Three Reasons Blue Jays Will Win Back-to-Back American League Pennants
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When the offseason first took off in what feels like a lifetime ago, it felt like the Toronto Blue Jays were not going to take any hits. The organization was signing anyone they wanted to, and it looked like they were going to lock down both Bo Bichette and Kyle Tucker.
Instead, in the blink of an eye, the ballclub missed out on both of them. While that felt like more than a gut punch, the Blue Jays are still favored to win the AL East, again. But the real question isn't the division, but the World Series?
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All eyes are looking towards October, and for three reasons, the Blue Jays will bring home another American League pennant and the chance for redemption in the World Series.
Positive Postseason Experience
The end result for the team as a whole was a heartbreaker for everyone in baseball, except Dodgers fans. While the Jays didn't walk home champions, they learned a lot and will take every hard lesson that came from their near-Cinderella run.
Toronto was going up against the beast that is Los Angeles, and to say that the Blue Jays didn't quite have the reps in the postseason that the Dodgers had would be the understatement of the year. Now, not only do the core players, like Ernie Clement and Trey Yesavage, have the confidence to perform, but so does their manager, John Schneider.
Key New Faces
It is fairly easy to dwell on the players that the Blue Jays missed out on for this season, especially the homegrown hero that was Bichette. But what their year will be defined on is not who isn't playing, but who is.
It won't be Bichette, but Kazuma Okamoto is ready to step into the infield and make an impact with both his glove and his bat.
Blue Jays, RHP Cody Ponce agree to 3-year deal, per multiple reports including MLB's @Feinsand.
— MLB (@MLB) December 2, 2025
Ponce was named the KBO League MVP this past season, posting a 17-1 record and a 1.89 ERA. pic.twitter.com/L2e84GZ4EB
While Okamoto will be crucial to replacing the production that Bichette is taking with him, it is the pitching staff that saw huge improvements as strikeout machine Dylan Cease joined the starting rotation, as well as Cody Ponce, while one of the best relievers in the game, Tyler Rogers, is now in the bullpen.
Trey Yesavage
After watching Yesavage pitch in the playoffs it is more than hard to believe that he is only just now entering his rookie season. Rookie or not, Yesavage has the opportunity to be one of the best pitchers in the league.
The 22-year-old paired with Cease is truly a nightmare for opposing batters as the Jays assembled arguably one of the most elite rotations in baseball. There is depth, experience, and generational talent. The Jays will not be caught off guard again with their staff.
Opening day is inching closer and closer. While this won't be the same faces of the 2025 Blue Jays, make no mistake, this is an AL Pennant team ready to take down the Dodgers.
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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.