The Toronto Blue Jays slugged their way to a second-place finish in the American League East and the fourth seed in the 2022 MLB playoffs. And they slugged their way to a seven-run lead in Game 2 of their wild-card series ... before a Seattle Mariners team determined not to waste its first trip to the postseason since 2001 mounted a stunning comeback.
The Blue Jays couldn't move on to the American League Division Series. Now it's time for them to move on to 2023. Here's a look at their notable free agents and trade candidates, plus three key questions for their offseason.
Toronto Blue Jays
Notable free agents: SP Ross Stripling, RP Anthony Bass (option), RP David Phelps
While all three of these pitchers played important roles for the Jays in 2022, the relative sparseness of this list speaks to how much of the roster Toronto has locked down for another run in 2023. The back of the bullpen in front of Jordan Romano was an ongoing project for the Blue Jays, which makes it seem likely that they would pick up Bass' reasonable $3 million club option. Either way, building bullpen depth either from within the organization or without will be a priority for a team so close to getting over the hump.