Former MVP Was Wrong About The Toronto Blue Jays

Getty

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 11: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrates hitting a two-run home run off of starting pitcher James Paxton #65 of the Seattle Mariners that also scored Kevin Pillar #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays during the first inning of a game at Safeco Field on June 11, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

The Toronto Blue Jays had one of the most disappointing 2026 seasons in all of sports.

Following a magical run to Game 7 of the 2025 World Series, they missed the playoffs (and finished as the last-place team in the American League East).

Bob Nightengale of USA Today wrote (on September 23): “One year after coming within 90 feet of winning the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays’ season is over. They are officially eliminated from postseason play.”

Bob Nightengale

@BNightengale · Follow

One year after coming within 90 feet of winning the World Series, the Toronto Blue Jays’ season is over. They are officially eliminated from postseason play.

4:15 pm · 23 Sep 2026

1448 Reply Copy link Read 38 replies

Former MVP Was Wrong About The Blue Jays

The Blue Jays had a brief moment where they looked like they could get into the MLB playoffs as the final Wild Card spot.

That said, their hopes faded fast at the end of the season.

One person who thought the Blue Jays would get into the playoffs was former franchise star Josh Donaldson (via Get It Done League on September 8).

Arash Madani: “Is a team that was 10 games below .500 going to make the postseason?”

Donaldson: “…I think they’re going to sneak in and I think it’s going to come down to the wire, which is exciting. It’s exciting to be a fan of this, to be in it, because every game right now means so much. But as a player, it’s such a fine line, because you want to play like you want to show the importance of the game, but you can’t let, if you lose one game, you can’t let that slide. You can’t let it turn you into a downslide as a team. You just got to be able to turn the page quick. Let’s get back to the next day and win a game.”

While Blue Jays fans will likely enjoy that Donaldson predicted them to make a run, he was obviously wrong in his prediction.

Looking At Donaldson

Donaldson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Athletics (and made the 2014 All-Star Game).

However, he broke out into a true superstar when he joined the Blue Jays.

During the 2015 season, Donaldson won the American League MVP Award when he hit 41 home runs with 123 RBIs (while batting .297).

In addition to the Blue Jays and Athletics, he also had stops with the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers and Cleveland Guardians.