On Wednesday, the Toronto Blue Jays dropped their series rubber match with the lowly Athletics. The club lost Monday 6-5, won Tuesday 4-2, but could not get anything going in a 2-0 loss Wednesday afternoon.
Toronto is now under .500 again, this time at a 73-74 record. They are in fourth place in the American League East and 14 ½ games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
Even with the weak record, this year’s AL standings have been quite pedestrian. That 73-74 record actually has them just one and a half games out of the final Wild Card spot, which is currently occupied by the Cleveland Guardians.
Following their series loss in Sacramento, FanGraphs has furnished updated playoff odds for the Blue Jays. As of 3:59 p.m. ET, they stand at 26.2%, with their projected finish to be roughly 81-81.
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Path to the playoffs
The club has 15 games left to work with, spread out over five three-game series’. Though none are against the Guardians, the Blue Jays do hold that tiebreaker having won five of six head-to-head games.
The opponents left for Toronto are as follows: vs. Baltimore Orioles, vs. Detroit Tigers, at Texas Rangers, at Orioles, vs Cincinnati Reds. The games against the Orioles and Rangers will be paramount seeing as they are also in the mix for that final Wild Card.
Admittedly, it will be a very tough climb for this Blue Jays squad. They are dealing with a ton of injuries as well as underperformance from some of their most important hitters like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer.
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The disappointment of this season
Aug 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer (4) sits outside the dugout during a pregame celebration before playing the Seattle Mariners at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)
Toronto looked almost unstoppable all throughout last season and into the postseason. It felt like they would either dominate an opponent and/or make a dramatic comeback when it seemed like they would be dominated.
This season, it has never felt like they were that team. Even when they have had good stretches, it never proved to lead to long-term success. There are all sorts of things to blame the failure of this season on.
The biggest factor has to be superstar first baseman Guerrero Jr. He has never had a season like this before in his career (slash line of .260/.330/.352), and probably never will again. The fanbase will have to hope he figures it out on time for 2027.
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