Blue Jays on Pace to Far Surpass What Were Very Low Preseason Expectations

The Toronto Blue Jays are on pace to blow past low preseason expectations.

Aug 5, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Despite a disappointing series loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Blue Jays have been playing some good baseball for the most part of late and are still in first place in the American League East. 

Since taking over the division lead from the New York Yankees a couple of months ago, the Blue Jays haven't looked back. They have been able to build quite a bit of momentum and now have their eyes set on winning the division and making the playoffs. 

Both are very realistic goals for the team as of now, but they would have been considered to be long shots at the start of the season. During the preseason, Toronto was expected to be a team that was going to finish below .500. 

Those expectations felt low at the time, and they have certainly proven to be much better than that. Even though the team might not be perfect, they have been able to win a lot of games and establish themselves as a contender. 

Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report recently wrote about the Blue Jays being on pace for 94.4 wins and far surpassing very low expectations for the team coming into the year. 

It was a bit surprising to see the preseason expectations for Toronto being so low coming into the campaign. This was a team that was quite aggressive over the winter and brought in some notable names to help improve the roster. Even though some players like Anthony Santander haven't made the impact they were hoping, others have stepped up.

How Far Can the Blue Jays Go?

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However, despite some key additions, they were predicted to be a team that finished just under the .500 mark, and that is certainly not going to be the case this season. With 74 wins already heading into their weekend series against the Miami Marlins, the Blue Jays are the best team currently in the AL East and will be dueling with the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the league. 

While being the top team in the AL East might have been a stretch despite the strong offseason, there was certainly reason to believe that Toronto could have at least been a .500 team. Coming into the year, the division was expected to be quite good, and perhaps the other teams have fallen below expectations for one reason or another. 

However, the Blue Jays should be thrilled with how things are going, and being on pace to win in the mid-90s of games is a great achievement. While there are still games to be played, Toronto has far exceeded expectations this year.