Things have changed in Toronto.
Coming off a magical-yet-heartbreaking run to Game 7 of the World Series, where they fell just short of their third title in franchise history, the 2026 Blue Jays are in the basement of the AL East and are nine games under .500 entering play on Friday.
It’s clear that the spark from last season has died down in the wake of this season’s struggles, and one significant aspect of last year’s deep run has shrunk.
“We’re just not nearly as close-knit of a group as we were last year,” Jays veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman said on the Toronto Star’s baseball podcast, “Deep Left Field.”
“Every single person here is frustrated, annoyed, mad, but it is what it is,” he continued. “This is the group we’ve got. I still believe in every single guy in that room, and in the staff that’s leading them.”
Now, Toronto might be poised to sell before Monday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, and Gausman, who’s 35 and a free agent after this season, would be a valuable trade asset should the Jays choose that route.
There’s a bunch of baseball explanations of why the Jays are suffering this way. Injuries have put George Springer, Alejandro Kirk and Addison Barger on the shelf for long periods.
The rotation has struggled with a lack of contributions from Cody Ponce, Jose Berrios, Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Daulton Varsho have struggled at the plate, with Guerrero yet to hit a home run at Rogers Centre this year.
It didn’t help that the team lost veterans Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt to free agency over the offseason, meaning the Jays wouldn’t fully run it back with one of their best teams in franchise history.
“[Bassitt] and Bo [Bichette] are two guys who had been around,” Ernie Clement said. “They knew how to win. Any clubhouse wants guys like that and misses guys like that.”
Clement wouldn’t admit the Jays aren’t as close as last year, but he acknowledged a different feeling in the clubhouse amongst the team’s woes.
“It’s just a different team, it’s just a different group,” he explained. “I don’t know if we’re not as close, but it’s just different. I don’t really know how to explain it.”
