State of play: Yankees ahead of Blue Jays, according to MLB

Jasons of 2026.

MLB's Twitter account had some fun doing a state of forces ahead of the 2026 season. It's called a state of forces, which was done too quickly, but that's the point of the game.

The Dodgers are at the top of the list, of course.

What we notice is that the Yankees are in second place, ahead of the Blue Jays and Mets. The Mets missed the playoffs because of their shortcomings on the mound… and until proven otherwise, they haven't signed anyone.

How will these teams look in 2026?

Check out the way-too-early Power Rankings

(MLB x Traveller Whiskey) pic.twitter.com/MRDiyOmBhw

– MLB (@MLB) November 10, 2025

But here's my problem: you're making a statement of strengths… by projecting.

Yes, obviously, the Mets are going to sign players. The Yankees will also sign players… and despite the Blue Jays' playoff run , they're more likely to sign free agents than the Blue Jays.

But if you're doing a statement of forces as of this moment, you have to take today's lineup. It's a ranking, not a projection.

The Blue Jays have spent their year giving the Yankees a run for their money every time the two teams have crossed swords, even in the playoffs. They did it without Bo Bichette in October, by the way.

It would be harder to do over 162 games, of course, but it's worth noting.

Will the George Springers and Ernie Clements of this world be as good in 2026? Probably not. But the Yankees, without Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham, don't have a big forward.

Without a guy like Juan Soto or Cody Bellinger by his side, Aaron Judge can't do it all on his own – and that's been proven in the past. As a result, the Yankees' holes are currently bigger than the Blue Jays'.

The Yankees, who will welcome back Gerrit Cole in 2026, have a better rotation than the Blue Jays right now. But in my eyes, it's not enough to change everything.

I don't think putting the New York Yankees ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays is the greatest injustice in history. But I do think that the Blue Jays, who came within inches of winning it all and will keep most of the guys in 2026, have fallen victim to a pro-Yankees bias.

But obviously, a ranking like that is worth what it's worth.

This content was created with the help of AI.