Photo from Nathan Denette (The Canadian Press)
Of the top five teams with the best records in baseball, the Tampa Bay Rays are the only team that hails from the American League. While the AL is in a down year, it has created an exciting Wild Card race. Seven teams are within 3 games of a Wild Card spot, leaving almost every team in the AL to have something to play for down the stretch. One of those seven is the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto is the reigning American League champion and was widely regarded as one of the best teams in baseball heading into the 2026 season. This season has been anything but that. The Jays pretty much put themselves out of the AL East race in April and May and have had to play catch-up the rest of the year. Currently one game back of the last Wild Card Spot, Toronto has slowly crept its way back into postseason baseball. With just 34 games left in their season, can the team one out away from a World Series make it back to October?
The lone constant of the 2026 Blue Jays has been their ace, Dylan Cease. Cease is turning in a career year in his first year of a seven-year deal. A 2.42 ERA paired with 201 strikeouts has put him in a tight Cy Young race with Cam Schlittler. Opponents are hitting just .179 against Cease, which has given Toronto a chance to win every single time he toes the rubber.
On August 1, the Blue Jays sat at 51-59. World Series hangovers are natural for teams (unless you are the Dodgers). This was not a hangover; this was a lost season. At the trade deadline, GM Ross Atkins traded away expiring contracts. They shipped Canadian legend Kevin Gausman to Chicago and Daulton Varsho to Houston. Blue Jays fans were left in despair, as it seemed the front office had officially punted on the 2026 season. Moments after those feelings crept into fans' minds, the team pivoted and acquired Jose Soriano from the Angels. A savvy move, as Atkins reloaded the farm system while also trading for a front-line arm with years of control. Things were looking up, but it still had to be proven on the field. One hot stretch from the Blue Jays would put them right back in the Wild Card race.
The trade deadline was either a wake-up call or a jolt of energy in the Toronto clubhouse, as they have won four straight series and seven of their last ten. Their pitching has kicked it into gear, with Soriano giving them quality innings. Offensively, it has still taken time to get going, but they have gotten timely hitting when they really need it. The Blue Jays are 11-7 in August and on the tails of the Rangers and Astros for the last playoff spot in the American League. Can they keep up the hot stretch and sprint through the finish line towards October?
I say yes. Toronto has been playing great baseball for the last two weeks, all without their best player performing like their best player. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been a shell of himself in 2026. He has not hit a home run at the Rogers Centre in over a year and has only seven home runs in 115 games. Guerrero Jr is currently hitting .263 with a .693 OPS. For reference, his career numbers are a .286 AVG and a .844 OPS. Playing good baseball during this uncharacteristic stretch from Vladdy gives me confidence they can stay in the hunt. I also find it quite hard to believe that he won't turn it on at some point down the stretch. If and when he does, this offense can return to the 2025 version of themselves in a hurry.
World Series hangovers are natural (unless you are the Dodgers). Getting to the Fall Classic is hard enough; running it back and doing it again is even harder. It is not a surprise the Blue Jays have come down to Earth. What is surprising is how hard they crashed. However, with their additions at the deadline and their good baseball in August, I think they can turn on the jets and finish hot, narrowly getting into the playoffs.