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Areas the 2026 Blue Jays need to improve on before next season
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Photo credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Nick Prasad
Aug 18, 2026, 11:30 EDTUpdated: Aug 18, 2026, 10:44 EDT
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One of the most dawning thoughts of the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays’ season is the fact that September could very well be the finale. It may be appropriate to look toward 2027 and what’s in store with regard to team success.
It felt like the season had just started and the anticipation was heavy, due to a heartbreaking World Series loss in 2025. A traumatic seven-game series brought the Blue Jays within inches of a World Series title. 2026 was supposed to be the season of redemption.
The All-Star break flew by, so did the trade deadline, leaving us in early August, shaking our heads in disbelief. The Blue Jays are dead last in the American League East. The club also showed its stance on the season, opting to be sellers at the deadline.
What’s insane about that decision is that the Jays are only 0.5 games behind that last AL wild card spot. Blue Jays management figures they might as well part ways with their higher-end contributors who allowed for value in return. This kept the rest of the team on guard, with a slight chance that a postseason berth is still possible.
Regardless, the postseason hopes could be conscious; however, a World Series return is very much pushing it. Therefore, discussing 2027 and its needs will provide some sanity.

The Blue Jays need to reignite the spark along with good health

Blue Jays baseball culture looked and felt a lot different than last season. It’s tough to imagine extreme confidence and resilience this season when the club’s health started off on the wrong foot.
Shane Bieber, José Berríos, Yimi García, and Trey Yesavage started the season on the injured list. These were three crucial arms needed to assist the team in reclaiming the American League East. Later, Cody Ponce was added to the list as he fell to injury in-season. 
Yesavage then returned, and has now gone back on the injured’s list with left knee inflammation. The bats also took a major hit, losing Anthony Santander with a torn labrum and, even more tragically, Addison Barger’s season-ending injury.
Nineteen Blue Jays players suffered injuries and joined the injured list at some point this season. That speaks to the depth, performance continuity, and talent that the team was faced with this season.
This is not a controllable factor; however, health is a key component to Toronto’s success in 2027. A healthy staff, or at least a healthy core, will put the team back on track to a winning season. 

Offence needs to resurface 

It’s not a secret that the Blue Jays offense this season has strongly diminished since 2025. The club is currently through 126 games, with the season quickly winding down. If we compare final 2025 statistics to the current day, the club is down in a lot of categories. Batting average is always fluctuating, and the Blue Jays currently sit at .242 compared to .265 in 2025. The larger offensive indicators tell a more concerning story. Slugging percentage is down .052, OPS is down .082, and OBP is down .029. 
The Blue Jays have also drawn 176 fewer walks and have 304 fewer RBIs than they did over the entirety of the 2025 season. These numbers aren’t a hard comparison, as 2025 encompasses a full 162-game season while 2026 is still in progress. However, the benchmarks speak for themselves.
One representative of an overall performance decline is the obvious: the captain of the lineup, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Seven home runs, 46 RBIs, 59 runs, and a .261 batting average. This is weak, coming from Toronto’s elite stick. 
Guerrero’s final numbers in 2025 were very acceptable, finishing the regular season. He finished with 23 home runs, 84 RBIs, a .467 slugging percentage, and a .292 batting average. It’s also important to mention that the slugger was a major contributor in postseason play, all the way to the World Series.
This is just a key example, as the club is not a one-player show. The ability for extra-base hits, get-him-on-and-over type baseball, as well as hard contact and bunt baseball wasn’t the play in 2026. The Blue Jays need an all-around lineup that’s firing at the same time; this is the only way to get back into the conversation.

Establishing and rebuilding a pitching rotation 

Pitching will always be a need within the Blue Jays organization. On paper, the team had one of the best rotations in all of the league. Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Ponce, Bieber, and Yesavage. 
Ponce quickly made his way to the injured list and endured a lost season while Bieber was in and out, same with Yesavage. The team never had their full projected rotation, causing management to fill all the holes.
To date, Gausman was dealt to the Chicago Cubs; Gausman was arguably their ace, being well-rounded in various situations. That era came to an end, which means the club needs to fill that spot for 2027. Injuries considered in the pitching role, the Blue Jays would find benefit in adding another big arm.
Filling holes with purpose will be the Blue Jays blueprint to bounce back in 2027. Equipped offence, along with an established pitching rotation, and pristine health will keep Toronto in the contesting conversation.
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