Inside The Blue Jays

What Kind of Team Toronto Blue Jays Are Trying to Be in 2026 Season

The Blue Jays have plenty of goals in mind for this season as they try to fight their way back into the Fall Classic for a chance at redemption from last season.
Maddy Dickens|
Blue Jays outfielder George Springer celebrates after catching a fly ball during spring training at Bobby Mattick Training Center at Englebert Complex.
Blue Jays outfielder George Springer celebrates after catching a fly ball during spring training at Bobby Mattick Training Center at Englebert Complex. | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

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Toronto Blue Jays

It seems much too easy to say that the Toronto Blue Jays simply want to be a winning team in this upcoming season. There are so many aspects that a baseball team has to be in order to win the World Series, and each characteristic is important.

For the 2026 season, the clubhouse is trying to be an all-around team, ready to take back-to-back division titles:

  • A Strong Pitching Staff
  • Elite at Finishing Games
  • Tough Hitting Lineup
  • Short Memory

A team that wins is not a team that focuses on the outcomes of each game. The Jays will have to continue to get better, and better, as each week goes on. It is the little things that make up a winning organization, and if Toronto is strong in those areas, they will be back playing in the Fall Classic.

Deep Rotation

Blue Jays pitchers sit on a bench in blue Blue Jays gea
Blue Jays pitcher Kevin Gausman (34), pitcher Dylan Cease (84), pitcher Cody Ponce (37) watch the bullpen pitchers for spring training practice | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Their offseason primarily focused on the arms on their roster, so on paper, their pitching staff will be levels higher than it was last season.

In 2025, the Blue Jays led with their bats, but by the end of this season, they could have the best rotation in baseball and completely rebuild their identity.

  • Trey Yesavage
  • Kevin Gausman
  • Dylan Cease
  • Cody Ponce
  • Shane Bieber
  • José Berríos
  • Max Scherzer

One didn't even have to follow baseball last October to learn about the clinic that Yesavage was putting on during their postseason run. Then, a pair of new faces between Cody Ponce and Dylan Cease gives the staff more than just depth, but a real chance at wins every time a pitcher takes the mound.

New Closer

It was painful to watch Toronto fail to finish out a trio of games in the World Series that ultimately cost them a title. There were ample opportunities for the Blue Jays to end it and send the Dodgers home, but they failed on multiple occasions.

Tyler Rogers releases a baseball in a blue Blue Jays unifor
Blue Jays relief pitcher Tyler Rogers (71) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Florida Marlins during spring training at TD Ballpark | Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images

This year cannot be the same, and with Tyler Rogers now a member of the bullpen, it seems unlikely the Jays will see the same fate. Rogers posted a sub-2.00 ERA last season to complement a 0.94 WHIP, and will give their relief staff a massive edge.

Strong Bats

Springer, and Guerrero Jr. are going to be the consistent weapons they need, but Varsho and Barger are going to be huge impacts if they stay healthy. Both had at least 20 homers last year, and Barger batted in another 70+ runners in his breakout season.

*Note this hitting lineup is predicted, not solidified*

  1. George Springer
  2. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
  3. Daulton Varsho
  4. Addison Barger
  5. Nathan Lukes
  6. Ernie Clement
  7. Kazuma Okamoto
  8. Alejandro Kirk
  9. Andrés Giménez

The two pieces of this part of the puzzle that are least known are Kazuma Okamota and Andrés Giménez. Okamota has yet to face a major league pitcher, while Gimenez is coming off a .210 batting average in the regular season.

If this team is going to be an offensive powerhouse again, those two cannot be outliers.

Forget the Losses

Streaks come and go during the regular season, and so do slumps. A forgetful memory is crucial for both. The only way to get out of a slump is to forget what has happened in the plays/games before. Any athlete would say that mental blocks are the toughest part of the sport, and resetting memory is the best way to combat that.

This Blue Jays squad is no joke for 2026. They are the clear frontrunners to win the AL East again, but the bigger goal is the World Series. The team didn't win it last year, but taking down the Dodgers in 2026 would feel even sweeter.

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Maddy Dickens
MADDY DICKENS

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.

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