Five Gold Glove finalists prove Blue Jays’ defence wasn’t the problem in 2026

The Toronto Blue Jays had no shortage of problems during a disappointing 2026 season, but their defence was not one of them.

Toronto paced the American League and tied with the Chicago Cubs for the MLB lead with five Gold Glove Award finalists. The nominees were announced Wednesday evening (Oct. 14) with José Soriano, Brandon Valenzuela, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Andrés Giménez and Nathan Lukes each with a chance to take home some hardware when the winners are revealed on Sunday, Nov. 1.

The recognition offers a welcome bright spot after the Blue Jays finished below .500. It also reinforces that the organization’s emphasis on run prevention wasn't misguided. Although it was clear that their strong glove work was not enough to overcome their shortcoming's on offence, it's still a nice part of this team's identity that they can build on, ahead of next season.

Andrés Giménez made a seamless move to shortstop

Giménez may have the strongest case of Toronto’s five finalists. After winning three consecutive Gold Gloves at second base from 2022 to 2024, he moved to shortstop in 2026 and immediately established himself as one of the league’s best defenders at the position.

His 19 Outs Above Average tied St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn for second at the position. Giménez faces stiff competition from two-time defending winner Bobby Witt Jr., but becoming a finalist at a new position validates the Blue Jays' decision to move him across the infield.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s defense was off the charts, unlike his hitting

Guerrero’s difficult season at the plate will drive much of the offseason discussion, but his work at first base provided an encouraging counterpoint. Once viewed as a below-average defender, the Blue Jays star carried the improvement he showed during the 2025 playoffs into the best defensive season of his career.

Guerrero is now in contention for his second Gold Glove after taking home the same prize in 2022. Christian Walker’s track record and Vinnie Pasquantino’s rebound make it a competitive field, but Guerrero’s nomination is another sign that his defensive development has come a long way.

Brandon Valenzuela strengthened an already deep catching tandem

Valenzuela needed only 91 games as a rookie to earn his place among the league’s top defensive catchers. He finished in the top five at the position in both Fielding Run Value and FanGraphs Defensive Rating, contributing behind the plate with his framing and his ability to control the running game.

His emergence, alongside Alejandro Kirk, solidified the Blue Jays' backstop as one of the strongest defensive catching tandems in baseball. Valenzuela will have to beat out reigning winner Dillon Dingler and New York Yankees catcher Austin Wells. Just reaching finalist status this quickly gives the Blue Jays another young player who could become a part of their long-term core.

Nathan Lukes turned his arm into an elite weapon

Lukes may be the least known player in this group to people outside of Toronto. But Blue Jays fans likely aren't surprised by this nomination. He finished with at least 10 outfield assists and, according to Statcast, he had the most valuable outfield arm in the American League.

There is some stiff competition in right field this year though. Boston Red Sox outfielder Wilyer Abreu led the majors with 28 Defensive Runs Saved, while Houston Astros youngster Cam Smith is getting nominated for the third time in three years. Still, the recognition validates the value Lukes provided in a role that originally belonged to Addison Barger, but became Lukes' once Barger was shelved for the season.

José Soriano gave an injury-ravaged staff another positive

Soriano rounds out the Blue Jays' five finalists. He came to Toronto after a trade deadline deal with the LA Angels and he could be in line to win his first career Gold Glove. Although, none of the three AL pitching finalists has won the award before.

He's going up against Cleveland Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee who leads the group with six Outs Above Average and five Defensive Runs Saved. Jacob DeGrom posted two Devensive Runs Save for the Rangers.

Soriano will look to be the first Blue Jays' pitcher to win the award since José Berríos captured the trophy in 2023.

Blue Jays' defence continues to give the front office something to build around

Five Gold Glove finalists will not make up for what was an extremely disappointing season. It also doesn't mean the Blue Jays have solved their problems that kept them below .500 for most of the year. Strong defence only gets you so far and they'll need to do a more efficient job of combining that defence with better ways to manufacture more runs.

What the nominations do show is that Toronto retained a legitimate foundational strength. The Blue Jays were capable of preventing runs and they kept a lot of games close throughout the year. But the with the offense dragging behind that defense felt like the only thing that was keeping them afloat.

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