Blue Jays Continue to Keep Pace in Crowded AL East Race

The Blue Jays have kept themselves in the running for the AL East crown over the first half of the season.

Jun 27, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) high-fives second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) after scoring a run against the Boston Red Sox during the eighth inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

As the halfway point of the 2025 MLB season passes, several divisional races across the sport are beginning to heat up in massive ways.

The chase for the AL East crown has quickly become tightly contested, with three squads all currently slugging things out atop the standings.

Among this top grouping are the Toronto Blue Jays, who currently find themselves in third place behind the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays.

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The fact the Blue Jays have managed to position themselves just three games back of the division lead at the midway point of the year is extremely impressive given the early struggles the team had to endure.

Much of the first half 2025 campaign was marked by injury concerns and slow starts both at the plate and on the mound.

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Key pieces like veteran start Max Scherzer and the team's new high-dollar slugger Anthony Santander have both spent significant time on the injured list, while ace Kevin Gausman has had an up-and-down season on the mound.

Despite all these hurdles, however, the Blue Jays have found a way to round themselves into form as summer begins. And now, they are now looking like genuine contenders for the division crown.

The Blue Jays saw a 6-win improvement from the halfway point of last season pic.twitter.com/P9Dt8xt7wc

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) June 28, 2025

Much of this recent surge has been driven by the Toronto lineup, which, according to StatMuse, has been one of the best in all of baseball over the last 30 games.

In this span, the Jays have slashed .285/.348/.452, with superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leading the charge with a team leading .293 batting average and .913 OPS.

The pitching staff, for their part, has also been very solid, working to a 4.11 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over the same 30-game period.

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If it weren't for the absolute tear the Rays have been on as of late, it's likely that Toronto would be sitting firmly in second place right now behind a lagging Yankees side.

Given everything that took place early on, third place and a few games back of a division lead is a very good spot for the Blue Jays to be in at this juncture.

They have given themselves a shot at the AL East crown, but now they'll have to make the necessary moves at the deadline to push themselves over the finish line ahead of their division foes down the back half of the season.

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