Toronto Blue Jays Lineup Not Coming Close to Living up to Expectations
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The Toronto Blue Jays started the 2025 MLB regular season with a good amount of success, going 12-8 out of the gate.
Unfortunately, that strong start has gone by the wayside with the team losing eight out of their next 10 games, dropping below the .500 mark to 14-16. They are now 3.5 games behind the American League East-leading New York Yankees and are in 10th place in the AL.
It is still too early to write them off as playoff contenders, but the early hole is certainly far from ideal to be in.
Right now, the only positional group of the team that is performing up to expectations as a whole is the bullpen. Jeff Hoffman has been excellent as the closer and their other signing, Yimi Garcia, has yet to allow a run through 13 appearances.
The starting rotation, outside of Chris Bassitt, has left a little bit to be desired, with their major addition, Max Scherzer, being on the sidelines.
But, the biggest disappointment for the team thus far has to be their lineup, which is struggling to generate runs despite having multiple All-Stars.
Nine of the 16 players who have recorded at-bats for the Blue Jays have an OPS+ under 100, which is the league average. Shortstop Bo Bichette is right on the league average line and is still looking for his first home run.
Their major free agent addition, Anthony Santander, has not provided the kind of impact the team had hoped for. He has a .175/.258/.316 slash line. He does have a team-high four home runs and is tied for the third-most RBI with 12.
Leading the way with 14 RBI is first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Off to a slow start, just like in 2024, Toronto is hoping he can replicate what he did last year and similarly catch fire.
The only true positive in the lineup right now is outfielder George Springer, who is having an unexpected career renaissance through the first month of the season.
Producing as a below-replacement level player the last two campaigns, he has an OPS+ of 155 with a .306/.406/.482 slash line. He has turned the clock back with two home runs, seven doubles, one triple and four stolen bases.
Alas, his production alone isn’t enough to push this offense to the level it should be at, which is a major reason why the Blue Jays are so low in Kerry Miller’s starting nine power rankings over at Bleacher Report.
Toronto came in at No. 25, in the same tier as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers at Nos. 27 and 26.
The franchise can be thrilled about working out a long-term extension with Guerrero, as the two sides agreed to a 14-year, $500 million deal.
Now, it is time for him to once again set the tone as the franchise cornerstone and hope that his teammates follow his lead to get the offense on track.
