Toronto

Blue Jays

The chances of Pinango getting picked in the Rule 5 draft are growing by the day. He’s gone 8-for-27 with three homers and three doubles in eight games since debuting for Lara. A 23-year-old corner outfielder, he’s coming off a season in which he hit .258/.361/.430 with a fine 107/70 K/BB in 533 plate appearances between Double- and Triple-A. There should be more power on the way, too; he topped out at 115.8 mph off the bat in Triple-A.

Tucker reportedly drove to Toronto’s facilities in Dunedin. The 28-year-old is one of — if not the — top players on the market, and he’s been connected to Toronto since filing for free agency. Tucker will likely meet with a few other teams, but this does seem like a strong match.

Toronto continues to fortify its rotation shortly after inking Dylan Cease to a massive seven-year $210 million contract. The 31-year-old right-hander was one of the true X-factors on the open market this offseason after a remarkable run in Korea with the Hanwha Eagles, where he overhauled his arsenal, added velocity, and dominated to the tune of a microscopic 1.89 ERA and stellar 252/41 K/BB ratio across 180 2/3 innings over 29 starts last season. He’ll slot in as a back-end stabilizer for the Blue Jays behind Kevin Gausman, Cease, Shane Bieber and rookie sensation Trey Yesavage. From a fantasy standpoint, it’s a compelling landing spot — he has a relatively clear path to a rotation spot on a title contender and enough swing-and-miss ability to matter in deeper mixed leagues, even in the AL East’s unforgiving environments. He’s a late-round dart throw worth monitoring closely next spring.

There’s deferred money in the deal that makes it around $26 million per year for luxury tax purposes, but in terms of cash, Cease gets the seventh-largest contract in history for a pitcher, tied with Max Scherzer’s seven-year deal that expired in 2021 and Corbin Burnes’ seven-year deal signed a year ago. Cease replaces Chris Bassitt and is set to join Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, José Berríos and Trey Yesavage in the Jays’ 2026 rotation. He should probably be looked at in the 15-20 range among fantasy SPs.

The Blue Jays were reportedly interested in both Ryan Helsley and Raisel Iglesias before they signed elsewhere. Fairbanks posted a 2.83 ERA over 60 innings in 2025 and secured a career-high 27 saves for the Rays. Tampa Bay then declined his $11 million club option at the end of the season, paying him a $1 million buyout instead. For fantasy purposes, the Marlins would be a much better landing spot since he would likely serve as a set-up man to Jeff Hoffman in Toronto.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports the deal is pending a physical, nd will contain deferrals. Cease was viewed as one of the top arms available on the market, and he’ll now join the defending American League champions. The 29-year-old forged a disappointing 4.55 ERA over 168 innings last year with the Padres, but he did strike out 215 batters in that timeframe and the metrics suggest he was better than that inflated mark. He’ll pitch near the top of the Toronto rotation, and assuming good health, he should be a solid fantasy option for the 2026 campaign and beyond.

Morosi reports that it’s “at least a 50/50 chance that Ketel Marte is moved” this offseason. As of now, nothing is close, but multiple teams - like the Phillies and Blue Jays - have checked in on Marte’s availability. Neither the Phillies nor the Blue Jays are on Marte’s limited no-trade clause, so either team could acquire him without Marte’s approval. This will be one of the key storylines to watch this offseason.

Lucas is presumably being cut loose to pursue an opportunity to pitch overseas since he wasn’t non-tendered at last week’s deadline. The 29-year-old southpaw compiled an underwhelming 6.66 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 23/12 K/BB ratio across 24 1/3 innings over six appearances (five starts) last year for the Blue Jays. He holds a bloated 8.02 ERA over 42 2/3 innings of work in the majors dating back to 2023.

Castro has decent pop and will take a walk, but he never has figured out how to hit for average; he’s come in at .219/.292/.380 in 627 major league plate appearances with the Pirates and Phillies and he finished at .235/.324/.421 in Triple-A last season. He’s still just 26, so maybe the Blue Jays can work some magic with him.

Swanson, 32, excelled out of the pen for the Mariners in 2022 and the Blue Jays in 2023, posting a 2.39 ERA and a 145/31 K/BB in 120 1/3 innings over the two seasons, but he began 2024 on the shelf with elbow troubles and he just hadn’t been the same since. He had a 5.03 ERA in 45 appearances a year ago, and he gave up nine runs in 5 1/3 innings last season before being released by the Jays. In all, he got to pitch just 266 major league innings after debuting at age 25, finishing with a 4.20 ERA.