Blue Jays enter MLB all‑star break dead last in AL East with more questions than answers

Дата публикации: 13-07-2026 16:56:23

Toronto enters baseball's unofficial second half at 45-51, fifth-worst in the AL, but still within reach of a wild-card playoff spot. Read more.

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The Blue Jays enter the all-star break having lost two straight to the San Diego Padres in dropping their second series during a trip that saw the club go 4-5.

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At 45-51, the Jays are dead last in the AL East but, given the sad state of affairs in the AL, they find themselves in the hunt for a wild-card spot in a cluttered field featuring equally inferior teams.

“This is not where we want to be, obviously,” manager John Schneider said following Sunday’s gut-wrenching 5-4 loss at Petco Park. “We’ve been trending in the right direction offensively the last two weeks, minus the Seattle series (when Toronto won the series opener 2-0 and promptly dropped the next two by a combined margin of 15-0).

“We definitely have to be better in some areas, on the mound, at the plate, whatever it is. There are little things we have to be better at and we’re looking for more consistency from regular guys up and down the lineup.”

The manager’s comments pretty much sums up his club’s performance, better stated under-performance as baseball enters its annual break. When the Jays resume play Friday, several things must break their way for the club to return to the playoffs.

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The following is a look at 10 players who have come to symbolize the highs and lows of the season, which has seen the club lose six straight at home during a pitiful 3-7 homestand, a club whose longest win streak amounts to four games.

1. Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

It goes without saying that the face of the franchise has faced the most scrutiny and will need to elevate his game to last fall’s performance or this season will be rendered a complete write-off.

Six home runs at the break is not what anyone had in mind. Zero homers at home is beyond embarrassing.

The Jays have used Guerrero Jr. at leadoff, hit second and for the most part used him in his customary No. 3 hole. Talk of moving him down the order remains, but it won’t happen as long as the club continues to treat Vladdy with kid gloves.

Whether it’s mental, physical or the mere fact he has nothing to prove half-way through the first year of a 14-year deal, the Jays will not go anywhere until Vlad Jr. becomes that aircraft carrier.

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2. Dylan Cease

It hasn’t taken the right-hander long to emerge as a true staff ace, a legitimate stud whom Schneider picked to start for the American League in the all-star game.

Cease’s final appearance prior to the break saw him take a no-hit bid into the ninth inning before he yielded a leadoff single.

Once his hamstring injured was fully healed, Cease turned into one of baseball’s best starters.

He has set a high standard, one Cease must maintain for the Jays to have any chance of resurrecting their season once the all-star break ends.

3. Jeff Hoffman

Alejandro Kirk’s broken thumb on his catching hand, George Springer’s broken front foot or any of the handful injuries that have beset the Jays’ starting rotation aside, no player has reached the lowest of the lows like Hoffman — the embattled reliever who ended last fall’s run with a blown save, who ended baseball’s unofficial first half this season with a blown save Sunday.

The move to use Louis Varland as the club’s closer was a no-brainer. The next move is to use Tyler Rogers before Hoffman.

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Baseball is such a metrics-driven and matchup-dominant business that such a move probably won’t happen, but it certainly must be discussed moving forward.

4. Kazuma Okamoto

His slugging has been a major boon for the Blue Jays as the first-year MLB player leads the club in homers (22) and RBI (62).

In fact, no player other than Okamoto has reached double figures in homers.

At the same time, he has been known to chase pitches well outside the zone. The one area that needs refinement is his strikeout total. At the break, Okamoto also leads the Jays in strikeouts (118).

Daulton Varsho’s 61 Ks is second on the club.

5. Kevin Gausman

An argument can be made that the veteran right-hander isn’t the same person he used to be, but no one can question his leadership and the voice he carries.

A pending free agent, Gausman leaves everything out on the diamond. He calls it as he sees it and was quite blunt in his assessment of the club following Sunday’s start.

“Listen, it’s kind of make or break. We’ve got to start playing better,” he said.

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The problem is that those words could have been used and were in fact used following several series that got away from the club.

6. The MLB trade deadline

The annual deadline falls on the same day the Jays will be in Houston to start a three-game series as part of a stretch that sees Toronto play 17 games in 17 days for the second time this season.

A total of 16 scheduled games are on the slate for the Jays leading up to Aug. 3, arguably the biggest stretch of the season to determine whether they are sellers or buyers.

As of the all-star break, the club seems bent on being buyers. We’ll see.

7. Ernie Clement

A combination of the Jays’ reach across Canada based mainly on last year’s run and a very limited depth of field at second base made Clement the runaway winner in voting to start in baseball’s mid-summer classic.

His strike zone is reminiscent of Guerrero Jr.’s hall of fame dad, Clement’s ball-to-bat skills second to none among active players.

Clement’s defence needs to be much cleaner, but it’s hard to find fault with someone who never wants a day off and who always summons his best, even on off nights.

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8. Louis Varland

Among the handful of players having solid seasons includes Varland in a group consisting of Cease, Okamoto and Clement, which pretty much tells you all that needs to be known about the Jays at the all-star break and why the club sits six games under .500.

Even when he makes things interesting in the ninth, Varland finds a way out. On occasion, the Jays have asked Varland to extend himself by entering games in the eighth inning.

9. Spencer Miles

The unsung hero was a Rule 5 Draft acquisition and the club has been known to sing the praises of the right-handed reliever/bulk guy who seems destined to be a starter at some point.

10. Starting rotation

What was once viewed as a major strength has suddenly turned into a concern.

Read More

1. 

   Blue Jays edged by San Diego Padres, enter all-star break on losing note

2. 

   John Gibbons and Josh Donaldson on infamous Blue Jays dugout clash: ‘I can't let this happen’

Shane Bieber is coming off one of his best starts, but he needs to pick it up.

Trey Yesavage is coming off a career-matching seven walks in his last start.

The one reliable arm is Cease followed by Gausman, who could easily be traded if things do not improve.

Max Scherzer can’t be relied upon given his injury history.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com

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