Five Things To Watch for Over the Final Week of the Blue Jays’ Regular Season

The lights are a little brighter, the stakes are a little higher, and the intensity is at a new high. That is what the Blue Jays will look forward to this October, as they have officially punched their ticket into the postseason with an 8-5 win against the Royals on Sunday afternoon.

Postseason baseball isn’t new for the team, as this will be the fourth time in the past six seasons the Blue Jays will be playing in October. But, as all of us know, the Blue Jays haven’t had much success in the playoffs recently, having been swept in the Wild Card round in each of their three previous trips. But things feel different this year. The Jays currently have the best record in the American League, and they've been getting contributions from unheralded sources on the roster all year. Even when they’re down, they still have confidence that they can come back and win, and they know they have enough star power to go toe to toe with all the other top teams in the sport.

Although getting through October and into the World Series is now the goal, the regular season isn’t over yet. Even though their playoff spot isn't a question anymore, the Blue Jays still have a lot to play for over the final six-game homestand of the year. Here are five things to pay attention to between now and the end of the regular season.

1) The Blue Jays Still Have To Win the AL East
Just making the playoffs isn’t enough for this team. Part of the reason why the Blue Jays haven’t had much playoff success over their last three visits is that they’ve had to play in the Wild Card round all three times. Winning the division and ultimately getting a bye right into the ALDS will allow them to avoid that headache completely.

As things stand, the Blue Jays have a two-game lead in the division against the Yankees, with six games left to play. The tiebreaker belongs to the Blue Jays. Here’s the schedule for each team over the next week:

• Blue Jays: vs. BOS (3), vs. TB (3)
• Yankees: vs. CWS (3), vs. BAL (3)

The odds still favour the Blue Jays, as FanGraphs gives them an 86.2% chance of winning the division. Even if the Blue Jays finish just 3-3 over their final six games, the Yankees would have to go 6-0 to overtake them. Four wins over these next six games guarantee the Blue Jays the division, but they can't get complacent. Getting the automatic bye into the ALDS would be a huge boost to their chances of winning the World Series, and the Blue Jays should make winning the division priority number one this final week of the season.

2) What Will the Blue Jays Do With Anthony Santander and Bo Bichette?
There is no question that if Bo Bichette is ready to go, he’ll be on the playoff roster. But whether he’s ready to go or not is still to be determined. We know that Bichette’s regular season is already over, as he’s dealing with a strained PCL in his left knee. The shortstop has been out since Sept 6, and it will be nearly a month between then and October 4, which is when the first game of the ALDS is set to begin.

Bichette has been progressing since the injury, as he’s begun some light hitting, but he still hasn’t built up to playing defence or running the bases, making it seem that if he is going to be on the playoff roster, it may have to be as a pure DH.

If Bo does have to DH, that makes things more complicated for Anthony Santander, who came to the team through free agency and was expected to be a productive middle-of-the-order bat. So far, that hasn’t been the case, as he had a .577 OPS with just six home runs before being sent to the IL at the end of May with a shoulder injury.

Santander was rehabbing with the Bisons, hitting .233/.324/.500 with two home runs over 30 ABs. Now, however, their season has come to an end, so the Blue Jays could get a good look at Santander over the last week to see if he is ready to contribute in the postseason. If Bichette has to be the DH, then that moves Springer into the outfield, and if Santander is going to be an everyday player, then he also slides into the outfield. The Blue Jays might not want to have two sup-par defensive outfielders at the same time.

The Blue Jays could also benefit from hitting Santander at the top of the order if he returns to Toronto, just to get him as many at-bats as possible over the final days of the season. That would allow him to get more looks at major league pitching and shake off the rust.

3) How Will José Berríos React to His New Bullpen Role?
José Berríos has never missed a start in his MLB career, but after what I'm sure had to be a difficult decision, the Blue Jays told Berríos that they want him to pitch out of the bullpen for the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs. Berríos himself stated that he wasn’t happy to talk about it, but he wants to put his team first.

A sudden role change can be hard for any pitcher, especially one as established as Berríos. He got into the bullpen twice this weekend in KC to warm up, though he never got into a game. The Blue Jays will get a good look to see how he fares in a relief role and if he can make the mental adjustment needed to pitch out of the bullpen and help the team in October.

4) How Do the Jays Line Up Their Other Starters?
Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber look like locks to start games in the ALDS, and they’re going to be relied on heavily in the postseason. But with Chris Bassitt’s regular season now over as he is on the 15-day IL, the Blue Jays still have to determine how the back end of their playoff rotation will look,

Max Scherzer was a favourite for most of the second half, but he’s struggled as of late. Over his last five starts, he owns a 9.45 ERA, highlighted by his appearance in Kansas City, in which he allowed seven earned runs and only recorded two outs.

The other question is with top prospect Trey Yesavage, who had an electric debut in Tampa (5.0 IP, 1 ER, 9 K) and a decent follow-up in Kansas City (4.0 IP, 4 ER, 2 K). The Blue Jays have been aggressive with Yesavage, promoting him all the way from Single A to the big leagues over the course of five months. The team will have to determine if he’ll be one of the pitchers making a start in the postseason, or if he’ll pitch out of the bullpen. His start on Friday against the Rays may have a lot to say about that.

5) Can Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Get Going Again?
The Blue Jays' offence went through a dry spell this past week, scoring two runs or fewer in five of their last seven games. Guerrero was a part of that struggle. Before hitting a double in the series finale on Sunday, he had just a .581 OPS and hadn't recorded an extra-base hit since the Blue Jays left Yankee Stadium on September 9. He doesn’t have a signature postseason moment yet, and with the Blue Jays signing him to a massive contract earlier in the season, they are surely hoping that Vlad will deliver some big moments. If he is going to have a big postseason, getting things going during this final week of the regular season may be a big reason why.