Will the Toronto Blue Jays be a Playoff Team Come Deadline Time?

 26-27, one game under five hundred, a position the Blue Jays have found themselves in many times. Will they continue to be a mediocre ball club? Or will they finally break through and be the team they’ve shown signs of this season?

May 20th, the Blue Jays just lost a series to the Tigers, and have to face another tough team, the San Diego Padres. The Blue Jays would make it look easy, they’d outscore the Padres 24-6, shutting them out in 2 games winning one game 14-0, and completing a series sweep. This provided a lot of hope for the season, this is the type of team the Jays can be, the starters can shut you out, the lineup is dangerous one through nine, and the bullpen will shut you down for the last three innings. This did not last long. 

May 24th, traveling to Florida with new hope to play the Rays and start a run to the playoffs, the Jays would score 2 runs all series including a 13-0 loss. All momentum gained from playing the Padres series is lost.

It’s been like this all season for the Jays, an up and down roller coaster of sticking around 500 all season, no clear direction. It doesn’t get easier for them, May 26th the Blue Jays start a 3 game set in texas against the Rangers. Who’s starting these games for the Ranger? Jacob Degrom, Nathan Eovoldi, and Tyler Mahle. All 3 of these pitchers are top 12 in the league in ERA.

The Blue Jays take Game one from the Rangers, it’s the first time in Jacob Degrom's career he hasn’t recorded a strikeout in a start. So the score was a blowout for the Jays? No, it was a tight 2-1 game. Even in their wins they haven't been able to blow out opponents, and this will ruin your season in the long run.

This stretch encapsulates the Blue Jays season in 2025.

Their run differential is -26, expected record is 24-29, two games worse than their 26-27 record. They’ve hit just 46 homers on the season in 53 games and have scored just 207 runs which is 24th in the MLB. They’ve constantly been battling to get back to 500 and haven’t gotten much further than one game over.

So, can this be a playoff team?

Yes and no. Yes this Blue Jays team is capable of going to the playoffs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr isn't fully heated up, he will start to hit more, more homers, more doubles, more everything. Anthony Santander who is a historically slow starter is starting slow, really slow, if he can get going it adds a true 40 homer hitter to this lineup. Daulton Varsho looks like he will hit at least 30 homers before the season ends and maybe win a platinum glove. Bo Bichette and George Springer have been hitting well but there’s definitely more you can get out of them, and Addison Barger is breaking out, and I haven’t even mentioned Alejandro Kirk yet.  Mix this with an elite bullpen and good rotation and it has the foundation of a playoff team.

But no this isn’t a playoff team, and it’s all because of the offense. This is an offense that will go on a hot streak for three games, average 8 runs, and for the next 5 games barely scrape across a run a game. I don’t know why this is how it is for the Blue Jays, but it is.

The only good news? The Jays have a bright future ahead of them.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr got extended, Alejandro Kirk is one of the best catchers in the sport and is under cheap club control for the next 5 years, Anthony Santander, Andrés Giménez, and hopefully Daulton Varsho long term. If the Blue Jays are out of it come deadline time they could sell off on so many pieces, recoup the farm system even more, see what they have in some young players like Jonaton Clase and Addison Barger, and free up more money from big contracts like George Springer to use on free agents.

Right now the Jays aren’t a playoff team, they can be, but right now it’s looking real smart to sell off at the deadline if you’re the Blue Jays.