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In 2025, the Blue Jays took an elite offense to Game 7 of the World Series. Toronto leads MLB in batting average (.265), OBP (.333) and hits (1.461), ranks third in OPS (.760) and fourth in runs scored (798).
In 2026, the Blue Jays took a step back in almost every department.
But with a fairly thin free agent class, the Blue Jays must also look inward for upgrades. There are five ways to do this.
Guerrero also posted a career-worst 90 OPS+ with just 57 RBI, a career low in a 162-game season. After averaging 31.8 homers from 2021-25, the ’22 AL MVP runner-up’s blackout was one of the best stories of the season in the league.
There were still silver linings. Guerrero posted career lows in strikeout rate (13.3%, 92nd percentile) and strikeout rate (20.1%, 76th percentile), while his average bat speed (76.3 mph, 92nd percentile) remained elite.
But if the Blue Jays are to put together a comeback campaign in 2027, they need the $500 million star to rediscover his grit.
Walk, don’t run, to the first
With an AL-best 632 walks in 2016, Toronto was mostly average in the balls department. From 2022-25, the Blue Jays ranked ninth in walks and 13th.
But in 2026, Toronto was 29th with 459 walks and a 7.6% walk rate. For context, the Cubs led the way with 674 walks and a 10.6% clip. Kazuma Okamoto’s 59 walks were the most on the team. In ’25, Guerrero led the way with 81.
As a team, the Blue Jays posted a 32.9% swing rate out of the zone, the highest in the AL. Turn some of those bad swing decisions into walks and you may find yourself winning more runs and more games.
Fewer punches than Okamoto
But in one major way, Okamoto’s first season in the MLB was a big step back from his Japanese career: strikeouts.
Okamoto had 183 hits in 2026, 10th most in MLB and 88 more than any other Blue Jay. His 28.8% strikeout rate was in the ninth percentile, and his 32.8% walk rate was in the seventh percentile.
The good news is that this hasn’t always been a problem for Okamoto. His NPB career high was 132 in 2019, and he’s averaged close to 100 in recent years. As he continues to adjust to big league games, cutting down on strikeouts will be key.
More production than catchers
One of the biggest areas of regression for the Blue Jays from 2025 to 2026 came from their backstops.
In 2025, Blue Jays catchers hit .278, second in MLB, with a .767 OPS (T-5th), 161 hits (2nd) and fewest strikeouts (85). In 2026, they hit .238 (13th) with a .674 OPS (21st) and 134 hits (12th).
Alejandro Kirk hit .278/.351/.415 in 2026, very much on par with his two All-Star campaigns in ’25 and ’22. The big difference came with his catching partner.
Tyler Heineman hit a career-best 64 games with Toronto in 2025, but after hitting just .154 over 33 games in 2026, the Blue Jays designated him for assignment and dealt him to the Angels.
Brandon Valenzuela, whom Toronto acquired from San Diego at the ’25 Trade Deadline, debuted in April and played in 91 games, 12 more than Kirk. Valenzuela struggled mightily in the second half, posting a .182 batting average.
Capitalize with runs
If the Blue Jays walk more, Okamoto strikes out less and catchers get hit more, they should all still be driven in.
In 2025, Toronto hit an MLB-best .292 with runners in runs scored, with a .361 OBP (2nd), .449 SLG (3rd), .810 OPS (2nd) and an AL-leading 559 RBI.
In 2026, the team hit .243 (23rd) with a .311 OBP (29th), .377 SLG (28th), .688 OPS (28th) and 447 RBI (28th).
It’s a trend the Blue Jays will be looking to reverse in a big way heading into next season.