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Blue Jays CEO sends message to team.
The Toronto Blue Jays are ready to go all-in to win a World Series.
Toronto lost in Game 7 of the World Series to the Los Angeles Dodgers in extra innings. Since then, the Blue Jays have been one of the most active teams this offseason, adding pitchers Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and reliever Tyler Rogers.
However, Toronto has yet to sign a bat. But the Blue Jays have been linked to the likes of Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, and Alex Bregman. Although none have signed, Blue Jays CEO Mark Shapiro is hopeful to make a splash.
“My philosophy on free agents is there is no such thing as close,” Shapiro said on MLB Network Radio on Sunday. “You either are done, or you are not done; there is nothing in between. We are still working to get better. This is the bottom line: our division is an absolute beast.
“You can talk about what I’ve experienced in 34 years, almost 35 in the game, and one thing that is clear to me is there is nothing like the AL East. … The bottom line, to answer your question, we need to get better.”
With Shapiro expecting the AL East and American League to be better, the Blue Jays CEO knows Toronto has to be better. So, that could be good news for Blue Jays fans is that Toronto could very well land one, if not multiple of Bichette, Tucker and Bregman as Shapiro knows they still have to be better.
Blue Jays CEO Expects AL East to be Better
Part of the reason why Shapiro knows the Blue Jays have to be better is due to the division they play in.
Shapiro believes the AL East is the best division in baseball and expects every team to be much better than it was in 2025.
“We sit back, and we already knew Baltimore was going to be better than they were last year,” Shapiro added. “All you have to do is look at them in the second half. They clearly have gotten better with Taylor Ward, with Shane Baz, and others. They’ve had a good offseason, and I don’t think they are done. The Yankees are clearly, you know, they are not done.
“Tampa is going to be better; they are never bad, they are going to be better. And Boston is probably positioned as well as any team in all of Major League Baseball. I don’t know if there is a team that is positioned for the next five years better than the Boston Red Sox with young talent and flexibility.”
With all five teams competing for playoff spots, Shapiro knows the Blue Jays still have more work to do.
Toronto Chasing 3 Elite Batters
With the Blue Jays having solidified their pitching staff, the focus has turned to hitters.
Toronto has been linked to bringing back Bichette as well as being considered a frontrunner for Tucker. Yet, recently, Bregman’s name has come up in rumors. ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan expects the Blue Jays to land one, if not multiple of them.
“I don’t think the Blue Jays are done,” Passan said to Michael Kay. “I think they’re gonna get a big bat. Not sure if that’s Kyle Tucker or Alex Bregman or Bo Bichette or maybe multiple of them. The Blue Jays right now are in a position where they are willing to spend, they feel like they have a window here, and they are going to take advantage of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s prime years.”
If Toronto can land two of Bichette, Tucker, and Bregman, it could very well make them World Series favorites.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL, MLB and Cleveland Browns for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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