Just like the Maple Leafs’ Matthews-Marner era, Blue Jays waste Vladdy-Bo opportunity

Toronto sports fans must feel like they are living in some twilight zone. Given all the postseason failures of the Toronto Maple Leafs over the past decade, the Toronto Blue Jays' run to Game 7 of the World Series was something the whole city and country rallied behind. However, after losing to an unfortunate series of events in the seventh game, the Toronto playoff curse lived on.

Over the past 12 months, the curse carried over from the arena to the boardroom. First, the Maple Leafs entered last offseason after losing their homegrown star, Mitch Marner, to the Vegas Golden Knights. Brad Treliving attempted to fill those gaps with more depth, which is the job Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro face with the news that Bo Bichette has signed with the New York Mets.

It's a cruel and ironic twist that these outcomes occurred over the span of seven months. The Auston Matthews-Marner era for the Maple Leafs coincided with the Vladimir Guerrero Jr.- Bichette era for the Blue Jays. The hope was that the young superstars would dominate their respective sports and lead the city to the pinnacle of the sports world.

The results over the past decade were just one major sports championship, and it came from Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. Add in a Toronto FC MLS Cup in 2017 and Toronto Argonauts Grey Cups in 2017, 2022, and 2024 if you really want to feel better about life as a sports fan in the city. However, it's clear that a World Series and a Stanley Cup are what fans are really chasing.

Just like the Leafs' Matthews-Marner era, Blue Jays waste Vladdy-Bo opportunity

There are some differences in the endings of both eras. The Maple Leafs have questions about whether they can compete without Marner's offensive talent. The 2025-26 season started poorly, but they are playing a different brand of hockey now that the new players have seemed to settle in. There's a chance this new outlook could lead to more playoff success, but if it doesn't, things could get ugly in the NHL's biggest market.

The Marner fallout will come to a climax on Friday when the Ontario-born star returns to Toronto for his first game in a Vegas Golden Knights uniform. The reception likely won't be warm, which will further explain why he chose to flee the only home he has ever known for more anonymity and a laid-back lifestyle in Nevada.

The Bichette situation is different. The Blue Jays showed they could go on a postseason run without their longtime shortstop, advancing to the World Series while he was out with an injury last fall. Toronto missed out on Kyle Tucker and Bichette in free agency, but they plugged some other holes and are still one of the favorites behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Bichette chose to take a lucrative deal to change positions and take on even more pressure with the Mets. While Toronto is a big market in MLB, the fans had embraced Bo for what he was. New York fans can be harsh at times, and they'll turn on him quickly if the hitting doesn't catch fire and he starts spiking balls in the dirt on his throws from third base.

While some things are different, more things are the same. The predicted golden era of Toronto sports in the MLB and NHL ended with zero championships, and stars Vladdy and Matthews are left to navigate life without their longtime partners. While more positive people will look back on Bo Bichette and Mitch Marner with fondness, the majority will see them as two failed eras with nothing more to show than individual accolades.