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The Blue Jays have no choice but to have a strong start out of the gate
Toronto Blue Jays shortstop Bo Bichette (11) and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) walk towards the dugout before a spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals at TD Ballpark.
Photo credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Veronica Chung
Mar 27, 2025, 10:30 EDTUpdated: Mar 27, 2025, 07:00 EDT
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The path the Blue Jays are on this year isn’t the easiest. Last season wasn’t exactly what they were hoping for, as they flamed out of playoff contention fairly early on, leading to the trade deadline sell-off. There is still hope for a bounce-back heading into the new season, but the question is who the Blue Jays are going to be this season. 
Given the disappointing record last year, the inevitable cynicism hangs over the team as Toronto prepares to become a contender. This was a team that was supposed to be good, yet endless injuries and underperformance derailed their fortune altogether. While the Blue Jays can’t afford to dwell on the past, their less-than-stellar record contributed to the strength of their schedule this season. 
Currently, the Blue Jays have the fifth-hardest schedule out of all 30 MLB teams – only the Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals and San Francisco Giants have more difficult schedules at this time. To add fuel to the fire, the Blue Jays begin their season facing off the Orioles, who were the last season’s division leader in a four-game series, and have to contend with the Nationals (their easiest opponent), New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, Houston Astros and New York Yankees in April. They also face off the Orioles and Red Sox once more that month, exacerbating their already-torturous path.
Part of the Blue Jays’ strength of schedule is a testament to how strong the AL East is as a division. This division had four teams hover around the .500 mark last season when plenty of other divisions had at least one or two teams that fell well below .500. This season isn’t going to be much different with pretty much all five team going all into win as many games as they can to secure the playoff spot.
The best cure to the curse from the past is having a strong start out of the gate. No matter how difficult the opponents can be, a playoff contender has to rise to the challenge. In other words, nothing should stop them from chipping away wins from their rivals if they are trying to do everything to win it all this year. To be a playoff-worthy playoff opponent, you have to beat strong teams to get there, and arguably, the Jays are facing seven postseason-contending teams in the first month. 
The Blue Jays also had a tough start to the season in 2024, with opponents like the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays appearing early in their schedule. Unfortunately for Toronto, the team couldn’t seem to find their breakthrough and racked up more losses than they should have. The club went 15-16 through the first month of the season, and from there, they couldn’t dig themselves out of the hole they had dug.
If baseball is all about making adjustments, then Canada’s only team should be in a better position to navigate their ordeals.
It was ultimately their failure to adapt that brought the team down to the bottom of the division and the league in 2024. Every successful playoff team in the past found their way back to winning in one way or another. Even the 2019 Washington Nationals turned around their atrocious 19-31 record by going on a white-hot streak in the summer to insert themselves in a serious playoff conversation. Simply put, good teams always adjust and find ways to succeed even while suffering. 
The Blue Jays have a real chance to do something special this year, even if they have a tough goal ahead of them. They have always had the talent, but when they failed to live up to the expectations, they became paper tigers that couldn’t take advantage of their contention window. 
Toronto is running out of time to prove itself. Headlines will continue to pose doubts and questions about a team that couldn’t reach its potential, especially with future stability lacking both on the roster and the front office. But the fact of the matter is that the game is decided on the field – that’s what’s important in a game of failure. 
The Blue Jays have the opportunity to silence their critic. This is a team that’s hungry to prove people wrong with a roster that can be as dangerous as anybody. If they can find the momentum that carried them in spring training and focus on what’s important now, they can become the contender everyone fears. Their mission is clear: do your dang job.

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