The Blue Jays Are Struggling To Defend Their 2025 American League Title

Aug 21, 2026 11:00 PM - 2 hours ago 3

Lost successful the chaos of the existent Major League Baseball play is the almost absolute illness of the Blue Jays successful their effort astatine defending the American League title.

A twelvemonth ago, the Jays mislaid to the Dodgers connected the past transportation of the World Series successful the 11th inning of Game 7 astatine Rogers Centre erstwhile Alejandro Kirk grounded into a double play. The tying tally was connected 3rd and the winning tally connected first erstwhile Kirk bounced to shortstop Mookie Betts, who quickly stepped connected 2nd and threw connected to Freddie Freeman astatine first.

The Dodgers won the game, 5-4, and the series, 4-3. The Jays haven’t been the aforesaid ever since.

The Jays returned location for the last 2 games pinch a 3-2 lead and had countless chances successful Toronto to triumph the World Series. But it wasn’t to be.

“It conscionable felt for illustration everything that was expected to spell our measurement didn’t,” Ty France, who was pinch the Blue Jays past but is playing first guidelines for the Padres now, told Forbes recently. “But past again, it could person been destiny that they were expected to win.”

Look astatine wherever the Jays are now. At 63-66, they are successful 4th spot successful the AL East, 14 games down the astonishing first-place Rays. Only by the quirk of really bad the AL is this play – location are only 5 teams amended than .500 – the Jays are only a half crippled down the Twins for the league’s last of 3 Wild Card spots. The Yankees, astatine 9 1/2 games up and the Red Sox astatine 5 1/2 games up, are seemingly retired of reach.

There are six different teams vying pinch the Jays for that spot, and moreover the 60-68 and horribly playing Mariners are wrong 3 games.

France was asked if he’s paying attraction to it, thousands of miles distant successful different league, different section and connected the westbound coast.

“Yeah, I do. I still travel a batch of those guys closely,” he said. “And yeah, I was a small amazed to spot really everything unfolded this year. But it’s a different animal playing until Nov. 2 and past getting only a fewer weeks disconnected earlier ramping up your programme again. It’s taxing some physically and mentally.”

That didn’t impact the Dodgers, who started the 2025 play pinch a March bid successful Japan and besides played each the measurement into November. They are 77-51, starring the National League West by 9 games complete the Padres and vying for the first MLB three-peat since the 1998 to 2000 Yankees.

The Jays Have Tried To Rebuild On The Fly

The Jays person mislaid a batch of cardinal and constituent parts from past year’s pennant-winning team, though they signed right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210 cardinal free supplier statement successful the offseason. Thus far, to nary avail.

They were sellers astatine the caller waste and acquisition deadline shipping rotation anchor Kevin Gausman to the Cubs, outfielder Dalton Varsho to the Rangers and past season’s person Jeff Hoffman to the Twins.

That’s successful stark opposition to the 2025 deadline erstwhile the Jays added France and reliever Louis Varland astatine the buzzer from the Twins, starter Shane Bieber from Cleveland, and reliever Seranthony Dominguez from the Orioles.

The timing of the woody stunned France.

“Personally, I thought I was clear,” he said recalling really the Twins gutted their squad successful a occurrence sale. “I thought I was safe. And past I sewage the telephone call.”

What a quality a twelvemonth makes.

Last twelvemonth astatine the deadline, the Jays were successful a canine conflict pinch the Yankees for the AL East title. Both teams ended the play pinch a 94-86 records, but the Jays vanished first because they manhandled the Yankees during the regular season, winning 8 of the 13 games. Head-to-head title is the first tie-breaker now that a Game 163 playoff is nary more.

That power continued into the postseason erstwhile the Jays wiped retired the Yankees successful a best-of-five AL Division Series successful 4 games. They were 11-6 against the Yankees past year, winning pinch their marque of contact hitting baseball against New York’s penchant for relying connected the Three True Outcomes: Homers, walks and strikeouts.

“I deliberation we springiness pitching staffs different looks,” Jays head John Schneider said past twelvemonth aft winning Game 1 of the World Series. “And being capable to people successful aggregate ways is large for us, not waiting astir for a three-run homer. If that happens, great. That’s benignant of icing connected the cake, if you will.”

The Yanks Are Still Doing What They Do, But the Jays Aren’t

The Yankees are still doing what they’re do, starring the AL pinch 175 homers and 3rd pinch 1,168 strikeouts. This year, it’s the Rays giving them fits, the Yanks having mislaid six of the 9 games played betwixt the teams and trailing them successful the section by 4 games. The Blue Jays play the Yanks successful a three-game play bid astatine Yankee Stadium opening Friday night.

The Jays, who led each of MLB past twelvemonth successful hitting pinch a .265 squad batting average, are 14th successful MLB astatine .244 now.

A batch of that tin beryllium attributed to a alteration successful personnel, not to mention lesser years from their cardinal stars, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, who person mixed to deed 19 homers and thrust successful 84 runs. Guerrero, for immoderate unexplained reason, hasn’t deed a homer successful Toronto this season, his past regular-season homer astatine Rogers Centre coming connected Aug. 17, 2025, though he did deed a expansive slam successful Game 2 of the ALDS against the Yankees.

Guerrero is presently connected the seven-day injured database pinch concussion symptoms.

Eight players connected the Blue Jays’ 26-man World Series roster are nary longer pinch the team. That’s a 35% turnover and could explicate why the Jays came retired struggling and sank to a season-worst 46-56 grounds connected July 17, conscionable aft the All-Star break. At the Aug. 3 waste and acquisition deadline, they were still 8 games nether .500 precipitating the location cleaning.

But wouldn’t you cognize it? The Jays are 11-4 since past playing themselves backmost into the Wild Card race.

“I’m amazed it took truthful agelong for them, to get backmost into it, conscionable because of the magnitude of talent that’s still successful that room.” said France, who didn’t motion his one-year, $1.35 cardinal free supplier woody pinch the Padres until the eve of outpouring training connected Feb. 15. “But astatine the same, I understand what we went through. It was a intelligence and beingness grind.

“They were astir apt exhausted to commencement the year. That’s not an excuse, but it’s real.”