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(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
The 2026 MLB season is nearing, and Toronto Blue Jays‘ starting pitcher Trey Yesavage recently spoke about the need to remove himself from baseball after a heartbreaking World Series loss in Game 7 to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yesavage was one of the players for the Blue Jays who came from left field during their push for the playoffs and eventually playoff run to the World Series.
Last year, including his stints in the minors, majors, and postseason, he threw 139.2 innings, nearly half again as many as the 93.1 innings he pitched at East Carolina in 2024. Once the World Series ended, Yesavage returned home for the winter and fully disconnected.
“I spent a lot of time out in the woods hunting and just trying to be with myself and kind of disappear a little bit,” Yesavage said about dealing with the World Series loss (h/t Sportsnet). “… The ending was heartbreaking for everybody in that clubhouse because everyone worked so hard for that moment. But we’ll be better for it next season.
“I had the most workload this year and it’s the shortest off-season I’ve ever had, so I had to navigate that. Right now, I’m really just ramping it up for spring training.”
Blue Jays to Get Improved Trey Yesavage for 2026 Season
As for the 2026 season, Yesavage is ready to turn the page and focus on this upcoming campaign, and he recently stated the improvements to his pitching style as he prepares for his first full season in the majors.
“I’m just playing around with the grip, seeing what feels the most comfortable and seeing how I can most naturally throw my curveball,” Yesavage added. “I have a funky arm angle, so I’ve just got to play around with it.”
George Springer Faces Uncertain Future
While the Blue Jays see Yesavage as their front-of-the-line starter for many seasons to come, one player who has an uncertain future in Toronto is George Springer.
The veteran is coming off a big bounce-back season, hitting .309 with 154 hits, 32 homers, 84 RBIs, and 106 runs scored in 140 games in 2025 while winning his third Silver Slugger award, per StatMuse.
At 36, Springer is approaching the final stretch of his MLB career, and with free agency coming next offseason, the question is whether he will finish his career in Canada or spend his last year or two with another team.
On the Jan. 21 edition of “Toronto Sports Rush,” MLB.com’s Blue Jays reporter, Keegan Matheson, shared his take on how the Springer situation could play out.
“He really seemed to kind of find that joy for baseball again last year,“ Matheson said of Springer. “I think there may be more beyond this for George, and if he can find a place where he’s DHing, plays the outfield once or twice a week, where he’s still good, he’s still solid, you’re not throwing a clunker out there to run around, I think he can keep this rolling.
“And especially given his experience, given his ability to hit in big moments like we saw last year, Game 7 of the ALCS. Fascinated to see where that goes. Now, whether it’s in Toronto or not, I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Eduardo Razo Eduardo Razo is a sports writer for Heavy.com, covering the NFL, MLB, and college football. He has previously covered the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB for NBC Sports Washington and NBC Sports Bay Area & California, and has freelanced for PSG Talk, covering Paris Saint-Germain. He also worked as an editor at Athlon Sports, focusing on MLB and the NFL. More about Eduardo Razo
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