Ranking the 10 best Blue Jays teams by regular season record

The Toronto Blue Jays franchise has played 47 seasons in Major League Baseball. There have been some unforgettable highs and easily forgettable lows along the way. The 2024 season will rank as one of the more forgettable campaigns despite the frustratingly wasted opportunity the season represented.

The 2024 Blue Jays and their 74-88 record aren't going to rank among anyone's favorite Blue Jays teams and will eventually end up as just another lost season logged in the annals of the franchise. It will be a fleeting memory for most fans. Some may have already wiped this summer of Jays baseball from their memory banks for good, especially with so many other successful seasons to look back on fondly.

Ranking the 10 best Blue Jays teams by regular season record

Speaking of which, what about past Blue Jays teams that gave the fans something to root for all season long and down the stretch, with meaningful games in September and into October? There have been some impressive teams to have suited up in Toronto over the years. Here are the top 10.

10. 2016: 89-73 (.549), 2nd AL East

There's actually a tie among five Blue Jays teams with an 89-73 record, so we have to choose two to fill out the last two spots on this list.

We're giving one of those spots to the 2016 Blue Jays, although the 2023, 1989, 1984 and 1983 teams also had the same record (the 1984 Jays also had one eight-inning tie with 163 games played). We'll skip the 2023 squad because we don't want to think about what happened in the Wild Card Series. The 1983 and 1984 teams didn't make playoffs, but the 1989 team did, so we'll get to them shortly.

The 2016 Blue Jays were something to behold. A brash, veteran squad made up of players who didn't take flack from anyone continued the rekindling of Toronto's and Canada's love for Blue Jays baseball that took off in 2015. With players like Edwin Encarnación, José Bautista, Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki and Russell Martin — the lineup was stacked with big names. On the mound, Aaron Sanchez went 15-2, J.A. Happ went 20-4, and Roberto Osuna locked down 36 saves.

They finished second in the AL East, tied with the Baltimore Orioles, which led to one of the most epic Wild Card playoff game finishes you'll see, courtesy of Encarnación's heroics. Unfortunately, their season ended in the ALCS with a quick 4-1 series loss to Cleveland.

9. 1989: 89-73 (.549), 1st AL East

Back when there were still seven teams in the AL East, and the Wild Card wasn't even a thought, the 1989 Blue Jays won the division by two games over the Orioles. This club boasted one of the top offenses in the American League, and the pitching staff wasn't too shabby either.

While the 1989 team made the playoffs with names like George Bell, Fred McGriff and Kelly Gruber leading the way at the plate, it also featured some younger players who went on to play for the powerhouse teams of the early 1990s. One of the most important franchise-altering decisions also occurred this season. Hitting coach Cito Gaston was picked to replace fired manager Jimy Williams after a shocking 12-24 start to the season. Gaston took the club on a 77-49 run the rest of the way.

In just the franchise's second trip to the playoffs, they ran into the powerhouse Oakland Athletics. The A's handled the Jays in the ALCS, 4-1, before cruising to the World Series title.