Assessing the Biggest Threats to the Blue Jays’ AL East Title Defense
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To hear manager John Schneider tell it, the Toronto Blue Jays are "not defending the AL East," suggesting that the club is in attack mode and approaching 2026 with the same mindset as they did in 2025.
That's all well and good, but try telling that to the Blue Jays' fellow AL East rivals, three of whom carried a clear, aggressive focus into the offseason of dethroning Toronto and staking their own claim for the division crown in 2026. You could argue that the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox have all made strong cases to be considered threats to reign atop the division.
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The Blue Jays, who have made their own offseason improvements, are certainly not about to sit idly by in the race for the AL East. But it still bears exploring who might pose the biggest challenge in Toronto's attempt to once again reign supreme.
With all due respect to the Tampa Bay Rays, who appear to be destined for a fifth place finish, let's examine the arguments for why the Yankees, Orioles and Red Sox might unseat the Blue Jays.
New York Yankees
No, Toronto did not win more regular season games in 2025 than any other AL East team. A late surge by the Yankees nearly saw them overtake the Blue Jays, only to finish with matching 94-68 records and lose on a tiebreaker. That shows that there really wasn't much separating the ALDS opponents last season.
New York had a relatively quiet offseason, but they brought back Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt and now get to enjoy a full season of trade deadline pickups Ryan McMahon and David Bednar, plus further development from the likes of Jasson Dominguez, Ben Rice and Cam Schlittler.
Toronto might hold out hope that their offseason activity served to create some distance between them and the Bronx Bombers, but the Yankees will still be a tough out, especially if Gerrit Cole can remain healthy all year.
Baltimore Orioles
Long before the Blue Jays made their run in 2025, it was Baltimore that was the trendy preseason pick to win the division on account of a talented, young core that had already sparked a 91-win season in 2024. Then they stumbled out of the gate and wound up in last place with a mere 75 wins.
This season, the Orioles look to be seeking some revenge. The additions of Pete Alonso, Taylor Ward, Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt should further bolster a solid core that includes Jackson Holliday, Adley Rutschman and Gunnar Henderson. With some significant upgrades and a roster full of skilled youngsters entering their prime, Baltimore could be in for a major bounce back campaign.
Boston Red Sox
By most standards, the Red Sox 2025 season was anything but a disaster. They won 89 games while finishing in the top-10 in both ERA and runs scored while seeing new ace Garrett Crochet finish second in AL Cy Young voting. For Boston, however, a third-place finish in the division and a Wild Card round loss to the hated Yankees was a crushing result.
So, the Red Sox front office got to work this offseason. Although Alex Bregman left to join the Chicago Cubs and they missed out on Alonso, the club bolstered an already-strong rotation with Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray while also adding a power bat in Wilson Contreras and versatility in the form of Caleb Durbin.
Toronto looks to be in an enviable position ahead of the 2026 season, projected by PECOTA to finish atop the AL East. Meanwhile, most betting sites have them owning the second-best division odds behind the popular Yankees. Ultimately, if they play to their potential, they have the talent to stand tall amidst their rivals. It won't be easy, though.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.