Blue Jays face ruthless competition from this rival in AL East Division repeat bid

Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays went down to the wire with the New York Yankees to claim the AL East title. Both teams finished the season 94-68, but luckily, the tiebreaker went in the Blue Jays favor, winning their head-to-head series 8-5.

The Boston Red Sox finished five games back, so the Blue Jays had tough competition from three teams. The Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles struggled, finishing 17 and 19 games back, respectively.

In preparation for this season, the Blue Jays have reloaded in the offseason to try to repeat as AL East champions and the American League champions. They bolstered the pitching staff by adding Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, and Tyler Rogers, and Shane Bieber returns after accepting his player option. The offense failed to make as many meaningful additions after getting outbid for both Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger.

They did, however, sign Kazuma Okamoto to fill the void that Bo Bichette left after signing with the New York Mets in free agency. The AL East champs will be relying on a bounce-back season from Anthony Santander to boost their power numbers. Home runs were the only offensive weakness last season for the Blue Jays.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit 23 home runs last season, but he's a player who can easily hit more than 30. Daulton Varsho was on pace for a career year, but injuries derailed his season. These are two players who will be needed to help carry the offensive power.

Blue Jays face ruthless competition from this rival in AL East Division repeat bid

The AL East is shaping up to be the most difficult division in MLB this season. The Blue Jays will expectably battle the Yankees and Red Sox again for the division title, but MLB.com's David Adler picked the Orioles as a team trending up to make a postseason trip. They've bolstered an offense that finished tied with the Blue Jays for 11th in home runs (191) last season. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward, who both hit more than 35 home runs in 2025, were acquired this offseason.

Shane Baz was acquired in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays to improve the Orioles' starting rotation. He threw 166.1 innings last season, posted a 4.87 ERA, and struck out 176 batters. It was the first time in his four-MLB seasons that he stayed healthy and pitched a full season. He missed the 2023 season recovering from Tommy John surgery. However, in his return the following season, he threw 79.1 innings and posted a 3.06 ERA.

If the Blue Jays are to win the AL East again, it won’t be easy. They need to fend off the usual suspects: the Yankees and the Red Sox. The Orioles look to return to the postseason, and the Rays are always a wild card.

The Rays have a solid, young pitching staff and a few big bats. The team always seems to surprise people with its small-market spending. However, the Blue Jays are well equipped to repeat as AL East champions, the first time they'd do so since winning the division from 1991 to 1993.