The Toronto Blue Jays enter 2026 with the familiar feeling of a team that âhas done enough to have hope.â They are one of the most active clubs in the winter, constantly patching, adding, and adjusting. On the surface, this is a roster ready to return to the race.
But one name is no longer there.
Bo Bichette has left Toronto, taking with him the baton that for years kept the Blue Jays from falling into a rut. While his defense was once a subject of debate, Bichette remains one of MLBâs most consistently offensive shortstops. Now, he plays for the New York Mets on a three-year, $126 million contract â and the void he leaves isnât just on the lineup card.
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In terms of planning, Toronto isnât surprised. Whether Bichette stays or not, AndrĂ©s GimĂ©nez is still considered the future shortstop. His gloves are undeniably excellent: wide range, quick reflexes, the ability to change the course of a play in an instant. In many ways, GimĂ©nez represents a modern type of shortstop that teams are increasingly favoring.
The problem lies with the rest.
GimĂ©nez’s 2025 season with his bat is a clear warning. Slash line .210/.285/.313, only seven home runs, 35 RBI, wRC+ 70 â numbers that are not only low by Bichette’s standards, but also low by the MLB average. When Bichette was around, this could be masked. Now it is.
The pressure doesn’t come from GimĂ©nez having to “replace” Bichette. Toronto understands he’s not that kind of player. But Bichette’s departure has made every shot GimĂ©nez makes carry more weight. It’s not because he’s expected to explode, but because the team needs him⊠not to disappear.
Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com bluntly stated what many only dare to think: the gloves give GimĂ©nez a place, but the bat will determine the team’s ceiling. Signing Kazuma Okamoto certainly eases some of the pressure, but it can’t completely replace the role Bichette left behind.
Toronto doesn’t need GimĂ©nez to have a historic season. They don’t need 25 home runs. What they need are the small details: a few more hits each month, especially when there’s someone on base. Hits deep enough to draw runners back. At-bats that don’t end too quickly when the opponent needs an out.
It sounds modest, but that’s the line between a “good enough” team and a team that’s good enough to compete for division.
The Blue Jays are building a more balanced team, more solid defensively, and more diverse in roles. But that balance will crumble if the middle infield becomes an offensive dead zone. And so, GimĂ©nez â though not talked about as much as the big-name rookies â has become one of the biggest variables of the season.
Bichette has gone to the Mets. Toronto has chosen a different path. Now the question isn’t whether they did it right, but whether GimĂ©nez can lift his baton high enough for the rest of the roster to perform at their best?
Because sometimes, a season isn’t decided by the biggest star â but by the player everyone hopes will “just be a little bit better.”
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