The Toronto Blue Jays had an incredible turnaround last year after finishing in last place in the American League East in 2024. The team had the top seed in the American League and ended up coming to within two outs of a World Series title.
After falling short in Game 7, they have had some World Series hangover in 2026 and are very close to watching their postseason hopes be dashed with one week left in the season. However, the American League was relatively weak this year, and despite being three games below the .500 mark, Toronto isn’t officially eliminated yet.
The Athletic’s latest power rankings have the Blue Jays at No. 16. Chad Jennings shared one important reason to have high hopes for the future if you’re a Blue Jays fan.
“Aside from three guys — Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto and Louis Varland — almost every Blue Jays player this season either underperformed or got hurt (or both),” Jennings wrote.
“Yet, they were one bad week away from being in the playoff hunt at the very end of the season. Last week was a massive letdown that basically crushed their chances, but if the Blue Jays had stayed hot, they could have made a playoff run in a year when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was a below-average hitter. Next year has to be better, right? Cease, Okamoto and Varland will be back, Trey Yesavage will make more than 18 starts, and surely Vlad will hit more than nine home runs.”
One Reason for Toronto Blue Jays Fans to Have Hope
Granted, the Blue Jays got a lot of help with the American League being as weak as it was this year, but this roster is very much similar to the one that won 94 games in 2025, minus Bo Bichette of course. If they can add some offense in the offseason and stay healthy, they should be right back in business in 2027.
On paper, this is still a very good team that just underperformed in 2026 due to a variety of factors. Injuries certainly played a big role in their struggles, and Guerrero did not have a typical season.
But through all of that, Toronto still is not officially eliminated just yet. It’s only a matter of time at this point, but they managed to stay in the race for most of the season despite a lot of things not going their way.
A few tweaks could have them back in postseason contention at the very least in 2027.
How Toronto Blue Jays Can Improve in 2027
The biggest key for the Blue Jays will be to stay healthy. If they can avoid the injured list and their best players can start producing like themselves again, there is little reason to believe the Blue Jays won’t find themselves competing for a World Series title next year.
Again, they could also look to supplement the roster via free agency and trades. The AL East is the toughest division in the junior circuit, so they might need some big moves to get back to the top, but if they improve, the division is winnable for them.
One Reason Blue Jays Fans Should Have Hope for 2027