Article: To Win, Or Not To Win: The Blue Jays Have Answered The Question

[Brandon Glick]

Greatness is a curse. The New York Yankees and their fans have lived that self-fulfilling prophecy for the better part of the last 16 years, especially last October, when they saw their best chance at a World Series title since 2009 vanish thanks to the heroics of one Freddie Freeman.

Do you know what isn't a curse? Having a franchise superstar who doesn't just live up to a moment, but instead inserts himself into it and becomes the moment.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the unquestionable hero of the series for Toronto. After notching just three hits in first 22 playoff at-bats, the $500 million man hit an unfathomable .529/.550/1.059 with three home runs and nine RBIs, good for a peachy 324 wRC+. Yes, he was 224% than the average hitter as he tried his damndest on every swing to send the Yankees to Cancun early.

Of course, he wasn't alone in the effort. Ernie Clement hit .643. Daulton Varsho and Alejandro Kirk both had multi-homer games. The bullpen covered a ton of innings, especially in Game 4. The Trey Yesavage Game. It all came together in what looked easy, but was surely a Herculean effort, to remove the reigning AL pennant winners from championship contention.

It's hard to think back to the beginning of the season after 166 games with this team, but there were legitimate (and valid!) conversations concerning the failure of this era of Blue Jays baseball. Even when Guerrero signed his $500 million extension -- which was far from a guarantee before it happened -- there were questions about whether the Jays were admitting themselves to the mediocrity asylum. At the time, I wrote a piece called "The Toronto Blue Jays and the art of backing yourself into a $500 million corner." I laid out all the reasons as to why the team had to meet Guerrero's demands, but I never considered that the deal could just, you know, work out. At least not so quickly.

Remember, this was a team that hadn't won a playoff game, let alone a postseason series, since 2016. They had been swept out of the Wild Card Round in 2020, 2022, and 2023. They finished in last place in the division in 2024. After years of failing to lure in top free agent targets (Anthony Santander at $90 million was the biggest free-agent signing by the team since Kevin Gausman and George Springer in 2021), it seemed as though the Blue Jays just simply didn't have the superstar firepower to keep pace with the Yankees in the AL East.

So much for all of that. By virtue of winning the season series 8-5, the Blue Jays won the AL East with a record of 94-68 this season, and then hammered the Bronx Bombers in a gentleman's sweep in the ALDS. They are now in the ALCS for the time since 2015, with a chance to make their first World Series appearance since 1993. Their next opponent will be the Seattle Mariners or Detroit Tigers, but regardless of who wins the other ALDS's winner-take-all Game 5, the truth is the Blue Jays will be favored in the best-of-seven Championship Series, and for good reason.

This is sort of the beauty of baseball—the narrative can shift dramatically in just one year. It's hard to go from being the "most disappointing team in baseball" to the titans of the Junior Circuit in the span of 12 months, but Toronto has done it. With home field advantage awaiting them in the next round, too, the American League's most prolific home team during the regular season will have a good chance to keep the good vibes going.

There are a lot of questions about 2026, not the least of which is Bo Bichette's impending free agency. There are going to be a lot of pundits that call this team a one-hit wonder over the winter, regardless of the final outcome. There are going to be doubts that an aging team can keep pace with some youth movements taking place around the league.

But, for right now, the Blue Jays have already answered the most important question. To be the best, you have to beat the best. And, after nearly a decade away from the spotlight, these Blue Jays have proven more than capable of handling any opponent that has the misfortune of playing them.

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