Gregor Chisholm: The Blue Jays’ report card for 2026: An A for the arms in the bullpen, an F at first base - Toronto Star

Guerrero's .688 OPS was well below the league average of .771 for first base.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who should be in his prime at 27, gave the Blue Jays below-average production at first base in 2026.

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on X: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca.

From worst to first and then back to worst again. It has been a wildly inconsistent three-year ride for the Blue Jays.

The 2026 season that began with such lofty expectations following last year’s journey to the World Series went off the rails in May, and despite its best efforts the organization failed to get it back on.

Injuries to key members of the starting rotation and an inept offence had the Jays out of contention for a division title before the all-star break. Another swoon in September cost them a shot at the final wild card spot.

Here’s a closer look at what went right and what went wrong as the Star hands out its report card.

Jays catchers finished tied for third in the majors with 4.7 wins above replacement (FanGraphs). Rookie Brandon Valenzuela was responsible for most of the production in the first half while Alejandro Kirk returned from injury in June and proceeded to hit .278 with a .767 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. The only real weakness was that the Jays allowed an MLB-high 145 stolen bases, but that was more on the pitchers than the catchers. Kirk and Valenzuela are under club control for at least another four years.

A .260 average, nine homers and 57 RBIs — those are the kinds of numbers someone might have expected Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to produce in his age-40 season. Instead it’s how the 27-year-old performed at a time when he should be in his prime. Guerrero’s biggest asset is supposed to be his bat and yet his .688 OPS wasn’t even close to the league average of .771 for first base. His season was an unmitigated disaster from start to finish and how he responds this off-season will determine whether this was a one-year blip or a sign of something much worse.

Second base received a B+ for the first-half report card as Ernie Clement became an all-star for the first time in his career. The results then nosedived as he hit .182 with seven extra-base hits over the final two months. His .442 OPS across that same span was the lowest of any qualified hitter in the majors. Clement could earn at least $7 million (U.S.) through arbitration, which makes him a potential non-tender candidate.

Andrés Giménez handled the transition to shortstop with ease. The former second baseman ranked third in the majors in outs above average and ninth in defensive runs saved. The issue is that, for $23-plus million per year, the Jays are paying him to hit too and that’s not something he is capable of doing well. Gimenez’s .628 OPS since joining the Jays in 2025 would rank second lowest in the majors if he had enough at-bats to qualify.

Kazuma Okamoto was the Jays’ best position player from start to finish and it wasn’t particularly close. The 30-year-old led Toronto with 33 homers and 92 RBIs in his rookie season. The defence, which had been a question mark entering the year, proved to be adequate enough to handle everyday duties at third. He was one of the bright spots in an otherwise dismal year.

The Jays received fewer home runs from their outfielders than any team in the majors and only two clubs drove in fewer runs. Losing Addison Barger for the year hurt. So did Daulton Varsho’s disappointing first half before he was traded to the Houston Astros. The good news is that Barger should be back in right field next season and Brett Bateman has emerged as the centre-fielder of the future. One of the top priorities for the Jays this off-season should be adding a big bat for left field.

The DH spot received a failing grade at the all-star break, but the performance was better in the second half. George Springer hit .288 with six homers and a .788 OPS while playing through injuries over his final 60 games. Even so, Toronto’s season-long .682 OPS out of the DH spot ranked 23rd in the majors.

This is the one spot on the roster where injuries can be used as an excuse. Toronto had to open the season without the services of Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and José Berríos. They also lost free-agent addition Cody Ponce to injury one start into his season. Only two rotations in the majors threw fewer innings while their 4.22 ERA ranked 14th. Without ace Dylan Cease, the numbers would have been much worse.

The bullpen ended up becoming the Jays’ biggest strength. Louis Varland was nearly flawless after taking over the closer duties from Jeff Hoffman early in the year. Tyler Rogers was as advertised in a set-up role while Mason Fluharty led the majors in appearances. Rule 5 pick Spencer Miles became the unsung hero of this group with a 2.63 ERA across a career-high 95 2/3 innings.

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Opinion articles are based on the author’s interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details

Gregor Chisholm is a Toronto-based baseball columnist for the Star. Follow him on X: @GregorChisholm or reach him via email: gchisholm@thestar.ca.