How the Blue Jays have quietly become a World Series contender

To call the Toronto Blue Jays' 2024 season a disappointment would be an understatement. They finished last in the AL East with a 74-88 record. The season ended with a sweep by the Miami Marlins and there were plenty of questions about the direction of the team.

In 2025, the Blue Jays achieved something only 13 other teams have done in MLB history: they jumped from last in the division to first the next season. The Blue Jays finished the regular season with a 94-68 record to win their first division title in a decade. On Saturday, the Blue Jays opened their first ALDS playoff series since 2016 at home. But how did they get there?

How the Blue Jays have quietly become a World Series contender

The Blue Jays didn't make many significant roster changes between the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Toronto missed out on big-name free agents such as Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki. The Blue Jays did sign free agents Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer. However, each of these signings struggled at various points throughout the season.

Santander only played 54 games due to a left shoulder injury. When he was in the lineup, he batted .175 with 6 home runs over 16 hits. Hoffman was second in MLB among relief pitchers in home runs given up with 15. Scherzer's ERA of 5.19 was the second-highest among the Blue Jays' starting pitchers, only ahead of Bowden Francis, who hasn't pitched since June 14th due to injury.

The 2024 season was a disappointing one for players such as Bo Bichette, Alejandro Kirk, and George Springer. Bichette only played 81 games due to injury, and while in the lineup, his batting average of .255 was his lowest of his MLB career.

In 2025, however, Bichette was not just one of the best offensive players on the Blue Jays; he was one of the best in the league. Bichette's tied for second in MLB in batting average (.311) and hits (181). That's despite not playing since September 6 due to a knee injury.

In 2025, Kirk looked a lot like the All-Star from 2022 than he had in 2023 or 2024. He was rewarded for it with a second All-Star appearance. Kirk's batting average of .282 was above his career average of .268. He also set a new career-high in home runs with 15. That, of course, includes his first grand slam, which he hit on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Rays to secure the Blue Jays first division title in ten years.

Springer made a strong case for AL Comeback Player of the Year. 2024 was Springer's worst season in batting average (.220), OBP (.303), slugging (.371), and OPS (.674). In 2025, Springer had career-highs in batting average (.309) and OBP (.399). His slugging (.560) and OPS (.959) were well above his career averages (.478 and .831). Springer's 32 home runs also set a new franchise record for home runs by a Blue Jay 35 or older, beating out Joe Carter's previous record of 30.

Strong seasons from Bichette, Kirk, and Springer have helped the Blue Jays, but the overall improvement of the offence has been crucial to this season's turnaround. The Blue Jays are not a high-power team. They were tied for eleventh in home runs during the regular season with 191, well behind the league-leading New York Yankees with 274.

However, the Blue Jays had the highest batting average as a team (.251) and the highest on-base percentage (.333). The Blue Jays also had the second-highest OPS (.760) and the second-fewest strikeouts (1099).

One of the biggest improvements in 2025 for the Blue Jays was their performance with runners in scoring position. In 2024, the Blue Jays ranked 21st with runners in scoring position. In 2025, they ranked second. Toronto had the highest batting average (.292), tied for the most hits (400), the second-highest OBP (.361) and OPS (.810), and the second-most RBIs (559).

David Popkins deserves a lot of credit for the Blue Jays' offence in 2025. Popkins was with the Minnesota Twins from 2023 until October of 2024, when he joined the Blue Jays. While with the Twins, Minnesota had the seventh-highest OPS in MLB. His approach appears to have revitalized the Jays' bats.

Another big reason for the Blue Jays' turnaround in 2025 is the grittiness displayed by the team. The Blue Jays led the league in comeback wins with 49. This beat the franchise record for comeback wins from 1993 (44).

The Blue Jays also tied the Houston Astros and the Miami Marlins for the fewest blown leads with 26. The 2025 Blue Jays are a team that never gave up and never let up. Even when they lost six of seven down the stretch and were tied with the Yankees for the AL East going into the final weekend of the regular season, the Blue Jays didn't let themselves get too down. Instead, they won four straight to win their first division title since 2015.