Still stinging from a heartbreaking World Series finish, the Toronto Blue Jays’ front office responded with a high-risk, $270 million offseason overhaul that is already drawing heavy scrutiny from around the league.

Toronto will look forward to RHP Dylan Cease and third baseman Kazuma Okamoto stepping up to the plate this year. Okamoto has the grave responsibility to make the impact Bo Bichette’s bat did. And after losing the veteran arm of Chris Bassitt, Cease must establish himself as a reliable starter. Now, ESPN’s David Schoenfield scrutinized the Blue Jays’ offseason moves and graded them a B+.

“First, while Cease is talented and durable and wouldn’t surprise anyone if he contended for a Cy Young Award, he’s also a player with an ERA over 4.50 in two of the past three seasons. A $210 million contract is a huge payout for an inconsistent pitcher who isn’t a guaranteed upgrade over Bassitt,” noted Schoenfield.

Toronto signed Cease on a seven-year, $210 million contract. He would likely feature at the top of Toronto’s rotation along with Kevin Gausman. When Toronto picked him in 2025, Cease was coming off an underwhelming season with the San Diego Padres.

He finished the season 8-12 with a 4.55 ERA across 168 innings, while Bassitt, now with the Baltimore Orioles, logged 170 1/3 innings with a 3.96 ERA last year. He was also a key reliever in the Blue Jays’ 2025 World Series stint, registering a 1.04 ERA.

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However, Cease’s strikeout rate (29.8%) was the sixth-highest. He also maintained a high-velocity at well-above 90s. Plus, at 30, his age allows him space for consistent improvement and yield better results.

Meanwhile, Bichette, the high-contact, elite hitter and shortstop, left the Blue Jays for the New York Mets. The franchise brought in Okamoto from the NPB to fill the gap on a four-year, $60 million contract. But it’s not easy to match up to Bichette, who slashed .311/.357/.483 with 18 home runs. Schoenfield explains why!

“I think Okamoto will hit and his offensive projections are close to Bichette’s, but we know Bichette can hit at a high level. Okamoto had a Bichette-like season in Japan last year, hitting .327 and improving his contact rate, but in previous years, he had hit for a lower average with more power.”

Bichette’s dominance in MLB has been tried and tested enough. But with Okamoto, it’s still a gamble, as he will have to adjust to the grind of MLB fast.

The Blue Jays’ payroll is now $29 million more than the last season. The Blue Jays did not hesitate to invest in what they believed was best for the team. But only the season’s progress can tell for sure whether they redeemed themselves or the Bichette-Bassitt voids came too tough to fill.

Toronto is also battling injury concerns of Anthony Santander, Shane Bieber, and Bowden Francis. On Wednesday, Santander shared some updates on his situation.

Anthony Santander talks about injuries

Anthony Santander spoke to the media through interpreter Hector Lebron inside the Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Florida. In his first season with the Blue Jays, Santander hurt his left shoulder and returned in the postseason after rehab. But his recovery did not last long, as he started feeling ‘weird’ in January after he started hitting.

Santander suffered from a labral tear and went through surgery just before Spring Training started. What was supposed to be a fully recovered return this year again went behind by months.

Santander revealed, “They didn’t know why the MRI didn’t show the labral part, how bad it was. They couldn’t explain that, the doctors. Obviously, I needed the surgery.”

He also expressed how hard it has been for him to deal with the situation. The surgery left his arm in an immobilized state in a sling for the time being.

“We didn’t think it was going to be this outcome. I don’t think anybody thought it was going to be this outcome. That’s the unfortunate part of it,” acknowledged Schneider when speaking about Santander’s injury.

Santander is with the Blue Jays on a five-year, $92.5 million contract, signed in 2025.

As it appears the franchise and Santander both thought the surgery was an avoidable option. But now he is again on the backfoot.