Game 162 of the Toronto Blue Jays ' 2026 season could've easily descended into an airing of grievances amongst the Rogers Centre faithful. Or worse, inspired an indifferent reaction from the home crowd.
Instead, Sunday's 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds provided the 42,131 fans in attendance a chance to revel in a pitching gem from future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer and an emotional season finale for George Springer . In the case of both decorated veterans, it also might have represented the final opportunity to see them in a Blue Jays uniform.
The futures of Scherzer and Springer - both in Toronto and in Major League Baseball - remain unclear at the moment. They may lead a mass exodus from the Blue Jays, who could have as many as eight players reach free agency . Add to that a potential desire from President Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins to rework a roster that authored a disappointing 79-win season and you could have the recipe for significant change.
While the offseason is unlikely to fully take shape until the World Series ends, Toronto is most certainly in the process of developing a plan for roster management as they look ahead to 2027. First and foremost is determining who from the current squad might not be a fit moving forward. Here are five Blue Jays players who we may not see back next season:
Toronto Blue Jays DH George Springer. Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Springer's emotional farewell on Sunday certainly felt more like a goodbye rather than a "See you next season." And it stands to reason why. The four-time All-Star just celebrated his 37th birthday and, while he may still have some baseball left in him, it probably won't be in Toronto.
For as popular as Springer has been as a Blue Jay, 15 home runs and a .726 OPS simply isn't going to cut it from the designated hitter position moving forward. While he deserves to be celebrated for the past seven years and for delivering one of the biggest home runs in franchise history, it would behoove both sides to move in a new direction.
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer. Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If Sunday did mark the last start of Scherzer's legendary career, then the 42-year-old sure went out in style. No, he didn't catch his buddy Justin Verlander for eighth all-time in strikeouts (he remains three shy), but he did turn back the clock, allowing just a run and six hits over seven sparkling innings before exiting to a thunderous ovation.
While that start showed Scherzer is still capable of getting big-league batters out, the reality is that those starts have become few and far between. When accounting for both health and effectiveness, 'Mad Max' is no longer at a stage in his career where he can be relied upon to start every five days (hence his 5.74 ERA and 1.335 WHIP this season).
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
When Shane Bieber exercised his $16 million player option for 2026 last November, it appeared to be a surprising early offseason win for the Blue Jays and a testament to what they had built coming off a World Series run. Sadly, injuries robbed the right-hande r of most of the year, limiting him to 11 starts and sending him into free agency far removed from his 2020 Cy Young-winning heyday.
Perhaps Bieber could return on some kind of one-year, 'prove-it' contract. But Toronto's front office could also ultimately decide that 2026 represented his 'prove-it' opportunity - and the 31-year-old didn't exactly make a compelling argument for his health moving forward.
Okay, so maybe I'm stretching the 'player' distinction here by rolling several players into one entry. While Jos Soriano , Brett Bateman and maybe even Josh Smith look like future mainstays for the Blue Jays, the rest of their in-season additions may not stick around much longer.
Patrick Corbin served as a sufficient starting-pitching placeholder for a while before his game tailed off and then he suffered a left shoulder strain. Paul Sewald was quietly effective for Toronto (0.63 ERA in 17 appearances), but the club has no available high-leverage roles and may look to go younger through the rest of the bullpen. Spencer Arrighetti underwhelmed in his short stint with the team, but may return based on his age (26) and remaining arbitration eligibility.
Perhaps most disappointing among the in-season additions was Jameson Taillon , a veteran Canadian pitcher who was acquired for something of a tryout period that may have led to a new contract and a regular role. Unfortunately, the 34-year-old made just three starts for the Blue Jays, not pitching past the fourth inning and failing to stay healthy.
Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Davis Schneider. Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
It wouldn't be a popular move with fans or within the clubhouse, but it could be time for Davis Schneider's tenure in Toronto to come to an end. The popular outfielder with the signature mustache has struggled to stay in the majors on account of some rather ugly offensive numbers (.145 average, .624 OPS).
Schneider is not an expensive player (he made $813,500 in 2026) and remains under team control until 2030, but there may simply not be enough spots to go around. Adddison Barger and Anthony Santander could return to health in time for spring training; Nathan Lukes is expected to be back and the club will likely exercise its $8 million team option on Myles Straw . Furthermore, Toronto is rumored to have outfield targets like Seiya Suzuki in its sights.
There's a long way to go between now and next March, and change could well be forthcoming for an organization that struggled mightily in the aftermath of its 2025 World Series run. While attention will surely focus on the new faces coming in, the front office is set to make some tough decisions on who needs to go out.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as 5 Blue Jays Players Most Likely to Be Gone Before Opening Day 2027 .
