MLB Insider Ranks Blue Jays in Puzzling Spot After Terrific Season
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The offseason is here and if one organization has turned some heads with the moves they are making it is the Toronto Blue Jays.
It started with pitcher Shane Bieber unexpectedly triggering his player option for 2026 to return to Toronto. Then, the Blue Jays signed strikeout machine Dylan Cease who will be with the team for the next seven years.
After the Blue Jays claimed those arms, they went out and got more depth by signing last year's KBO MVP, Cody Ponce, who had a record breaking year as he went 17-1 with 251 strikeouts to complement a 1.89 ERA.
Even with the biggest moves in baseball the last month, one MLB insider only ranks them as the No. 5 team in the Majors right now below two teams who didn't make the playoffs this season.
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN published his first offseason stock watch piece with the Los Angeles Dodgers listed as No.1 followed by the Atlanta Braves (missed playoffs), the New York Yankees (lost to Blue Jays in playoffs) and the New York Mets, who also missed the playoffs.
How Can Braves, Yankees, Mets Be Ranked Higher?
The Braves are easily the most confusing selection as they missed the playoffs, yet Doolittle writes they're poised for a bounce-back season. But, this his how Atlanta concluded the 2025 season:
- 76-86 Record
- 39-55 against teams over .500
- Fourth in the NL East Division
- -10 run differential
- Losing records both home and away
The Mets appear more likely to have a better season than Atlanta coming off an 83-win season in which they barely missed the playoffs. But, New York has already traded outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers and may lose first baseman Pete Alonso in free agency.
The Yankees have done nothing so far except seeing outfielder Trent Grisham accepting their qualifying offer. New York has yet to lock down a meaningful player in free agency, but Doolittle has them ahead of the team that vanquished them from the postseason.
One could argue that the Blue Jays could be No. 1, given the moves they've already made this offseason. The Jays biggest weakness last season was their starting rotation. Toronto has retained Bieber, signed an ace and snagged an under-the-radar starter for the back end of their rotation.
At the end of the day it doesn't matter the Jays are now. What does matter is how they finish 2026. With the roster they are going to have on opening day, especially if ends up including Bo Bichette, the question isn't who will beat them, but who can?
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.