Are The Toronto Blue Jays Good Enough to Return, Win World Series?
One game. The Toronto Blue Jays were just a mere game away from basking in World Series championship glory last season. However, it was not meant to be as the Los Angeles Dodgers downed the American League representatives in Game 7 of the Fall Classic. It would have been the ball club’s first World Series win since hoisting the trophy in back-to-back years in 1992 and 1993.
It was a magical run for the Canadian ball club, but does this team truly have what it takes to reclaim the AL pennant and finish the job by winning the whole thing?
Blue Jays’ Notable Additions and Losses
There were some notable additions and losses for Toronto during the offseason. The Blue Jays locked down Starting Pitcher Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 million dollar contract along with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to a one-year deal to return. Also, they convinced Japan’s Kazuma Okamoto to ink a pact for four years and $60 million to add more pop to the lineup.
Just as the additions were impactful, so too were what the team lost. Most notably, the Blue Jays allowed two-time All-Star Bo Bichette to join the New York Mets. The shortstop hit .311 (second in MLB) last season with 18 home runs and 94 RBI. Also, the team did lose Starting Pitcher Chris Bassitt to the Orioles. Bassitt was durable and reliable in 2025, making 31 starts, and posting a solid 3.96 ERA.
Speaking of the pitching front, the Blue Jays are expected to start the season without José Berríos who, according to manager John Schneider, will not be ready by Opening Day because of a stress fracture in his pitching elbow. This is not supposed to sideline Berríos for long, though he will start the season on the injured list. Unfortunately, the organization will be without the talented Trey Yesavage, who is dealing with shoulder impingement. The starting pitcher will also begin the year on the IL.
Blue Jays Offense: Can They Repeat The Production from 2025?
The Blue Jays sported one of the best offenses in Major League Baseball last season. They were the top team in batting average (.265) and hits (1,461) and ranked third in OPS (.761). Also, their 798 runs scored only trailed the New York Yankees (849), Los Angeles Dodgers (825), and the Milwaukee Brewers (806) in 2025.
As mentioned earlier, Toronto did lose a big-time bat in Bichette, but the team is hoping the addition of Okamoto can help replace the production vacated by Bichette. In addition, Toronto still has players like George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Alejandro Kirk who should be able to step up and mask the hole vacated by Bichette. In a word, as long as these collection of players stay healthy, the Blue Jays should once again be one of the best offensive teams in baseball.
Blue Jays Pitching Leaves Some To Be Desired
The offense had to carry the squad last season thanks in large part to the pitching. Blue Jays pitchers sported an ERA of 4.19, which ranked 19th in the majors. In fact, a lot of the team’s key pitching numbers were middle of the pack such as opponent batting average (.241, tied for 12th), runs allowed (721, 12th) and WHIP (1.27, 16th).
Perhaps the most damning aspect of the pitching was it gave up 209 home runs, the sixth most in MLB and fourth most in the AL last season. These numbers clearly will have to come down some if Toronto wants to have any chance of repeating its success.
The team will most likely have a difficult time improving on key pitching statistics since Berríos and Yesavage are starting the year on the shelf. Shane Bieber is still working his way back, but there is no timeline for the return of the Cy Young Award winner. He is dealing with forearm fatigue and has not pitched since April of the 2024 season.
The bullpen doesn’t exactly inspire confidence and excitement, either. Tyler Rogers was signed as a free agent from the Mets, and he should add some juice to the back end of the ‘pen. However, aside from Rogers and Tommy Nance, who had a breakout year (1.99 ERA), this is not a unit that should scare opposing batters. As a whole, the pitching is what could prevent this team from going far in 2026.
Season Prediction
This is a team that has retained most of the players from the 2025 season, which culminated in a run to the World Series. The Blue Jays should be able to mask their pitching deficiencies by outhitting their opponents through a good portion of the season. This can work, but I believe the injuries to the pitching staff will prove to be too much for Toronto to make serious noise. Therefore, I anticipate the Jays will contend for a Wild Card berth, but nothing more.
Prediction: 90-72, eliminated in the Wild Card round
