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In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays came close to winning the World Series. The club was ahead in the ninth inning of Game 7, but Miguel Rojas forced extra innings.
Will Smith (along with Yoshinobu Yamamoto) then secured the victory for the Dodgers.
It was obviously a blow to Toronto, but it clearly showed that the club was not far from being the best team in MLB in 2025. And looking ahead to the 2026 season, Toronto (which lost Bo Bichette) added Dylan Cease, Tyler Rogers, Kazuma Okamoto, and Cody Ponce.
So, naturally, it makes sense to see them as a team that could once again be in contention for the top honors this season… but Fangraphs clearly doesn't share that view: the Blue Jays are only ranked eighth among the teams most likely to win the next World Series.
Unsurprisingly, the Dodgers are (by far) the favorites.
Fangraphs pre-season World Series odds:
1. Dodgers 27.4%
2. Braves 10.7%
3. Mariners 7.7%
4. Mets 7.4%
5. Tigers 6.3%
6. Yankees 5.8%
7. Phillies 4.6%
8. Blue Jays 4.4%
9. Red Sox 4.1%
10. Cubs 3.8%Anyone stand out to you?
— MLB Deadline News (@MLBDeadlineNews) February 7, 2026
It's interesting to note that the Blue Jays, who are the reigning American League champions, are behind three teams in their league: the Mariners (whom the Jays beat last year), the Tigers (whose offensive problems will not be solved by the arrival of Framber Valdez), and the Yankees (whom the Jays also beat and who have exactly the same team as in 2025).
At Fangraphs, they seem to believe that the Blue Jays played above their heads last year.
It's also worth noting that the Braves are ranked second among MLB favorites, as they have a great team when health issues don't get in the way. And in fourth place are Bo Bichette's Mets… who haven't really improved after missing the playoffs last year.
Bichette, Freddy Peralta, and Luis Robert are great additions… but Pete Alonso is now in Baltimore.
So it's quite unusual to see the Blue Jays ranked only eighth. There is a possibility of regression, but one wonders if Fangraphs isn't overestimating it a bit.
We'll find out in the coming months.
This content was created with the help of AI.
