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Unless you live there (or have lived there), you don't truly understand what a Blue Jays postseason run can do for the country of Canada. Being the only MLB team outside of the continental United States creates an interesting dynamic and one that galvanized the 2025 Blue Jays. Clubhouse culture was a big story for this team; everyone wanted to do whatever they could to help this team win, and it worked, right until Game 7 of the World Series. Beyond the camaraderie, this team had some tremendous individual performances that helped them reach the very top of the hill, only to lose in a heartbreaking extra-innings game 7. Veterans, in-their-prime-superstars and rookies alike all had a part in driving this train forward.
The third-ranked offense by OPS was built on the ability to put the ball in play, but still doing damage when they could. The Jays ranked second in team zone contact (84.8%) and first in overall contact (78.4%), but were still in the top half of the league in hard hit rate (11th, 41.2%) increasing their bat speed as the season went on.
Vladimir Guerrero signed the franchise's largest-ever contract in April and really came into his own as a leader on and off the field in 2025. He is just a pure hitter that crushes the ball, and although his season stats might look fairly modest, he showed the entire world that he's a top 5 hitter in the game when he's hitting on all cylinders. The possible loss of his long-time running-mate, Bo Bichette, would leave a void in this lineup. At the time of writing, Bichette was unsigned. George Springer turned back the clock and was outstanding all season long, taking on a hockey-warrior attitude in the playoffs; he would not be kept off the field.
Alejandro Kirk might be the most underrated hitter in the league, and his game truly epitomizes the type of game the Jays try to play. Addison Barger is an exciting young hitter who didn't get much hype as a prospect but is becoming an integral part of this lineup with his ability to slug. Daulton Varsho, who has been more recognized as a defensive player, hit 20 homers in half a season after missing time with a hamstring strain. Ernie Clement and Andres Gimenez are also defensive-minded players who provided great moments at the plate, especially in the playoffs. Nathan Lukes is another contact-oriented bat who makes pitchers work. The Jays' big offseason signing barely contributed to this first-place roster; Anthony Santander will look to do his part in 2026.
This starting staff changed a lot from the start of the season to what we saw in the World Series. Kevin Gausman has been as advertised since he signed his free agent contract in December of 2021. Shane Bieber was an exciting trade deadline acquisition who surprisingly chose to exercise his player option, citing a strong clubhouse and an opportunity to win. After moving up through the entire minor league system in 2025, Trey Yesavage was an impactful starter against the toughest competition in the biggest moments. Jose Berrios lost his role in the playoffs after getting hurt and becoming ineffective in the second half. He will have an important role in Toronto (or elsewhere) and is still fantasy viable in most leagues. Max Sherzer and Chris Bassitt are free agents who will likely have to find new opportunities. Dylan Cease will replace them in the rotation after signing a 7 year-$210M deal this offseason. We would be remiss if we didn't mention Eric Lauer was a productive swing-man who made 15 starts for the AL East Champs.
The bullpen is a big area of opportunity for this team, and while they got the job done most of the time, there were shaky moments that ultimately led to their demise in Game 7. Jeff Hoffman saved 33 games, but did so with a 4.37 ERA and 7 blown saves, many of which included 3 or more walks. Seranthony Dominguez (now a free agent) and Louis Varland (trade acquisition) set him up and were good enough to secure wins. This group will need reinforcements, and they could come in the form of a return from injury and a free agent signing. Yimi Garcia has proven to be a valuable late-inning option for the Jays in recent seasons, and Tyler Rogers (signed a 3-year contract) will look to lengthen the back end of the pen. A wild card for fantasy value in 2026 might be Ricky Tiedemann, who has had some horrible injury luck, but oozes talent from the left side.
The Jays' farm system made big strides in 2025, particularly on the pitching side of things. Several young arms made leaps in their development with a concerted effort on strike-throwing, with two of those arms netting significant returns at the trade deadline (Bieber for Khal Stephen, Seranthony Dominguez for Juaron Watts-Brown, Louis Varland and Ty France for Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden). Beyond Yesavage and Tiedemann, the Jays have some intriguing pitching prospects, including Gage Stanifer and Johnny King, two fringe top-100 prospects. On the hitting side, their first round pick from 2025 has immediately become a consensus top 50 prospect without even debuting. JoJo Parker has tools across the board and should move quickly for a high school draftee, given his solid hit tool and makeup. Arjun Nimmala made solid progress but showed a streaky nature that needs to be ironed out. Juan Sanchez is a DSL hitter who showed power and approach and is the most interesting young Latin hitter for the Jays since Orelvis Martinez. As with most DSL "breakout" seasons, try and stay level-headed (there are 9 Orelvis's for every 1 Vladdy Jr's), but he's definitely flyer worthy in deeper prospect leagues.
This should be a competitive team once again in a Group of Death-type division with lots of great options for your dynasty team.
Barger certainly doesn't get cheated at the plate; his 75.9 mph bat speed is in the 93rd percentile in MLB. He's even stated in interviews that he's looking to do damage when he gets his pitch. In his first full go-around as a major leaguer, he put up a strong showing, posting a 51.0% hard hit rate while maximizing his fly balls (11.4% barrel rate, 21.1% airpull rate). Barger had trouble with fastballs, but made significant strides by laying off fastballs up in the zone and reducing whiff on the pitch. This allowed his contact rates to climb to near league-average levels, which enabled his power to play. Barger cut his strikeout rate even more in his 60 PA sample (17.6%), showing he is still growing. A full season of this type of approach would yield huge fantasy value; there is 30-homer power in this bat, and with 3B/OF eligibility, Barger is being undervalued in a big way.
JoJo Parker
We haven't seen Parker suit up as a minor leaguer just yet, but all the tools are there for him to be a complete player. He grades out at average or better across the board, and his offensive floor is especially high due to his 60-grade hit tool and elite athleticism. At 6'2, 200 lbs, he should be able to reach his power ceiling with some professional instruction. He's already a top 40 prospect on our December update. With no clear-cut top player in this year's draft class, Parker should be at or near the top of your FYPD board.
Dynasty Sells
Ernie Clement
What a magical playoffs it was for Ernie Clement. He quickly became a cult hero in Canada during the Jays' postseason run by getting on base nearly every time up. His 30 hits and 10 multi-hit games were both MLB records. While he posts outstanding contact rates (93.0% zone contact and 85.5% overall), he does little to impact the ball (9 HR in 588 PA) with his 5th percentile bat speed. Clement should play nearly every day with his top-notch defense, but he provides more value as a real-life player than in fantasy. Right now might be the best opportunity to sell Clement.
George Springer
Springer had a career renaissance in 2025, posting his best season by wRC+ (166), barrel rate (16.1%), hard hit rate (47.6%), and second-best by OPS (.959). He did so by increasing his bat speed (up nearly 2 mph to 93.7 mph!) at a time in his career when players are typically dropping steadily. Was it bat speed training? Was it a stretch of good health? Maybe both? Regardless of how he got there, he answered the doubters in a big way. The biggest question is, can he repeat this in his age-37 season? Based on his career trajectory and health challenges over the years, it might be wise to sell high on Springer. He could still be a productive player, but it might be worth seeing if you can get younger and acquire a similar level of production by shopping him.
Top Fantasy Prospects
Players are in order of their fantasy prospect ranking from our September end of season list.
Not many prospects can claim to have achieved what Yesavage did in 2025, going from Single-A all the way up to the major leagues in a single season. The former East Carolina ace struck out 160 batters on his way through the Toronto farm system and earned his big league debut at the eleventh hour in mid-September. Yesavage then capped his remarkable year off with a 3.58 ERA in six playoff appearances (five of them starts) for the World Series runners-up. Known for his uniquely high release point and a knee-buckling splitter, the right-hander now heads into his age-22 season as a presumptive rotation piece for the reigning American League champions. His 11.3% walk rate in the MLB regular season points to the only drawback of his possessing such electric stuff, but fantasy managers should still buy in with confidence, looking ahead to 2026. Yesavage will be a top-ten prospect in all of baseball until he graduates and is already a borderline top-200 dynasty asset. - Lucas Morel
Though yet to make his minor league debut, Parker should be well worth the wait. The gifted prep shortstop from Mississippi went to Toronto with the eighth overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, earning a signing bonus of nearly $6.2 million. A left-handed hitter with a crisp, efficient swing, Parker stands out from his peers in a remarkably deep class of high school shortstops thanks to his pairing of an elite hit tool with above-average power. His pure hitting ability and mature swing decisions wowed evaluators in the build-up to last summer’s draft, and he posted triple-digit exit velocities with a wood bat routinely at the Draft Combine. With just 50-grade speed and the possibility that he moves off of shortstop eventually, Parker does fall short of the five-tool label at present. That said, his first exposure to professional training and development resources should help the 19-year-old elevate all aspects of his game. Parker is a clear first-round talent for dynasty FYPD purposes and a top-40 prospect overall. - Lucas Morel
Still a work in progress, Nimmala nevertheless took significant strides forward in his development throughout 2025. As skeptics will rush to point out, the toolsy shortstop only managed a slash line of .224/.313/.381, with 13 home runs and 17 stolen bases over the course of 120 games played at High-A. However, a closer look at his performance leaves one feeling more optimistic. Just 19-years-old for the full season, Nimmala raised his contact rate (70.1% → 73.6%), cut way down on strikeouts (30.7% → 21.4%), and suffered from a substantially unlucky .266 BABIP. He did put the ball on the ground too much (41.9%), but that seems like understandable growing pains for a teenager playing against competition who is, on average, three years older. Prospect growth is rarely linear, and while Toronto fans will be impatient to see productivity in the box score from Nimmala in 2026, he remains a top-75 prospect in baseball with immense upside still in reach if it all comes together. - Lucas Morel
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
Director of Amateur Scouting, proud to lead and share the team's work. | Check out Path to the Show on Bally Sports Live and College Baseball Now everywhere! | Grateful for family, the Vols, and everyone who reads Prospects Live. | For His Glory.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
Director of Dynasty Content - Canadian born and raised, moved to Arkansas with my wife and two sons Ezra and Ari. Followed and played baseball my whole life; played dynasty for 25+ years.
As Director of Pro Scouting, I lead a talented group of evaluators as we break down future stars. You can find me at random California League games throughout the season!
A Giants fan living in San Diego, been playing fantasy baseball since 2005 and dynasty since 2021. Started the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast in June 2023 and joined Prospects Live in March of 2024.
Dynasty player of 10+ years. Helping you find the building blocks of your championship rosters as a co-host on the Dynasty Baseball Pickups podcast since mid-season 2023, joined Prospects Live at the start of 2024.
