS and provide elite defense there as well.

He's one of the best defenders in all of baseball but, like Varsho, the question is whether he can have a productive offensive season.

7. Max Scherzer

No. 7 brings us our first pitcher in Scherzer. He inked a one-year, $15.5 million deal with the Blue Jays this offseason to anchor the rotation.

The 40-year-old veteran has proven he still has some gas left in the tank after a strong start to the spring (eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings).

If that strong start is any indication, he'll be an incredibly important player all season.

The problem with Scherzer is health, as he only made nine starts with the Texas Rangers last year thanks to back, shoulder and hamstring problems. If Scherzer stays healthy this year, he could quickly establish himself as the Blue Jays' ace this season.

Even if Scherzer no longer has ace stuff, the Blue Jays will need him and Bowden Francis to solidify the back-end of their rotation.

6. Anthony Santander

Rounding out the back half of our list is the newly-signed Santander, who inked a five-year, $92.5 million deal to come north of the border in the offseason.

Santander is here to hit home runs, plain and simple. The Blue Jays finished 26th in homers last year, which is a clear area of improvement. Santander should fix some of the problems, as FanGraphs projects him to hit 36 round-trippers.

Santander should slot in at the top of the lineup to help provide some protection to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette.

Although Santander is not valuable as a baserunner or defender, his power will make him one of the most important Blue Jays this season.

5. Jeff Hoffman

The Blue Jays picked Hoffman with the No. 9 pick in the 2014 MLB Draft, and now he finally gets a chance to play for the team after he signed with Toronto in the offseason. He and former Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano essentially flipped teams this offseason, as Hoffman signed with Toronto and Romano signed with the Phillies.

The 32-year-old is one of the best relief pitchers in the game and is coming off his first career All-Star nod with Philadelphia. He pitched to a 2.17 ERA and struck out 89 batters in 66 1/3 innings.

Hoffman's advanced stats were just as dominant as his counting stats. He was ranked in the 96th percentile in stikeout rate, whiff rate and chase rate, while his expected ERA (91st percentile) and expected batting average (90th percentile) were also both elite.

Hoffman will be vital at the back of the Blue Jays bullpen, and he'll open the season as the team's closer. After finishing 31st in team ERA last season, Hoffman will be a major part of getting Toronto's bullpen back on track.

4. Alejandro Kirk

Kirk enters his sixth season in Toronto and will be tasked with the majority of the catching duties this season.

With Danny Jansen off to Tampa Bay and Gabriel Moreno long gone, Kirk will enter the season at the top of the depth chart. Tyler Heineman or Christian Bethancourt will likely be his backup unless Toronto adds an outside option.

Kirk is an elite defender, as he finished last year in the 90th percentile or higher in fielding run value, caught stealing above average and framing. Catchers with elite defensive skills are extremely hard to come by, which makes Kirk extremely valuable. He is definitely someone the Blue Jays front office should look to extend, but that's a topic for another day.

His offense has come and gone throughout his career. He was great in 2022 and earned an All-Star nod, but his production has taken a dip in 2023 and '24.

Kirk did show signs of improvement towards the end of last season, as he hit almost .300 during the last month of play. He's gotten off to a good start this spring and seems locked in ahead of the start of the season.

Kirk will be running the show behind the plate, and the Blue Jays need him to have a strong season.

3. Kevin Gausman

Gausman comes in at the No. 3 spot of our rankings after a bit of a down year.

The Blue Jays need one of Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt or Scherzer to surface as the ace of the rotation, and Gausman feels like the most likely to do so.

After striking out over 200 batters in 3 consecutive seasons, Gausman only registered 162 last season, which can be due in part to him working through a shoulder injury in spring training. Gausman's been healthy so far this spring, so there's hope that he'll be able to find his 2022 and '23 form.

Some reports suggest that Gausman has bulked up over the offseason, which should help him pitch like the ace he is.

2. Bo Bichette

Simply put Bichette will be one of, if not the most important, Blue Jay this season.

If the 27-year-old can recapture his form after a disappointing 2024 season, the Blue Jays will once again have one of the most dangerous shortstops in all of baseball. FanGraphs projects Bichette at a hearty 116 wRC+, but we think there's a good chance that he surpasses that number.

Bichette is entering his walk year with a ton to prove, which should serve as extra motivation this season. We could very well see Bichette earn his third All-Star appearance this season while also playing his way into a big payday.

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Rounding out the list is none other than Guerrero, the Blue Jays' first baseman and one of the faces of MLB.

Guerrero is the most talented player on this Blue Jays squad, and the Blue Jays will go as he goes.

Guerrero and the Blue Jays failed to reach an extension during the offseason, so the slugging first baseman should be motivated ahead of his first foray into free agency. FanGraphs projects Guerrero to have 32 home runs to go along with a 152 wRC+, but we suspect he'll flirt with 40 long balls.

Guerrero is the main man of this team. He knows it, the fans know it and, perhaps most importantly, the front office knows it. He turned down a lucrative contract extension and is, in turn, betting on himself this season.

If he disappoints, it is difficult to see how the Blue Jays have a successful season.