Jays Centre Year in Review: The Top Five Blue Jays Stories of 2025

2025 will go down as one of the most historic seasons in Toronto Blue Jays franchise history, from having the best record in the Grapefruit League, to signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.to the largest contract in franchise history, to making it all the way to Game 7 of the World Series. It was a season defined by milestones.

For all of us at Jays Centre, it was a milestone season for us, too. 2025 was our first year covering the Blue Jays. Over the course of the year, several articles generated clicks, started conversations, some points were debated, and shone a light on just how special some of the performances in 2025 were. Here are our top five articles from the 2025 season:

5) 2026 Toronto Blue Jays Roster Projection, v1
By Sam Charles Dec 3rd 2025

Before we look back at 2025, let's briefly jump ahead to the present and take a look at 2026. With several high-impact signings already complete (Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce added via free agency), and Shane Bieber exercising his player option to return to the team. It's a good idea to take a look at where the roster currently stands with the potential of more impact moves on the table.

The piece touches on the potential return of Bo Bichette, the rumors surrounding Kyle Tucker, and highlights the bullpen, as well as all the possible names that will likely contribute to the 2026 team at some point.

It's a must-read and serves as a great refresher as the offseason rolls on.

4) Tyler Heineman Is On His Way To Making Backup Catcher History
By Leo Morgenstern Aug 6th 2025

If projecting the future drew readers in, unexpected on-field production kept them coming back.

One of the main storylines that carried the 2025 Blue Jays was their consistent production from unexpected sources. Tyler Heineman was one of those sources several times this past season.

Heineman had always been known for his glove, but the 34-year-old found another level with his bat, and not only was it good, but it was also historic in terms of production from backup catchers.

At the time the article was written, Heineman's 2.2 fWAR was 11th all-time among catchers with less than 200 PAs, and while he finished the season at 2.1 fWAR, his pace had him projected to be the best of all time. It's not often a backup catcher makes headlines, but that's just the type of magic Heineman had in 2025.

3) Even Alex Anthopoulos Wouldn’t Have Extended Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
By Davy Andrews Mar 5th 2025

The Blue Jays eventually got a deal done with Guerrero, but there was a lot of chatter about whether it would get done. Vlad had set a deadline of the first day of camp to get an extension done, and the day came and went, and still no pen was put to paper.

Davy took a look at former Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos, who has a history of extensions for his young players in Atlanta, and thought, if he were still in charge in Toronto, would he have handled the Vladimir Guerrero Jr.situation any differently?

At the time, the piece had therapeutic qualities, trying to give fans a perspective that things would be okay if a deal didn't work out. But now that Guerrero is under contract for a decade plus, it feels especially relevant to get a glimpse at what the front office may have been thinking during that moment.

2) Could a Scott Boras Failure Result in a Blue Jays Triumph?
By Megan M Jan 30th 2025

Flash back to the 2024-25 offseason, and the Blue Jays were still looking for help on the roster. Juan Soto had just signed in Queens after being linked to the Blue Jays all winter, and the reputation that the Blue Jays finishing second on every free agent started to feel very real.

Megan speculated that a misread of Alonso’s market could be a good opportunity for the Blue Jays to strike and look to acquire the slugger on a short-term deal to help bolster the offence.

He ended up returning to the Mets in 2025, hit 38 home runs, and has since turned that into a five-year deal with Baltimore this offseason. Although it didn’t end up happening in Toronto, it's worth a read, especially as the Blue Jays and Scott Boras have a history. With some notable Boras clients still on the free agent market (Alex Bregman, Cody Bellinger), there is a chance they link up again.

1) So That’s why the Blue Jays Didn’t Extend Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
By Davy Andrews Mar 10th 2025

Sweet sweet closure.

You rarely get some direct comments from a star player about his thoughts on the team, and Vlad certainly shared his thoughts. Vlad spoke in Spanish to ESPN about what exactly went down between the two parties.

Davy does a great job of breaking down all that Vlad had to say in the two-and-a-half-minute clip, and looking back after the contract has been signed, a lot of what he says holds up.

Signing Vladimir Guerrero Jr.was one of the biggest decision points the franchise has ever made, and you can make the argument that getting the deal done is already starting to pay dividends. There is also a compelling case that, without extending Guerrero, the Blue Jays wouldn’t have made the historic World Series run they did. It's an absolute must-read, especially knowing how the Jays' season went and the impact Guerrero had on it.