Bullet point summary by AI
- The Toronto Blue Jays face a steep climb to reach the postseason after a disappointing first half of the 2026 season.
- Multiple key performers have failed to meet expectations, leaving the team near the bottom of offensive production in MLB.
- One star’s vanishing power and another arm’s late-season struggles now threaten the franchise’s playoff ambitions.
Expectations were sky-high for the Toronto Blue Jays this season after they came within two outs of winning the 2025 World Series. Unfortunately, they’ve come nowhere near meeting said expectations, and after dropping their first series after the All-Star break, they’re 4.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot in the American League. That might not seem daunting, but with a tough upcoming schedule and the fact that they’d need to jump six teams only to squeak in as the third Wild Card team in the AL, the odds are stacked against them.
Those odds are so slim that the idea of the Jays selling at the deadline is becoming very real. These players deserve most of the blame for that reality.
OF/DH George Springer
George Springer had a career renaissance in 2025, posting a .959 OPS and recording the biggest hit of their season in the ALCS. He won a Silver Slugger award and finished seventh in the AL MVP balloting. Expecting a repeat of that season at age 36 was probably too much to ask for, but Springer has gone from MVP candidate to liability at a moment’s notice.
Springer has slashed .219/.302/.381 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI. He missed time with a fractured toe, and that certainly hasn’t helped matters, but his OPS dipping by nearly 300 points is a big reason why the Jays’ offense has gone from elite to 29th in runs scored. That’s right – they’ve scored fewer runs than every team other than the Cleveland Guardians. Yikes.
RHP Kevin Gausman
Kevin Gausman has been as reliable as they come ever since signing with the Blue Jays as a free agent ahead of the 2022 campaign, but he’s been as inconsistent as ever this season. The right-hander has a 4.33 ERA in 20 starts, and he’s allowed four runs or more seven times. He did so nine times in 32 starts last season.
He’s been particularly disappointing since the start of June, posting a 6.23 ERA in eight starts. The Jays, unsurprisingly, are 1-7 in those starts. He pitched very well at the start of the season, so this isn’t all his fault, but the Jays expected more from their frontline starter, and he could very well be traded if they decide to sell.
OF Daulton Varsho
Daulton Varsho was limited to just 71 games last regular season, but he still managed to hit 20 home runs and drive in 55 runs. This season, he’s already played in 85 games, yet he’s slashed .238/.305/.385 with only seven home runs and 24 RBI. He’s been able to stay healthy, playing in more games this season than he did in 2025, yet the power production is way down.
Varsho is playing his usual high-end defense in center field, but what made the Jays lineup particularly special last season was the length of it. Everyone from top to bottom was capable of providing a big blow on any given night. Varsho struggling shortens the lineup, and the production from the entire unit proves that.
RHP Jeff Hoffman
Jeff Hoffman has followed up a wildly inconsistent and frustrating first season with the Jays with perhaps an even more wildly inconsistent and frustrating season. He pitched his way out of the closer role, and while he’s been better as a set-up man and admittedly extremely unlucky, the numbers speak for themselves. He has a 4.46 ERA in 45 appearances, he’s blown four saves and he’s taken six losses.
Hoffman ranks second on the team in losses despite being a reliever. That goes to show how many times he’s melted down in high-leverage situations. Every game counts in a tight Wild Card race, and Hoffman has let them down too many times not to find his way on this list.
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
You knew he’d be here. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the face of the franchise. Where he goes, the franchise goes. We saw that in last year’s postseason when Guerrero put the team on his back. This season, though, he’s looked anything but a $500 million superstar.
Guerrero has slashed .265/.349/.362 with six home runs and 41 RBI. Yes, Guerrero, who has hit as many as 48 home runs in a regular season before and hit eight home runs last postseason, has gone deep just six times this season, and not a single time at Rogers Centre. His power, for whatever reason, has gone completely missing. He has looked better since the All-Star break, so perhaps he’ll get going soon, but by then, it’ll probably be too little too late for Toronto.
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