3 Things the Toronto Blue Jays Must Improve for the 2027 Season
The Toronto Blue Jays shockingly did not make the postseason after the team’s World Series appearance in 2025 against the Los Angeles Dodgers, which they lost in seven games. Here is an examination of why the Blue Jays missed the playoffs in 2026 and how the team can possibly return to the postseason for the upcoming 2027 season.
1. Blue Jays Must Add Depth to Rotation
Toronto’s upper-to-middle rotation fell apart during the season due to injuries and inconsistencies, however, bad play really caught up to this starting rotation to have a bad overall season that contributed to no playoffs. Multiple arm injuries to right-hander Max Scherzer were very noticeable in the starting rotation in the early part of the season.
Not only that, losing another key rotation arm in right-hander Trey Yesavage due to a knee injury in August was a big deal. It ended up putting a hole in the middle of the Blue Jays’ rotation as they had no depth to help. So a starting pitcher or two could be very helpful to this pitching rotation, especially in the middle of the rotation.
The pitching performance wasn’t horrible by any means, ranking 10th in the league, but an injury or two really put a dent in the rotation that did not have enough depth. There are some potential answers for the rotation this offseason, though.
Tarik Skubal
Tarik Skubal could be an option for the Blue Jays, especially since he could take this rotation over the top for the 2027 season. Skubal had a 2.72 ERA with 186 strikeouts in 2026. Skubal would be a perfect addition to Toronto’s pitching rotation.
Sonny Gray
Sonny Gray was near retirement but ended up staying in the league, so as of now, he is a free agent and would help this rotation out a whole lot. In 2026, Gray had a 2.72 ERA and 149 strikeouts.
- Oct 11, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) reacts during the fifth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in game one of the NLCS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
2. Blue Jays Must Improve the Lineup
Toronto’s offense was last in runs scored and home runs for overall offense in Major League Baseball. The team needs some upgrades to the lineup overall, after making an appearance in the World Series in 2025. Starting with upgrading the offense would be an ideal starting point.
Here are some of the offensive numbers from the 2026 season and why that doomed the Blue Jays’ season. But there are also answers on how the Blue Jays can get better from an offensive standpoint.
2026 Offensive Numbers
The Blue Jays’ offensive numbers this season were not all that great. For the 2026 season, the team’s batting average was .247, just above the league average. Then, for home runs, the Blue Jays had 156 for the season. The team’s on-base percentage was at .310. These numbers were a big reason why the offense was not very good.
Getting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Hitting Again
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. this year had a tough season in terms of hitting and actually had a dip in numbers. In 2026, his batting average was .260, and he only hit nine home runs. This came after having a .290 batting average with 23 home runs in 2025. It appears the low home run numbers have contributed to the lack of offense the Blue Jays had during the 2026 season. His number of runs batted in was low as well, at 57. Those numbers did impact the team overall.
Lost Bichette and Varsho Consistency
The Blue Jays struggled to get on base for the most part, which contributed to being a last-place offense. Losing Bo Bichette in the offseason had a significant impact on the offense. The Blue Jays did surely miss his bat in the lineup and his ability to drive in runs. For the 2025 season, Bichette had a .311 batting average.
Just the overall consistency Toronto missed from Bichette is one of the reasons why the offense was so bad in 2026.
Later in the season, the team traded Daulton Varsho to the Houston Astros, which did affect the lineup again. This trade did not help the team much at all for the 2026 season. Varsho had a .221 batting average this season.
In-House Options
The Blue Jays could also use in-house options to improve the lineup for the upcoming 2027 season. But they could add more to the lineup and whatnot. Alejandro Kirk is a viable candidate for an in-house option to help improve this offense overall. Kirk had a .278 batting average this season, and again could really boost this offense if he can have these kinds of numbers again for the 2027 season. The offense did struggle when he was injured. Kirk went to the injury list from April 4th to June 12th.
The other option would be Ernie Clement; Clement had a .259 batting average with nine home runs.
Nathan Lukes too is a good in house- option as well to help this lineup get better overall. For the 2026 season, Luke had a .277 batting average and 10 home runs.
The Middle Part of the Lineup
The Blue Jays must improve the middle of the lineup, as it lacks pop, which contributed to a 30th-ranked lineup this past 2026 season. Some of this is also due to injuries, but mainly poor performances by certain players on this team overall.
Davis Schneider was part of the lineup struggles, as was Kazuma Okamoto. Both players had low batting averages. Schneider had a .157 batting average for the 2026 season, with only five home runs. Okamoto had a .232 batting average but actually hit 33 home runs this season.
This part of the lineup has to improve, and there are some answers to this problem as well that can help with this lineup, whether it’s again, with the team’s batting average overall and hitting performance or the middle part of the lineup.
Randy Arozarena
Certain free-agent outfielders, such as Randy Arozarena, can help with the lineup’s struggles at the plate. This year, Arozarena ended up having a .281 batting average for this season. He would upgrade this lineup immensely and add more offense.
Seiya Suzuki
Seiya Suzuki could also be an option for the lineup. Suzuki performed well with the Chicago Cubs overall this year and could help out this lineup. Suzuki had a batting average of .270 overall in 2026. Suzuki would give this lineup more thump overall and would help out the weak spots in the lineup for the 2027 season.
Steven Kwan
Steven Kwan would be another great option for this Blue Jays offense as well. Kwan had a .282 batting average this season and would boost this lineup right away with the kind of hitting he brings.
3. Solidifying Toronto’s Bullpen
The Blue Jays’ Bullpen could also use some upgrades, especially at the late-inning, high-leverage spot, as that spot was chewed up by other batters because of poor performances in late innings by Jeff Hoffman, who was traded to the Minnesota Twins. There could be some in-house options for the Blue Jays.
The bullpen ranked fourth overall in Major League Baseball. But the Blue Jays can be even better and really go back to the bullpen that got the team to the World Series. Most of this bullpen was razor-sharp throughout this season and should be similar in the upcoming 2027 season.
There were some issues getting outs with the bullpen and trying to close out games at times, but the high-leverage spot is something that needs to be addressed overall due to the fact that the spot was left vacant after the departure of Hoffman.
Filling a High-Leverage Spot that Plagued the Blue Jays
The high-leverage spot left by Hoffman was felt, however, with no real options to get consistent outs overall. Some big arms could be available again this offseason for Toronto to acquire. Free agent pitchers such as Steven Okert or Emilio Pagan could potentially help the Blue Jays’ high-leverage spot.
Again, the high-leverage part of the bullpen was the main issue for a solid bullpen this season and does need some more quality bullpen arms.
The bullpen itself was not bad by any means, but there needs to be some more depth just to not run into these similar issues from the 2026 season and not let it bleed into the 2027 season.
The Last Word
Overall, the Blue Jays must improve the roster that held the franchise back in the 2026 season, but this roster is not awful. There do, however, need to be some tweaks this offseason. Time will tell if this front office can fix most, if not all, of the issues that made the Blue Jays miss the playoffs.
Toronto will be in for an interesting offseason.
Main Image: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
