The Toronto Blue Jays entered this offseason hoping for a return to the World Series in the upcoming season. They must have also hoped to right what went wrong last year and make the necessary tweaks in their roster. But the loss of Bo Bichette might just haunt them as the season progresses.

The Blue Jays signed the Japanese third baseman Kazuma Okamoto on a four-year $60 million deal for his debut MLB season. In a position group that looks more or less the same, Okamoto is expected to fill Bichette’s spot who is now in New York Mets. But it’s not easy being a Bo Bichette who slashed .311/.357/.483 this season with 18 homers and 94 runs. For Okamoto the pressure is on.

With Anthony Santander out for the first half of 2026 season, the void left by Bo Bichette looks more difficult to fill than ever. As the Blue Jays win average dropped from 89.9 (ranked 4) to 88.2 (ranked 8), ESPN explained how they could fall short in their pursuit.

If they want a World Series return, Toronto needs to produce a powerful, hard-hitting offense but with an arguably lesser talent. Bichette is already in New York and Anthony Santander has had surgery, so the responsibility falls on Okamoto. Though Okamoto has hit more than 30 homeruns multiple times across his NPB career, him never playing in the majors remains the risk factor.

“…the difference in production between Bichette, now in New York, and Okamoto in Toronto is going to account for most of what sets this Blue Jays offense apart from last year’s juggernaut”, wrote Bradford Doolittle for ESPN.

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Three-time Gold Glove winner Andres Gimenez will likely be the one to replace Bichette at shortstop. While shortstop replacement might be less of a worry for the Blue Jays with Gimenez, he would need to step up at bat as well as per MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan.

“A Toronto offseason that began so successfully with the signings of Dylan Cease, Okamoto and Cody Ponce might be more remembered for another round of Blue Jays pursuits that came up short in the weeks that followed,” ESPN predicted.

As all these factors lineup, letting Bichette go on free agency might just turn out to be a bitter reality check for the Blue Jays who are aspiring for a run at greatness.

Now, with Bichette gone, another option for the Blue Jays would be to strengthen their pitching power. Trade rumours have linked St. Louis Cardinals’ reliever to balance the Blue Jays’ bullpen on the left.

Blue Jays linked to Jojo Romero

After the Blue Jays failed to secure the World Series ring last year, a left-hander reliever could help them in the later innings. Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly predicted St. Louis Cardinals’ LHP Jojo Romero as a possible trade.

At 29, Romero is coming off a season in which he registered an ERA of 2.07 in 61 innings. Romero will hit free agency after this season. With Cardinals’ Chaim Bloom on the rebuild, a trade for Romero is on the table.

Romero’s salary is set at $4.26 million for 2026 which is a fairly cheap option for Toronto in exchange for a reliable arm. Led by Jeff Hoffman and Tyler Rogers, adding Romero to the mix can stabilise the bullpen from the left.

All things considered, eyes will be how the Blue Jays keep themselves on the right track after their offseason choices.