The Toronto Blue Jays’ 2026 campaign has been polarizing, to say the least. After a nightmare start and a midseason stretch that saw them play some of their worst baseball in years, they have been rolling the last month and a half. With just a couple of weeks left in the season, they’rebattling the Cleveland Guardians for the final wild card spot, as each game feels like a must-win for this desperate team. While some players have gotten hot at the right time or continued to play their best baseball, others have continuously floundered since March. Through this rollercoaster of a season, let’s look at the standouts and letdowns of the 2026 Toronto Blue Jays and see who is on the chopping block ahead of next year.
Standouts
You cannot talk about this team’s success without mentioning almost all the pitching staff. From arguably the best pitcher in the American League, Dylan Cease, to their near-perfect closer, Louis Varland, the Jays’ arms have been the saving grace for a team that couldn’t get the bats going all year. Known for his insane strikeout numbers, Cease just casually beat his own personal record for Ks in a season at 228 and counting, making hitters look silly at each start.
He’s been the team’s ace all season, helping Toronto not only by striking guys out but also by staying on the mound. Aside from one or two IL stints, he’s stayed healthy during a period when the Jays are down to just two starting-level pitchers. Whether or not Cease wins the American League Cy Young Award; the team and fanbase should thank him for keeping this team afloat through a tumultuous run.
Similarly, Varland has been nothing short of excellent as this team’s full-time closer after the team flip-flopped between him and not-so-fan-favourite Jeff Hoffman. Since joining the Blue Jays in 2025, Varland has shown why he was the team’s real closer all along, shutting down tight games for a team that lacked security with Hoffman on the mound. His inhuman 1.32 ERA speaks for itself, but when he’s in a ninth inning save situation, it’s all but over for the opposing team. Although most fans are happy the Jays have a reliable closer, Varland has gone above and beyond, evolving into arguably the best closer in baseball right in front of our eyes.
This list could solely feature pitchers; however, the last few arms that deserve a mention are Tyler Rogers, Mason Fluharty, Spencer Miles and José Soriano. All four have checked every box for a great pitcher, including reliability and health. Rogers arrived this year as a trustworthy leverage guy with a funky release that can throw off any batter in the order and get the team a much-needed double play.
There’s a reason why his name isn’t mentioned much in the media; he’s a regular-looking guy who gets the job done with almost no emotions. He’s given up just one home run this year and finishes his innings so efficiently that nobody ever has anything bad to say about him. Luckily for the team, they have him under contract for two more years, and as a guy who doesn’t throw very hard, the 35-year-old looks to have a lot of gas left in his tank.
Both Fluharty and Miles are two relievers the Jays relied on heavily this season, as the two youngsters flourished in their ever-changing roles. Fluharty has been called endlessly this year, leading baseball in pitcher appearances; he always finds a way to get the job done no matter the situation. The rookie, Miles, came in as an unknown prospect with zero expectations and turned heads as he appeared more frequently as the season progressed. Miles holds a sub-three ERA, while Fluharty’s 3.36 ERA makes his appearances-to-earned-runs ratio extremely impressive.
Finally, Soriano arrived in a blockbuster trade midway through the year, joining a skeleton rotation that needed a reliable arm that could stay healthy. He’s been just that, playing Robin to Cease’s Batman as the two remain the only healthy starters alongside the shell of Max Scherzer. While his start to the season with the Los Angeles Angels may outshine his time with the Jays so far, he’s still been a pleasure on this team and someone the team can trust whenever it’s his start.
Let’s move on to some position players and highlight a couple of guys who’ve given this hopeless offence some life at times.
Kazuma Okamoto signed with the Blue Jays for four years and $60 million ahead of the season, hoping the Japanese star could add power and depth down the lineup. His rookie campaign has been one of the most interesting in recent team history, to say the least. It’s become apparent that he isn’t going to be hitting a high average, maybe not even a league average; however, what has pleased the franchise the most has been the raw power. He may not be a traditional rookie, but the 30-year-old came overseas after playing in Japan, where the pitching style is drastically different and he absolutely mashed.
As of Sept. 24, he leads the team in home runs with 33, more than doubling George Springer, second on the team. He’s also posted outstanding feats, including setting numerous rookie records like most home runs for a Blue Jays and Japanese player, as well as most RBIs as a first-year player.
While a large portion of the season his at-bats featured a ton of swing-and-miss, he’s more than made up for it in the clutch and with the long ball. Given the language barrier he’s facing and the adjustment to a whole new style of game, Okamoto has exceeded expectations in his first year in the big leagues.
The other bat that deserves to be mentioned is Alejandro Kirk. The Blue Jays backstop spent most of the early and middle portions of the season on the IL with a thumb injury, allowing backup Brandon Valenzuela to enjoy a decent rookie season behind the plate. However, when his play cooled off and Kirk returned, the team’s whole dynamic shifted completely.
Kirk provided immediate impact in the middle of the lineup, regaining his clutch gene from past seasons and the sneaky pop Jays fans are used to seeing. It’s his ability to drive in runs that has been the biggest blessing for a team that has struggled on that front all summer. His defence may not be on par with what it was even a season ago, but his eye at and behind the plate is still top-notch, bar none.
Letdowns
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is by far one of the most beloved Toronto Blue Jays of all time. He is the definition of homegrown talent, with a legendary postseason run in 2025. It just so happens that he’s having the worst season of his career after signing a $500 million deal.
Yes, this season has been abysmal for Vladdy; there’s no denying it, but the man led the team to the World Series and put together one of the best playoff runs in baseball history.
This season for Guerrero should be viewed as a wash. He recently got the monkey off his back, hitting his first regular-season home run at the Rogers Centre in over a calendar year; that should tell you how putrid he’s been. It’s been ground balls and double plays galore, along with at-bats that just aren’t competitive. Whether he’s dealing with an underlying injury or, more likely, a mental block, he will be better off taking a break and coming back stronger next year.
I don’t want to rip on Vladdy too much. He’s been the face of this team for years now and has done nothing but show love and represent this franchise and the country. His name is on the letdowns simply because of the expectations coming into this year and how he’s managed such an awful year at the plate.
If this season is a one-off and he turns it around in the coming years, then this can all be swept under the rug. If he plays out his remaining contract at this level, then that’s when the discourse around his name will start to get dicey in Toronto.
Finally, Ernie Clement must be mentioned when talking about players who just haven’t put it together this season. His decline has been ongoing since the start of the season, and he hasn’t been able to show consistency at the plate or on the infield.
It’s shocking that Clement was so good defensively last year, ranking among the league’s best second basemen, and now ranks among the worst. In recent months, his bat has gotten so cold that he’s now constantly batting at the bottom of a depleted lineup. His patented swing-at-everything playstyle works like a charm when the ball is actually hit in play and through holes, but when it just gets popped up or shot to an infielder, it doesn’t look great.
It’s never too late for a player of Clement’s talent to turn things around in the blink of an eye; however, it’s almost the end of the season, and if he wants to, it has to happen in this final upcoming series.