The All-Star break doesn’t mark the exact halfway point of the baseball season, but it’s a good time for an evaluation and a report card on this year’s Toronto Blue Jays.
We’ll grade out each component of the team (offence, starting pitching, bullpen, management/coaching and front office) and then give an overall grade for the club.
Offence: D+
The offence has underperformed significantly, entering the second half ranked 26th in runs per game.
I’ve written and talked extensively about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and his lack of production but it is not just him. George Springer has had a big regression from last year. So too have Alejandro Kirk, Addison Barger, Daulton Varsho and Nathan Lukes.
Kazuma Okamoto has been a great addition to the lineup as his 22 homers and 62 RBI lap the rest of the team. No other Blue Jays even has double-digit home runs and he leads in RBI by more than 20.
As a team, the Jays don’t strike out much and they put the ball in play. But last season (13th) they walked much more than they have so far this season (29th). They had the best OBP as a team last year but are ranked 27th in 2026. The problem runs much deeper than just Guerrero and Springer. It is a team-wide slump and it is the main reason for the team’s mediocre first half.
Defence: C+
The Blue Jays have been one of the better defensive teams over the past few seasons. Varsho, Andres Gimenez and Ernie Clement have led the way with stellar defensive play.
The Jays were among the better defensive teams in all of baseball in 2024 and 2025, with 23 and 21 outs above average, respectively. But this season they are only three outs above average and are ranked 14th in the defensive metric. Injuries have played a part in that as they’ve had to use less experienced and defensively talented players, but even Varsho and Clement have seen their defence decline.
When the offence isn’t performing the way it should, and then the defence is allowing extra base runners and bases, it significantly narrows the pathway for winning games.
Starting pitching: D+
The Jays started 2026 with what was thought to be one of the best and deepest starting rotations in baseball. The addition of workhorse and strikeout machine Dylan Cease was lauded as one of the best moves of the off-season. Cease has not disappointed as he leads the AL in strikeouts and started the All-Star game.
But the starting staff as a whole has underperformed. The starters are 18-29 with a 4.45 ERA (21st). The 18 wins are the fewest by any staring staff in all of baseball. Of course, wins are about the team and not just the pitcher who starts the game, but it still tells a big part of the story.
Injuries have plagued the rotation. Kevin Gausman is the only starter who has taken the ball every fifth day (20 starts). Gausman’s season started well, but he is 0-5 with an ERA over 6.00 since the beginning of June. Cease (17 starts) missed a few games with a hamstring strain but has been consistently good when on the mound.
Trey Yesavage’s season (14 starts) was delayed by a right shoulder impingement, but he has been more than adequate in his return giving the Jays a chance to win in most every start, even if he has struggled with some control issues of late.
Max Scherzer has made only six starts due to back spasms but those starts were subpar, as his 10.23 ERA indicates.
Patrick Corbin (15 GS) joined the Jays in April after going unsigned in the off-season. He quickly got himself ready to pitch and had a few good starts early but recently has struggled and was moved to the bullpen with a 5.01 ERA.
Shane Bieber’s season was delayed as he dealt with right elbow inflammation that never seemed to get better, and now that he is pitching it makes me wonder whether he is heathy. He has allowed 36 base runners in 17.2 innings pitched and has gotten rocked, allowing seven home runs already.
Eric Lauer was so valuable for the Jays in 2025 when he filled in admirably for injured starters and was 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA. He got off to a bad start (1-2, 6.69 ERA) this season and was sold to the Dodgers. He is 3-0 with a 3.12 ERA in Los Angeles.
The Jays will need much more consistency from the starting pitching in the second half if they intend to make the playoffs.
Bullpen: B+
Toronto’s bullpen has been worked to the bone. They have thrown the most innings in the American League as manager John Schneider has worn a path out to the mound this season with all of the pitching changes. The Jays have made the most in-game pitching moves in baseball. There are 20 relievers in all of baseball who have pitched in 44 games or more this season. Five of them are Blue Jays.
Louis Varland (44 appearances) has been amazing since his move to the closer’s role (19 saves in 19 opportunities).
Jeff Hoffman (44 appearances) has been inconsistent. One day he looks great, and the next things can unravel.
Braydon Fisher (44 appearances) has been a pleasant surprise and has done a good job holding the leads and deficits in the middle of the game.
Tyler Rogers (45 appearances) is doing exactly what the Jays had hoped for when they signed him to the three-year deal in the off-season. He induces weak contact and has a 1.65 ERA and has not allowed a home run in 43.2 innings pitched.
Mason Fluharty has been the most worked reliever in baseball. He has appeared in 50 games, including three that he started when used as an opener. He’s a valuable lefty weapon for Schneider and can be used at any time in the game. He has held left-handed hitters to a .190 batting average.
The bullpen has done yeoman’s work for the Jays. Their 27 wins is tied for the most and their 49 decisions are the second most. But the arms have been pushed to the brink, and it is a point of concern. Considering that most of Toronto’s relievers pitched an entire extra month last season in the playoffs, and they’ve been used more frequently than any other bullpen this season, something has to give.
General manager Ross Atkins is going to need to fortify his pen at the deadline. Plus, the starting staff is going to have be better. The best way to have a good bullpen is to keep them in the bullpen. Use them when you want to, not because you have to.
Management/Coaching: B-
It is very difficult to evaluate coaches and managers when a team has so many injuries. It’s a great attribute when a team has the depth to compensate for injuries during a season, but remember that with every next man up, you will likely get less performance. There’s a reason why some players are further down the depth chart than others.
The Jays offence has taken a huge step back but I don’t put it on the coaching staff. The same group who coached a very good offence last season. This year is on the players.
Pete Walker is one of the best pitching coaches in the game. The injuries to the starters and the inconsistency of their availability makes it very difficult to work on anything. They need to get Gausman back on track after his most recent struggles, but Cease and Yesavage look like themselves. The rest of the staff will have to be pieced together as they go.
Schneider has overtaxed his bullpen but I would have done the same. He remains optimistic and positive that things will get better. The players have maintained the same demeanour, which shows he is making an impact. He has tried all the tricks to get the team turned around, despite their not getting any traction to get hot just yet. This season is a real test for him after the success and expectations created in 2025.
Front Office: B
Atkins and staff made bold moves in the off-season after a great 2025 run to Game 7 of the World Series. This was supposed to be the year they finished the job. But you are never promised next year. That’s general managers end up with white hair or bald.
The signing of Cease has been a huge success so far. Okamoto has been an excellent addition and the Jays’ biggest run producer and a more than adequate third baseman. Rogers has been one of the best relievers in the first half of the season. It’s the retuning players who have struggled and taken a step backwards with either production or health.
I’ve been impressed by how Atkins has responded when the team needed help. He added Scherzer in spring training, then signed Corbin when there were more injuries. He traded for Lenyn Sosa and Luis Urias when he had infield/utility needs. He negotiated a contract with Eloy Jimenez that had him in Buffalo instead of having an out in his contract, that made him available when the Jays needed a bat in the lineup. He traded for Simeon Woods-Richardson who had a win in three scoreless appearances.
Plus, Atkins has used his farm system freely with some young players who added something just about every time they were called up. He hasn’t found any real long-term answers yet as they haven’t been available on the market, but he has plugged the holes admirably.
Overall: C-
Starting pitching and offence are critically important to the success of any major-league team. These are the areas that were terrible for the Jays before the break.
Health is certainly an explanation for the pitching, but no one is going to feel sorry for Toronto. Thankfully, the entire American League has underperformed to this point, which has kept the Jays in the playoff picture. But they don’t feel like a playoff team right now.
It’s going to take a dramatic turnaround for more than a handful of individuals if the Jays make it to October. It can happen, but it feels unlikely at this stage. We shall see.
