3 key Blue Jays players for the stretch run to the playoffs

Despite some ups and downs in their performance during over the past couple of weeks, the Toronto Blue Jays are still sitting comfortably atop the American League East division with a solid 69-50 record and a full four games up on the second-place Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays will look to lock down a playoff spot and hopefully a division title in the coming weeks, but in order to do so
they will need the entire team to be performing at their very best.

Here, we will take a look at three key Blue Jays players that could play a huge role during their stretch run to the postseason.

3 key Blue Jays players for the stretch run to the playoffs

P Louis Varland

It is not very often an under the radar trade piece gets thrust into the spotlight and boasted as a key piece for the team’s success. But that has become the case for deadline acquisition Louis Varland. Ever since moving into a full-time bullpen role this year in Minnesota, Varland has gone from being a serviceable MLB pitcher to an elite reliever in just a few months’ time. 

Having put up a 2.02 ERA, 1.10 WHIP with 47 strikeouts in 49 innings with the Twins, the young 27-year-old right-hander has continued that dominance since joining the Jays. In five appearances (through Sunday), Varland has compiled a tidy 1.59 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, along with six strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings pitched. He has utilized the strikeout to get out of tense moments. 

With the likes of Jeff Hoffman, Yariel Rodríguez and Brendon Little looking shakier than ever in recent games for Toronto, don’t be surprised if Varland will be elevated into even more higher leverage situations and potentially even the closer’s role to help the Jays lock down key victories going forward.

P Kevin Gausman

After his Cy Young-finalist season in 2023, it has felt like Kevin Gausman hasn’t been his usual dominant self. Yes, he has maintained an ERA below 4.00 and still provides length in the bulk of his games. However, Gausman hasn’t produced at an 'ace-like' level for quite some time. That is, until recent weeks. 

Since the end of June, the 34-year-old veteran has posted a stellar 2.54 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, along with 51 strikeouts in 49 2/3 total innings pitched over eight starts. He has held the opposition to three earned runs or less in seven of those starts while going at least five innings in all of the games.

With Shane Bieber soon joining the rotation, the Jays will need Gausman to provide the much-needed stability to lead their rotation down the stretch. By regaining his ace-like form, he could go a long way in becoming a huge difference maker for Toronto once again.

SS Bo Bichette 

Finally, one might have been expecting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to appear here in this category. But instead, we have perhaps the Jays’ comeback player of the year in Bo Bichette. After enduring a disappointing 2024 campaign that was filled with injuries and ineffectiveness, the 27-year-old superstar has bounced back in a big way for Toronto this season. In fact, he is now looking like the Bichette of old, with his uber confidence and swagger back at the plate.

On the season, Bichette has compiled a solid .298 average, .808 OPS, with 61 runs scored, 16 home runs and a whopping 78 RBIs to lead the team in 116 total games played. More significantly, he has been one of the Jays’ hottest hitters during the past month, posting a stellar .378 mark with 22 runs scored, five home runs and 28 RBIs in his last 30 games. In doing so, Bichette has finally landed into the top 10 in the MLB Power Rankings that came out last week.

Even more scary is the fact that September has been Bichette’s best month throughout his seven-year MLB career, registering a .323 batting average and .890 OPS, 81 runs scored, 20 home runs and 77 RBIs in just 116 total games. As a result, look for the red-hot shortstop to power the Jays down the stretch and right into the playoffs.