⚾ Blue Jays 2026 Odds: Life After Bichette and the Arrival of Cease

After a heartbreaking Game 7 loss in the 2025 World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays underwent a transformation in the offseason. Yes, the Bo & Vladdy era came to an end following Bichette’s departure to the New York Mets in free agency. However, the front office pivoted aggressively, landing ace Dylan Cease on a massive seven-year, $210-million deal and signing Japanese power-hitter Kazuma Okamoto.

The Blue Jays' championship window is still wide-open, and in addition to their long World Series odds from our best sports betting sites, there are several bets worth making in the futures market.

📊 2026 Blue Jays futures odds & best bets

All odds via FanDuel

* Bolded play is my best bet on the board

You won't find better bets on the board for the Toronto Blue Jays. The rotation is one of the best in baseball with the addition of Cease and a full season of Trey Yesavage, and with Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber (once healthy), and Cody Ponce following them, I'm fine with risking a full unit on the Jays to win 90 games once again.

Yes, Toronto lost Bichette, but if spring training is any indication, Okamoto is going to be more than just a servicable replacement. A perennial All-Star in the NPB, Okamoto has gap-to-gap power and profiles well in this lineup as a righty who doesn't strikeout often. I'll take him to win Rookie of the Year as he adapts to MLB.

🥀 The loss of Bo Bichette: A shift in Toronto

For five full seasons, Bichette was the heartbeat of the Blue Jays' lineup, becoming a fixture at the top of the MLB hits leaderboard when healthy. His departure leaves a massive void, both offensively and in the locker room. Bichette's 2025 campaign was stellar, slashing .311/.357/.483, while his clutch three-run homer in Game 7 of the World Series cemented his legacy in Toronto.

The statistical fallout of losing Bichette's bat is significant. The Blue Jays are losing a consistent .300 hitter and 20-homer threat at a premium defensive position. However, the team is banking on internal growth to mitigate the loss. Addison Barger, who dominated the 2025 postseason with a 1.024 OPS, is expected to take on a large role in filling that void, with Ernie Clement, the postseason hits leader, likely dropping in near the top of the order.

It will be a fill-the-role by committee, and if George Springer can continue his offensive reinassance, the Blue Jays are going to be tough outs all season long.

💪 Love for Okamoto: Premier Japanese power

Okamoto - who signed for four years and $60 million - isn't just a Bichette replacement; he's a different monster. While Bichette lived on line drives, and was an occasional free swinger, Okamoto thrives on high exit velocity moonshots and low strikeout numbers. He's projected to slot in as the everyday third baseman, allowing the Blue Jays to move Barger to the outfield or a utility role. Transitioning to MLB pitching is always a gamble, but with a swing-and-miss profile that improved significantly in his final year in Japan, Okamoto is widely considered the most MLB-ready bat out of Japan in recent memory.

⚾ Dylan Cease and the new-look rotation

The signing of Cease is a clear response to the heartbreaking World Series loss, and a clear sign that the front office is once again all-in. His 20.6 fWAR since the start of 2021 is enough to tell you he can be an ace if he can limit his walks (top three in walk percentage for eligible pitchers), and could even be in the Cy Young conversation.

In 2025, he generated whiffs at a 33.4% rate, which was first in baseball; his 29.8 K% was third in MLB behind just Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet. It's no secret the Jays got an elite arm, and under the guidance of pitching coach Pete Walker, Cease is expected to refine his control and bounce back from a volatile 2025 season.

Cease joins a rotation that already features Gausman and a full season of Yesavage, giving Toronto one of the most potent 1-2-3 punches in the American League.

Yesavage brings a high-strikeout ceiling and a rare postseason pedigree to the Blue Jays after a historic rookie ascent from Single-A to the World Series in 2025. Ponce is a nice, new wrinkle who raises the floor of the rotation. Berrios is the wild card, but if he can turn the clock back - and Bieber's return will put pressure on him to do so - it's going to be incredibly difficult to score runs against this team. 

📋 The Blue Jays' offseason at a glance