Can Blue Jays Finally Capitalize On Historically Weak American League East?

Will the Toronto Blue Jays finally take advantage of their situation?

Apr 9, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) talks with reporters before the start of the game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

It has been a rollercoaster season for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2025. They have climbed above .500, fallen below the mark, and back again on numerous occasions, all without much of their offense performing as expected.

It is a microcosm of how the American League East as a whole has performed to this point in the year. While the division is normally looked at as a powerhouse in MLB, that has not been the case this year.

While the division has certainly been dragged down by the highly unexpected performance of the Baltimore Orioles, the blame is not on them and them alone. Only the New York Yankees hold a record above .500 entering play Thursday, and the time is now for the Blue Jays to capitalize on how weak the division has played through the first quarter of the year.

Toronto Blue Jays MUST Capatilize on Weak AL East

The American League East has played to a combined record of 102-110, a win percentage of just 0.481. If the trend holds the rest of the way, it will be the first time since 2019 that the division has finished with a combined record below .500. It gets worse.

The AL East has not had an average record below 84-78 since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign; through games played May 14, they are on pace for a 78-84 mark.

It is a level of mediocrity normally reserved for the two divisions in the central, and while the National League Central is following their normal course of action, the American League Central holds four teams above .500, and all of them currently hold a playoff berth.

For Toronto, the time is now to strike while the iron is hot. To this point, they have fared well against divisional opponents. They have faced all four in at least two games each, and have a 10-8 record in those contests.

The schedule gets harder over the next week with the Detroit Tigers and San Diego Padres coming to the Rogers Centre, but one more against the Tampa Bay Rays this week, and three against that same squad next weekend at George M. Steinbrenner Field is more than enough to even things out.

The division is right there for the taking. If the Blue Jays can get things rolling offensively, they have more than a fair shot of taking the crown away from the Bronx Bombers.

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