In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays got here out of nowhere and shocked the baseball world by successful the AL East earlier than making a spirited run to the World Sequence. That was a prolonged bounce from 2024 the place they totaled 74 wins and gave the impression to be a crew with no route.
Toronto was reportedly in on a lot of massive title free brokers however appeared to all the time come up simply quick. Moreover, it appeared like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is perhaps set to stroll out the door as effectively in free company. A rebuild gave the impression to be extra doubtless than a World Sequence run.
Nevertheless, the Blue Jays inked Guerrero Jr. to a mega-extension and remodeled themselves into the most effective defensive crew within the league. All of the items clicked which led to them taking the two-time champion Dodgers to the brink in a basic Sport 7.
Fortunes can change shortly in baseball and under are three groups that could possibly be poised to make a leap once more in 2026.
The obvious candidate to be “the following Blue Jays” really comes from the identical division. Earlier than this season, the Baltimore Orioles had been seen as a crew on the rise and a perennial playoff crew. They’d made the postseason in back-to-back seasons, with most of their greatest gamers nonetheless of their mid-20’s. 2025 was speculated to be extra of the identical.
The Orioles’ younger core of place gamers led by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman was the envy of the league at one level. Nevertheless, their season went off the rails in a short time. The pitching employees was one thing that they didn’t handle within the earlier offseason and it turned out to be even worse than anticipated. Between accidents and regression to some older starters, Baltimore bought off to a nightmare begin.
After beginning the season 15-28, they fired former supervisor of the 12 months Brandon Hyde. By season’s finish, the Orioles completed with a disappointing 75-87 document.
2025 was just about a worst case situation in the identical means 2024 was for the Jays. We talked in regards to the pitching, however the offense additionally suffered from accidents and inconsistencies. Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman all missed quite a lot of time.
Whereas Gunnar Henderson didn’t miss many video games, he was not at his greatest. He had a very good season by most gamers’ requirements, with 5.3 bWAR, 17 homers and a .787 OPS. Nevertheless, it was a far cry from his 9.1 WAR, 37 homer 2024 season.
Plenty of younger gamers who’ve these monster years at 22 or 23 years outdated have a tendency to return all the way down to earth a bit the following 12 months. Nonetheless, placing up a 9-win season places him in elite firm.
The entrance workplace also needs to study from its errors and look to solidify the rotation with a frontline addition. With the emergence of Trevor Rogers, and the returns of Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish from harm, Baltimore’s rotation must be in significantly better form subsequent season.
It wasn’t that way back that the Orioles had been a crew on the rise. 2025 was a step again however the items are in place.
One other crew that could possibly be 2026’s reply to the Blue Jays is the Atlanta Braves. After making the playoffs yearly from 2018 to 2024, the Braves missed out on October baseball after ending with a disappointing 76-86 document.
Just like the Orioles, the Braves handled quite a lot of accidents in 2025. Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from his second ACL harm in late Might however the complete Opening Day rotation spent vital time on the injured record. That included Spencer Strider, who returned from an inner brace process however then was sidelined once more with a hamstring challenge. Austin Riley’s season led to early August and the crew’s solely notable offseason addition, Jurickson Profar was hit with an 80-game PED suspension after simply 4 video games.
Brian Snitker retired after 49 years with the Braves group and was changed by bench coach Walt Weiss. Atlanta will head into the offseason wanting so as to add pitching depth and to shake up a core that has gotten older and a bit stale since their breakthrough World Sequence win in 2021.
Since their magical 107 win season in 2021, the Giants have been the definition of mediocre. Within the 4 seasons since, San Francisco has received 81, 79, 80 and 81 video games. Speak about being in no man’s land.
The Giants bought a headstart on their offseason by changing supervisor Bob Melvin with former College of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello. Vitello was probably the most profitable faculty coaches and can be a extremely charismatic determine. Whereas he’s unproven on the main league stage, the Giants are betting that Vitello can present a lift of power to the roster.
The Giants have some fascinating items already in place. Mat Chapman turned in one other strong season and Willy Adames overcame a sluggish begin to lead the crew in fWAR. The addition of Rafael Devers gave the crew a lefty energy bat to fit into the center of the order. Logan Webb is without doubt one of the most underrated pitchers within the Nationwide League so there are items in place to work with.
It’s simple to get missed whenever you share a division with the Dodgers however a very good offseason and a modern-day strategy by Vitello could lead on the Giants again to competition in a giant means.
