Getty
Blue Jays sign former Red Sox pitcher.
The Toronto Blue Jays and the rest of baseball have begun spring training as the 2026 MLB regular season continues to draw closer.
With just about a month remaining until the games matter, the Blue Jays are viewed by many as one of the top World Series contenders in the American League. After making a run to the Fall Classic last season, the team went through an aggressive offseason.
While Toronto wasn’t able to sign its top free agency target in outfielder Kyle Tucker, the front office did make multiple impact moves.
Dylan Cease was signed to a blockbuster contract to kick off free agency. The Blue Jays also added Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto. Tyler Rogers and Cody Ponce were also added to improve the pitching staff.
Even though most are viewing Toronto as a championship contender, one analyst has slapped the Blue Jays with a brutal prediction about the 2026 campaign.
Toronto Blue Jays Predicted to Take a Big Step Back in 2026
The Big Lead’s Ray Kuhn has named the Blue Jays as one of the teams who will be “surprisingly bad” this season.
“Overall, the Blue Jays are still a good team, but there are some concerns,” Kuhn wrote. “That’s especially true on the offensive side of the ball. Playing in the American League East doesn’t help, and I can see them finishing anywhere between first and fifth.”
Finishing anywhere between first and fifth in the American League East isn’t a very bold prediction. In fact, there is no way they could finish anywhere else.
That being said, Toronto is a team worth keeping a close eye on as the season gets underway. There are concerns and questions that the Blue Jays will need to answer early on.
Despite the concerns, Toronto still has the necessary talent to win a championship if each player plays to their full potential.
Blue Jays Have Received Strong Praise As Well
Backing up the ominous outlook for the Blue Jays, they have received some strong praise for the offseason they put together as well.
The Athletic’s Jim Bowden has predicted that Toronto will end up winning the American League East division once again in 2026. He also gave the Blue Jays an “A” grade for the moves they made during the offseason.
Bowden did pose three questions that Toronto will need to answer in order to be a true World Series contender.
“Can Kazuma Okamoto be at least an adequate defender at third base and how will his offense translate to MLB? Can Anthony Santander bounce back after a brutal first season in Toronto? How much will they miss Bo Bichette?”
Only time will tell whether or not the Blue Jays have what it takes to be the same kind of team they were in 2025. There are many reasons to believe that they could win a championship, but there are questions and issues that could stop them from reaching that goal.
Evan Massey Evan Massey is a sports reporter and analyst located in Indianapolis, Indiana who covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, and college sports. He has been featured on many publications, including Newsweek, Athlon Sports, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Sporting News, and many others. In his free time, Evan enjoys spending time with his wife and son. More about Evan Massey
More Heavy on Blue Jays
Loading more stories