Toronto Blue Jays: Breaking News, Rumors & Highlights

Blue Jays 2026 40-man Roster Review: Getting to know Ben Cowles, the utility player Toronto claimed off waivers

On Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays claimed Ben Cowles off waivers. This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Brandon Valenzuela.

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The Morning Bark

The Quiz of the Day

The Blue Jays may need a Spring Training battle to settle the closer role

Competition often brings out the best in professional athletes. While all signs point to the Toronto Blue Jays keeping Jeff Hoffman in the closer role

Toronto Blue Jays News / Toronto Blue Jays on SI / February 19

Monstrous Postseason From Underrated Slugger Shows Breakout Season Coming

The difference maker for the Toronto Blue Jays last season, specifically in the playoffs, was their offense. There wasn't a bat in the hitting rotation that wasn't capable of making a play on any given night.

Sam Shaw News / Bluejaysnation / February 19

Blue Jays Nation’s 2026 Pre-Season Prospect Countdown – No. 22: Sam Shaw

One of a few Canadian prospects in the Toronto Blue Jays’ system, Sam Shaw has some helium heading into the 2026 season. This is Blue Jays Nation’s bi-annual prospect ranking, where we’ll look at the top 35 prospects in the system in the month of February.

MLB News / Yardbarker Quizzes

The 'Live-Ball Era strikeout leaders' quiz

How many of the 36 MLB pitchers with 2,500 or more strikeouts in the Live-Ball Era (since 1920) can you name in five minutes?

The 'Home run leaders by MLB team' quiz

The ''MLB: The Show' cover athletes' quiz

The 'Active 200-strikeout MLB seasons' quiz

Kazuma Okamoto News / Bluejaysnation / February 19

Blue Jays: Why Kazuma Okamoto should be the full-time third baseman

As the Blue Jays near their first spring game, fans are becoming endeared to the newest member of the roster, Kazuma Okamoto. Highlights have already emerged

Athletics News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players that could be traded during the 2026 season

The 2026 MLB season is right around the corner, and it is never too early to start thinking about how it might unfold. Seemingly, every year, we have a decent handle on who should contend and who is likely to struggle, which makes looking ahead to the trade deadline inevitable.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Toronto Blue Jays on SI / February 18

Blue Jays Rightfully Receive Strong Offseason Grade Despite Missing on Top Prize

With the start of spring training games coming up quickly for the Toronto Blue Jays, the team will be hungry to get back on the field in 2026. However, did their offseason moves help or hurt the franchise? Following a heartbreaking loss in the World Series, the Blue Jays entered the offseason on a mission to improve.

Tommy Nance News / Bluebird Banter / February 18

Better Know Your Blue Jays 40-man: Tommy Nance

Tommy Nancy is a 34-year-old (35 in March), right-handed reliever, from Long Beach, California. He was undrafted (is that a word?), and signed as an amateur free agent in 2016 by the Cubs, after playing in an independent league in 2015.

Bowden Francis News / Toronto Blue Jays on SI / February 18

Blue Jays Claim Intriguing Cubs Infielder to Fill Bowden Francis' Roster Spot

The Toronto Blue Jays entered Spring Training hoping to build on their 2025 World Series run, but the injury updates keep coming. The latest roster move tells that story pretty clearly.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Bluejaysnation / February 18

How will Blue Jays utilize Louis Varland following historic post-season

Louis Varland is warming in the bullpen. That became a regular occurrence down the stretch of the Toronto Blue Jays’ magical 2025 season, as Varland, acquired from the Minnesota Twins ahead of last year’s trade deadline, morphed into manager John Schneider’s most trusted and dependable reliever.

Max Scherzer News / Fastball on SI / February 18

9-Time All-Star Max Scherzer Could Fit These Two Teams Perfectly

Max Scherzer has won three Cy Young Awards, two World Series titles and has been an All-Star eight times during his legendary career. With spring training underway and Opening Day fast approaching, the 41-year-old is still a free agent, and he is reportedly open to waiting until after the season starts to sign with the right team.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Bluejaysnation / February 18

Revisiting notable Blue Jays trades from 2020 to 2022

The Blue Jays have been very active on the trading front, as we have seen them since 2020, and a lot of the moves have left a lot of talking points. Of course, we can’t go over every deal that there is, but let’s take a look at some of the notable trades that have impacted the Toronto Blue Jays organization since 2020.

MLB News / Yardbarker

25 MLB players who have the most to prove in 2026

The new MLB season brings opportunities as players head into their walk years and try to rebound from subpar performances. These 25 players stand out heading into 2026.

Should Red Sox trade for former All-Star infielder?

Mariners getting needed bat in All-Star Brendon Donovan via three-team deal with Cardinals, Rays

Giants CEO calls Dodgers a 'dragon to slay'

Yankees' latest endeavor points to a Jasson Dominguez mistake waiting to happen

Top of Phillies' rotation is elite, but also comes with questions

Cody Ponce News / Toronto Blue Jays on SI / February 18

Star Wars, Former Blue Jays Pitcher Factor in Cody Ponce Jersey Number Change

A jersey number never means nearly as much to someone viewing it as it does to the player who is wearing it. Every single time a number is picked, there is some sort of symbolic reasoning behind it, whether that reasoning is big or small.

MLB News / Bluejaysnation / February 18

Blue Jays Nation’s Top 25 Canadian Baseball Prospects for 2026: #4 Tyler Bremner

Blue Jays Nation’s countdown of the top Canadian prospects entering 2026 continues with a starting pitcher who was taken by the Los Angeles Angels with the 2nd overall pick in last year’s draft.

Click here to get Yardbarker's Quiz of the Day emailed to you!

The 'TD-catch leaders by NFL team' quiz

The 'Receiving leaders by NFL season' quiz

The 'NBA All-Star MVPs' quiz

The 'Multiple 20-assist NBA games' quiz

Toronto Blue Jays News / Bluejaysnation / February 18

Blue Jays, Anthony Santander didn’t discover labrum tear until this winter

When the Toronto Blue Jays first revealed that Anthony Santander would require left shoulder surgery on the eve of spring training, many wondered why this wasn’t addressed over the off-season or even late last season.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Bluejaysnation / February 18

Blue Jays: Looking at a potential platoon strategy for the lineup in 2026

Offensive versatility played a huge role in the success of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays. Their flexible roster allowed them to deploy a different lineup

Toronto Blue Jays News / Toronto Blue Jays on SI / February 18

Assessing the Biggest Threats to the Blue Jays’ AL East Title Defense

To hear manager John Schneider tell it, the Toronto Blue Jays are "not defending the AL East," suggesting that the club is in attack mode and approaching 2026 with the same mindset as they did in 2025.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Bluejaysnation / February 18

3 reasons why the Blue Jays need more bullpen depth heading into 2026

The Blue Jays may have had a busy offseason, focusing on adding to their pitching staff in high-profile arms like Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. On the bullpen side, the team signed Tyler Rogers to give the relief core a different look with his submarine delivery.

Toronto Blue Jays News / RugbyPass / February 18

Perpignan reveal full extent of Jamie Ritchie injury

Perpignan have revealed that Scotland flanker Jamie Ritchie will be out of action for two months after suffering a tibial plateau fracture in the Calcutta Cup victory over England in round two of the Guinness Six Nations.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Toronto Blue Jays on SI / February 17

Blue Jays Camp Already Buzzing After Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s Shoe Prank

The Toronto Blue Jays spring training 2026 is barely off the ground in Dunedin and George Springer is already walking around in his cleats because Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Spencer Miles News / Bluebird Banter / February 17

Better Know Your Blue Jays 40-man: Spencer Miles

Spencer Miles is a 25-year-old right-handed pitcher. The Blue Jays picked him up in the Rule 5 draft on December 10th, 2025 from the Giants. Miles was a fourth-round draft pick in 2022.

Toronto Blue Jays News / Yardbarker / February 17

Breaking down Blue Jays' projected rotation for 2026

Here's a breakdown of Toronto's projected rotation for 2026.

Twins get nasty injury news about right-hander Pablo Lopez

Top MLB prospects to watch in spring training games

Should Phillies' Dave Dombrowski be on hot seat?

The 'Live-Ball Era strikeout leaders' quiz

Ernie Clement News / Just Baseball / February 17

Ernie Clement Will Be Key to the Blue Jays’ Success

The Toronto Blue Jays have one of the best lineups in baseball from top to bottom, and that’s no secret. In fact, in some areas, they might have too much depth and will have to make difficult decisions to prioritize certain players.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. News / Athlon Sports / February 16

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Sends Message After Blue Jays' MLB Free Agency

The Toronto Blue Jays had an eventful offseason following last year’s World Series loss. Despite the disappointing finish, the organization’s outlook has shifted as the club looks to build on that momentum and solidify itself as a long‑term contender in the American League.

MLB News / Just Baseball / February 17

What Should Fans Really Expect From George Springer in 2026?

George Springer put together a career season at the age of 35. What does he have instore for an encore in 2026? Think about what the general consensus was on Springer last March as the Toronto Blue Jays left Dunedin to embark on their 2025 season.