Most intriguing post-season matchups for the Blue Jays if the playoffs started today

After Saturday's 14-2 beatdown of the Texas Rangers, the Toronto Blue Jays have just 38 games remaining on their schedule. They lead the AL East by a full five games, sitting at 73-51 and while anything can happen between now and September 28, Toronto looks like a team that is absolutely locked in.

FanGraphs is giving the Blue Jays a 99.6% chance of making the playoffs - which seems like fairly decent odds. If the playoffs started today, here are the matchups that would be the most interesting to watch for not just Blue Jays fans, but all MLB observers.

Match up #1: New York Yankees (65-57) currently in third Wild Card Spot

There's always plenty of intrigue when two division rivals meet up in the postseason, but the potential to have a series where Aaron Judge and Vladimir Guerrero go head to head would make for must-watch tv. There would also be a ton of call backs to Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay's comments from earlier this season describing Toronto as "not a first place team."

Max Scherzer vs Max Fried would be a tremendous game one pitching matchup, while both teams bullpens will be in the spotlight considering the front offices added big time names at the trade deadline.

Already in 2025, the Blue Jays have had the upper hand on the Yankees in head to head contests going 7-3, including a four-game sweep that gave the Blue Jays the lead in the division in early July. It's a lead they have not relinquished, while the Yankees have fallen back significantly. There's only one more regular season matchup, a three game set in New York at the beginning of September, but a playoff series could be on the horizon.

Matchup #2: Seattle Mariners (68-56) currently in second Wild Card spot

The Blue Jays and the Mariners met in the post season just three years ago and the results did not favour Toronto. It what many called one of the the biggest collapses in playoff sports, the Mariners over came a seven-run deficit to win the second game of their Wild Card series and sweep the Blue Jays in Toronto.

The top storylines in this series would be about that 2022 series and if the Blue Jays can win the rematch. There would also be intrigue around the fact that Seattle has never even been to a World Series while their expansion cousins, the Blue Jays, have won two championships. Cal Raleigh, who has a 1.016 OPS with 10 home runs in just 24 career games against Toronto, will be in the spotlight as he is close to setting a new record for home runs in a season by a catcher,

Meanwhile his teammates Eugenio Suárez and Canada's own Josh Naylor, were rumored to be trade targets of the Blue Jays near the deadline and there will be interest in which team made the right choice at the deadline, Mariners loading up on offense, or Toronto beefing up the bullpen?

Matchup #3: Boston Red Sox (68-56) currently in the first Wild Card spot

Another division rival for the Blue Jays and a team the Blue Jays have played very well against in 2025. Toronto is 7-3 against Boston, but they haven't met since a three game set at Fenway Park from June 27-29, when Toronto took two of three.

Aside from the division rival angle, there would be interest in the fact that the Blue Jays and the Red Sox have been two of the hottest teams in MLB for most of the summer. Boston is 39-24 since the beginning of June while Toronto is 43-23 over that same stretch.

As well, the Blue Jays were heavily rumored to have interest in third baseman Alex Bregman, who signed with Boston in the offseason. Meantime, Guerrero Jr. crushes the ball at Fenway, hitting .348/.424/.594 with an OPS of 1.018 in 53 career games there, with 72 hits and 11 home runs and 18 doubles in in 207 at-bats.

The pitching matchups would also be a lot of fun in this series with Garrett Corchet, Brayan Bello, Lucas Giolito and Walker Buehler on one side and Scherzer, Shane Bieber, Kevin Gausman and José Berrios on the other.

Honorable mention: Cleveland Guardians (63-58) 1.5 games out of final Wild Card spot

If the playoffs did start today, the Guardians would have missed the post-season, but the fact that they are so close, and playing good baseball lately, we shouldn't count them out just yet as they would be a highly anticipated matchup for Toronto. These two teams faced off in the 2016 ALCS, with Cleveland coming out on top, so you once again have a rematch in the waiting - albeit ten years later.

You also have two teams that have frequently made player transactions with each other over the last few years, including almost a handful within the last 12 months. It started with the Blue Jays acquiring Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin in the offseason for Spencer Horwitz (who now plays with Pittsburgh). It continued with the Blue Jays picking up Myles Straw in what was perceived to be a lateral move to make room for Roki Sasaki, but it didn't work out that way. However, that may have been for the best for the 2025 Blue Jays, as Straw has done his fair share of contributing this season.

Finally, at the deadline, the Blue Jays made a one-for-one deal sending a highly regarded pitching prospect in Khal Stephens in return for an injured, but recovering former Cy Young award winner in Bieber.

The Blue Jays and the Guardians have also played some exciting games this season, splitting the season series 3-3 with Toronto ahead 32-24 in the overall runs scored category. Clevelan also boasts some really fun players to watch in José Ramirez, Steven Kwan, Carlos Santana, Canadians Bo Naylor and Cade Smith and electric closer Emmanuel Clase. The Guardians also went all the way to the ALCS last season, so they have a ton of players who have deep post-season experience.

Not to mention the fact that the Blue Jays President, Mark Shapiro, and General Manager, Ross Atkins, were long time employees of the Guardians organization, and there may be a little extra motivation to win a series against this group.