Toronto Blue Jays - The Covid-19 Years (2020-2029)
 
   
 
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        Yr P W L   Yr P W L   Yr P W L               Decade  
        2020 3 32 28   2023 3 89 73                         Click  
        2021 4 91 71   2024 5 74 88                         on Logo  
        2022 2 92 70   2025 1 94 68                            
                                                     
                                                       
                                                             
   
  Titles: Top Blue Jays Players of the Twenty Twenties  
  2020 -WC Lost to Tampa Bay  
  2022 - WC Lost to Seattle Pitchers:  
  2023 - WC Lost to Minnesota Kevin Gausman (11.15) -  31  
  2025 - Won ALDS (Yankees), Won ALCS (Seattle), Lost WS (Dodgers) Jose Berrios (6.81) -  29  
    Chris Bassitt (4.5) -  26  
  Ballpark: Jordan Romano (8.45) -   26  
  SkyDome Alek Manoah (7.81) -  16  
    Hyun-Jin Ryu (4.61) -    15  
  Team Name: Robbie Ray (7.1) -   11  
  Blue Jays Yusei Kikuchi (0.88) -  10  
    Steven Matz (2.21) -  9  
  Owner:  Jeff Hoffman (0.5) -  7  
  Rogers Communications Eric Lauer (2.2) -  5  
       
  General Managers: Catchers:  
  Mark Shapiro (President), Ben Cherington (VP) Alejandro Kirk (11.3) -   33  
  Ross Atkins (GM) Danny Jansen (7.04) -   11  
       
  Managers: First Basemen:  
  Charlie Montoyo (2020-2022) Vladimir Guerrero (23.97) -   50  
  John Schneider (2022-2025) Brandon Belt (2.0) -  7  
       
  Hall of Famers: Second Basemen:  
e None Marcus Semien (7.1) -  13  
9   Spencer Horwitz (1.5) -   6  
  Rookie of the Year:     
  None ShortStop:  
    Bo Bichette (18.28) -   51  
  MVP Santiago Espinal (4.9) -   7  
  None    
    Third Base:  
  No Hitters: Matt Chapman (7.92) -  14  
  None Ernie Clement (8.8) -  13  
    Addison Barger (1.6) -  7  
  Cy Young:    
  2021 - Robbie Ray Outfield:  
    George Springer (14.33) -  37  
  Notable Events: Teoscar Hernandez (7.93) -   23  
  It has been a very successful decade for the Jays culminating with the team falling Lourdes Gurriel (5.93) -   18  
  two outs short of winning the World Series in 2025. Five winning seasons out of six. Daulton Varsho (11.8) - 16  
  Four playoff appearances, the first three ended In Wild Card losses before last year. Randal Grichuk (1.06) -   12  
  Toronto's runs scored totals projected to an 88-74 mark last year and the Jays  Kevin Kiermaier (3.9) -  5  
  over achieved to 94-68 which won them the Division. Weirdly, usually when a team Whit Merrifield (0.97) -  5  
  overachieves on the runs totals its because they win the close ones. But Toronto's    
  closer Jeff Hoffman had a 4.37 ERA. And the team actually gave up one more run Notable Events:  
  than the league average and still won the Division. So who knows?    
  The offense carried the Jays scoring 78 runs more than the league average. 2020 - Rogers Communications has owned the Blue Jays since 2000.  
  It was something of a circular lineup with no big stick to carry them. They were pretty much a middle of the road club for the first twenty years, but  
  Guerrero was very good, but he didn't come close to carrying the offense. Toronto has picked up its game this decade. And Blue Jay management has  
  It was a team effort. picked up their game starting around 2012 when they started consistenly being in  
  the top third in payroll in the league. A necessity with big spenders Boston and New York  
  Starting Pitchers: and classic small market overachievers Tampa Bay in the same Division. The spending  
  □ RHP Kevin Gausman, 35,'22 FA from SF, '25 10-11 3.59 uptick brought them a Division title in 2015 and a WC appearance in '16. But it has been  
  □ RHP Dylan Cease, 30,'26 FA from SD, '25 8-12 4.55 in the 2020's where the more serious approach by Rogers has paid dividends.  
  □ RHP Jose Berrios, 32,'21 Trade from Twins, '25 9-5 4.17  
  □ RHP Trey Yesavage, 22,'24 draft 1st round pick, '25 1-0 3.21 2020 - Mark Shapiro came over from a successful stint as GM in Cleveland to   
  □ RHP Shane Bieber, 31,'25 Trade deadline from Cleveland, '25 4-2 3.57 become team president in Toronto in '15. He hired on Ross Atkins as his GM  
  □ RHP Cody Ponce, 32,'26 FA from Korea, '21 0-6 7.04 at that time. The Jays won 93 games that season, but it was steadily   
  □ LHP Eric Lauer, 31,'25 FA from Houston, '25 9-2 3.18 downhill from there, until '20. Shapiro was extremely successful in Cleveland  
  Starting pitching was NOT a strength of the Blue Jays last year. helping build an offensive powerhouse there.  It took a few years but Shapiro's  
  Their top four starters won 11,10,9,9 games. Not exactly dominant. efforts started to take root in 2020 and at this point Toronto has one of the better  
  And they let the 11 game winner, Chris Bassitt, go to Baltimore. offenses in baseball. Atkins has been the point man for the resurgence as GM  
  Kevin Gausman, a steady 35 year old innings eater is the best of the returnees.  
  He's the ten game winner. Normally, if he is your ace, then you would not consider 2022 - John Schneider took over as manager in 2022 and has been successful with  
  yourself a contender, but here we are. Dylan Cease was picked up from San Diego as three seasons at 89 wins or above and only one clunker in 2024, Schneider is   
  a free agent. He's the number two guy. Normally, as a contender, you would want him considered old school.  
  third or fourth but why quibble? Jose Berrios, one of the two nine game winners,  
  slots in at number three, another innings eater. Then come some of the more 2020 - The Blue Jays were big on drafting the sons of major leaguers.   
   interesting guys. Lefty Eric Lauer was the other 9 game winner and he had a nice The had three of them on their roster at the beginning of the decade:  
  year after coming over from Houston. He could turn into the ace this staff needs or  2B Cavan Biggio; SS Bo Bichette and 1B Vladimir Guerrero.  
  end up in the bullpen. Shane Bieber is returning from TJ surgery. He had ace type Biggio never made it big and is gone from the organization  
  stuff before he went down. Cody Ponce was not good a few years ago in Pittsburgh, Bichette became a star and left for the big money with the Mets in '26  
  went to Korea, and last year was MVP of the league there. We'll see how all of that Guerrero has become a star and got a nice contract extension. He stays.  
  translates. Trey Yesavage started out last year in A ball and ended up being a World   
  Series star. Another one who it will be very interesting to see how this year goes.  
   
  Relief Pitchers:  
  □ RHP Jeff Hoffman, 33,'25 FA from Phillies, '25 9-7 4.37 33saves  
  □ RHP Tyler Rogers, 35,'26 FA from Mets, '25 4-6 1.98   
  □ RHP Louis Varland, 28,'25 Trade deadline from Twins, '25 4-3 2.97  
  □ LHP Brendon Little, 29,'24 Trade from Cubs, '25 4-2 3.03  
  □ LHP Mason Fluharty, 24,'22 draft 5th round pick, '25 5-2 4.44  
  □ RHP Braydon Fisher, 25,'24 Trade deadlne from LA, '25 7-0 2,70  
  □ RHP Tommy Nance, 35,'24 Trade deadline from SD, '25 2-0 1.90  
  □ RHP Yimi Garcia, 35,'25 FA from Seattle, '25 1-2 3.86  
  If I were Toronto, I would be looking for a closer right now. How the Blue Jays were  
  winning all of these close games with Hoffman as the closer is a mystery.  
  But they are there and I am not. Tyler Rogers was signed as a Free Agent from the  
  Mets and he is a primo setup guy. Varland, Little, Fisher, Nance and Garcia give the  
  pen solid depth.  
     
  Regulars:  
  □  C Alejandro Kirk, 25, '17 IFA, '25 15 76 .282  
  □  1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr, 25, '15 IFA, '25 23 84 .292  
  □ 2B Ernie Clement, 30,'23 FA from A's, '25 9 50 .277  
  □ SS Andres Gimenez, 27, '25 Trade from Cleveland, '25 7 35 .210  
  □ 3B Kazuma Okamoto, 30, '26 FA from Japan, '25 Japan 15 51 .322  
  □ OF Addison Barger, 26, '18 draft 6th round pick, '25 21 74 .243  
  □  OF Daulton Varsho, 26, '23 trade from Arizona, '25 20 55 .238  
  □ OF Nathan Lukes, 31, '22 FA from TB, '25 12 65 ,255  
  □  OF George Springer, 34, '21 FA from Houston, '25 32 84 .309 18sb  
  □ C Tyler Heineman, 35,'25 FA from Boston, '25 3 20 .289  
  □ IF Davis Schneider, 27,'17 draft 28th round, '25 11 31 234  
  □ OF Myles Straw, 31,'25 Trade from Cleveland, '25 4 32 .262  
  □ OF Jesus Sanchez, 28,'26 Trade from Houston, '25 14 48 .237  
  □ IF Leo Jimenez, 25,'17 IFA, '25 1 1 .069  
  The offense carried the club last season and, at first glance, you must think that it is  
  an offense that revolves around Vladimir Guerrero. But it doesn't. Thirty four year old  
  George Springer was the best hitter on the team last year and the lineup, top to bottom,  
  is filled with good hitters who have some power. It's a pretty circular lineup that gets  
  on base a lot leading to a lot of scoring opportunities. SS Bo Bichette was signed  
  away by the Mets. That's a big loss. Andres Gimenez takes his place. Gimenez was  
  a solid hitter not too long ago with Cleveland and should be a decent replacement  
  for Bichette. Springer is the only offensive player who might decline with age as he is  
  thirty four. But hasn't shown any decline yet. The rest of the lineup are all solid  
  hitters with some power. Should be a good offensive team again this year.