In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays got here out of nowhere and shocked the baseball world by profitable the AL East earlier than making a spirited run to the World Sequence. That was a prolonged soar from 2024 the place they totaled 74 wins and gave the impression to be a crew with no route.
Toronto was reportedly in on quite a lot of massive title free brokers however appeared to at all times come up simply brief. Moreover, it appeared like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. may be set to stroll out the door as properly in free company. A rebuild gave the impression to be extra seemingly than a World Sequence run.
Nevertheless, the Blue Jays inked Guerrero Jr. to a mega-extension and remodeled themselves into the perfect defensive crew within the league. All of the items clicked which led to them taking the two-time champion Dodgers to the brink in a basic Sport 7.
Fortunes can change rapidly in baseball and beneath are three groups that may very well be poised to make a leap once more in 2026.
The obvious candidate to be “the subsequent Blue Jays” truly comes from the identical division. Earlier than this season, the Baltimore Orioles had been seen as a crew on the rise and a perennial playoff crew. They’d made the postseason in back-to-back seasons, with most of their finest gamers nonetheless of their mid-20’s. 2025 was presupposed to be extra of the identical.
The Orioles’ younger core of place gamers led by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman was the envy of the league at one level. Nevertheless, their season went off the rails in a short time. The pitching employees was one thing that they didn’t handle within the earlier offseason and it turned out to be even worse than anticipated. Between accidents and regression to some older starters, Baltimore received off to a nightmare begin.
After beginning the season 15-28, they fired former supervisor of the yr Brandon Hyde. By season’s finish, the Orioles completed with a disappointing 75-87 report.
2025 was just about a worst case situation in the identical method 2024 was for the Jays. We talked in regards to the pitching, however the offense additionally suffered from accidents and inconsistencies. Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman all missed a number of time.
Whereas Gunnar Henderson didn’t miss many video games, he was not at his finest. He had a great season by most gamers’ requirements, with 5.3 bWAR, 17 homers and a .787 OPS. Nevertheless, it was a far cry from his 9.1 WAR, 37 homer 2024 season.
A number of younger gamers who’ve these monster years at 22 or 23 years previous have a tendency to return right down to earth a bit the subsequent yr. Nonetheless, placing up a 9-win season places him in elite firm.
The entrance workplace must also study from its errors and look to solidify the rotation with a frontline addition. With the emergence of Trevor Rogers, and the returns of Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish from harm, Baltimore’s rotation ought to be in significantly better form subsequent season.
It wasn’t that way back that the Orioles had been a crew on the rise. 2025 was a step again however the items are in place.
One other crew that may very well be 2026’s reply to the Blue Jays is the Atlanta Braves. After making the playoffs yearly from 2018 to 2024, the Braves missed out on October baseball after ending with a disappointing 76-86 report.
Just like the Orioles, the Braves handled a number of accidents in 2025. Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from his second ACL harm in late Might however the complete Opening Day rotation spent important time on the injured record. That included Spencer Strider, who returned from an inner brace process however then was sidelined once more with a hamstring concern. Austin Riley’s season led to early August and the crew’s solely notable offseason addition, Jurickson Profar was hit with an 80-game PED suspension after simply 4 video games.
Brian Snitker retired after 49 years with the Braves group and was changed by bench coach Walt Weiss. Atlanta will head into the offseason wanting so as to add pitching depth and to shake up a core that has gotten older and a bit stale since their breakthrough World Sequence win in 2021.
Since their magical 107 win season in 2021, the Giants have been the definition of mediocre. Within the 4 seasons since, San Francisco has received 81, 79, 80 and 81 video games. Speak about being in no man’s land.
The Giants received a headstart on their offseason by changing supervisor Bob Melvin with former College of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello. Vitello was one of the profitable school coaches and can also be a extremely charismatic determine. Whereas he’s unproven on the main league degree, the Giants are betting that Vitello can present a lift of vitality to the roster.
The Giants have some attention-grabbing items already in place. Mat Chapman turned in one other strong season and Willy Adames overcame a gradual begin to lead the crew in fWAR. The addition of Rafael Devers gave the crew a lefty energy bat to fit into the center of the order. Logan Webb is without doubt one of the most underrated pitchers within the Nationwide League so there are items in place to work with.
It’s straightforward to get ignored whenever you share a division with the Dodgers however a great offseason and a modern-day method by Vitello may lead the Giants again to rivalry in an enormous method.