5 former Blue Jays players whose playoff hopes are still alive

For the current Blue Jays team, their dream this season may be over, but for these five former players, it may have just begun.

Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three
Division Series - Los Angeles Dodgers v Arizona Diamondbacks - Game Three / Norm Hall/GettyImages
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After a strong, yet turbulent regular season in which they went 89-73, the Toronto Blue Jays unfortunately saw their 2023 MLB season end prematurely with their early exit from the postseason at the hands of the Minnesota Twins. For the bulk of the players that will be back in 2024, they will now have to wait for the next season before they can have another shot at the World Series title.

However, for a few former Blue Jays around the league, their quest for the ultimate prize may not be over just yet. Here, we take a look at five former Blue Jays that are currently still in it to potentially win it all, as four teams remain to battle it out for championship supremacy.

Miguel Castro, Arizona Diamondbacks

Many people probably have forgotten that Diamondbacks reliever Miguel Castro was once a member of the Blue Jays way back in 2015 at the commencement of their two memorable postseason runs. In 13 appearances with the big league club that season, Castro went 0-2 with a 4.38 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, with 12 strikeouts in 12.1 innings pitched. Unfortunately for Castro, he was a casualty at the trade deadline that year as he was included as part of the huge package to bring Troy Tulowitzki to town to help with their playoff aspirations down the stretch.

Since then, Castro has moved around in the league until finally finding a home with Arizona for the 2023 season. During the regular season, he was among the solid contributors in the Diamondbacks’ bullpen, as he has produced a respectable 6-6 record with seven saves and 13 holds, along with a 4.31 ERA and 1.18 WHIP, with 60 strikeouts in 64.2 innings of work. However, he has seen minimal action thus far during the Diamondbacks’ postseason run, having appeared in just three games and giving up two earned runs on one hit, three walks and one strikeout in 2.1 innings pitched.

Nevertheless, he has been a big part of their bullpen core all season, and could potentially be a surprise contributor in the upcoming days for the ballclub.