Blue Jays: 3 players who will need to step up to replace Bo Bichette

The Toronto Blue Jays enjoyed tremendous success during the 2025 season, coming within two outs of winning the World Series. Much of their success can be attributed to the Blue Jays' offense, which ranked fourth in all of Major League Baseball with 798 runs scored, an average of 4.93 runs per game, while posting the league's best on-base percentage (.333).

However, things will likely be more complicated in this regard in 2026, as Bo Bichette, with his 18 home runs, 94 RBIs, and 78 runs scored, is now with the New York Mets, and the Blue Jays have failed in their attempts to replace him with a big free agent.

That's why some Jays players will have to step up this season if the team wants to have even the slightest chance of repeating last year's success.

Starting with Japan's Kazuma Okamoto. Known for his ability to hit for average and power in the Land of the Rising Sun, it remains to be seen how those skills will translate to MLB.

If Okamoto can produce at a similar level with the Blue Jays as he did during his 11-year career in Japan, he could single-handedly replace Bichette's contribution. But that's doubtful.

Next up is the Canadian team's most recent acquisition, Jesus Sanchez. Acquired from the Houston Astros in exchange for Joey Loperfido, Sanchez has nothing spectacular to show for himself statistically speaking, but he does have elite bat speed, which could bode well for the future. However, results are slow in coming, and the Jays are not currently in development mode.

Finally, a player from the 2025 edition will also have to make up for the loss of Addison Barger. Barger combined exceptional defensive play with power at the plate last year, as evidenced by his 21 home runs and 84 RBIs.

However, he had more strikeouts than hits and had the lowest on-base percentage (.301) of any Blue Jays player. This is not unusual for a 26-year-old, but if he can improve these areas, it could make all the difference.

Created by humans, assisted by AI.