In 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays came out of nowhere and shocked the baseball world by winning the AL East before making a spirited run to the World Series. That was a lengthy jump from 2024 where they totaled 74 wins and appeared to be a team with no direction.
Toronto was reportedly in on a number of big name free agents but seemed to always come up just short. Additionally, it looked like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. might be set to walk out the door as well in free agency. A rebuild appeared to be more likely than a World Series run.
However, the Blue Jays inked Guerrero Jr. to a mega-extension and transformed themselves into the best defensive team in the league. All the pieces clicked which led to them taking the two-time champion Dodgers to the brink in a classic Game 7.
Fortunes can change quickly in baseball and below are three teams that could be poised to make a leap again in 2026.
Baltimore Orioles
The most obvious candidate to be “the next Blue Jays” actually comes from the same division. Before this season, the Baltimore Orioles were seen as a team on the rise and a perennial playoff team. They had made the postseason in back-to-back seasons, with most of their best players still in their mid-20’s. 2025 was supposed to be more of the same.
The Orioles’ young core of position players led by Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman was the envy of the league at one point. However, their season went off the rails very quickly. The pitching staff was something that they didn’t address in the previous offseason and it turned out to be even worse than expected. Between injuries and regression to some older starters, Baltimore got off to a nightmare start.
After starting the season 15-28, they fired former manager of the year Brandon Hyde. By season’s end, the Orioles finished with a disappointing 75-87 record.
2025 was pretty much a worst case scenario in the same way 2024 was for the Jays. We talked about the pitching, but the offense also suffered from injuries and inconsistencies. Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman all missed a lot of time.
While Gunnar Henderson didn’t miss many games, he was not at his best. He had a good season by most players’ standards, with 5.3 bWAR, 17 homers and a .787 OPS. However, it was a far cry from his 9.1 WAR, 37 homer 2024 season.
A lot of young players who have these monster years at 22 or 23 years old tend to come down to earth a bit the next year. Still, putting up a 9-win season puts him in elite company.
The front office should also learn from its mistakes and look to solidify the rotation with a frontline addition. With the emergence of Trevor Rogers, and the returns of Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Bradish from injury, Baltimore’s rotation should be in much better shape next season.
It wasn’t that long ago that the Orioles were a team on the rise. 2025 was a step back but the pieces are in place.
Atlanta Braves
Another team that could be 2026’s answer to the Blue Jays is the Atlanta Braves. After making the playoffs every year from 2018 to 2024, the Braves missed out on October baseball after finishing with a disappointing 76-86 record.
Like the Orioles, the Braves dealt with a lot of injuries in 2025. Ronald Acuña Jr. returned from his second ACL injury in late May but the entire Opening Day rotation spent significant time on the injured list. That included Spencer Strider, who returned from an internal brace procedure but then was sidelined again with a hamstring issue. Austin Riley’s season ended in early August and the team’s only notable offseason addition, Jurickson Profar was hit with an 80-game PED suspension after just four games.
Brian Snitker retired after 49 years with the Braves organization and was replaced by bench coach Walt Weiss. Atlanta will head into the offseason looking to add pitching depth and to shake up a core that has gotten older and a bit stale since their breakthrough World Series win in 2021.
San Francisco Giants
Since their magical 107 win season in 2021, the Giants have been the definition of mediocre. In the four seasons since, San Francisco has won 81, 79, 80 and 81 games. Talk about being in no man’s land.
The Giants got a headstart on their offseason by replacing manager Bob Melvin with former University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello. Vitello was one of the most successful college coaches and is also a highly charismatic figure. While he is unproven at the major league level, the Giants are betting that Vitello can provide a boost of energy to the roster.
The Giants have some interesting pieces already in place. Mat Chapman turned in another solid season and Willy Adames overcame a slow start to lead the team in fWAR. The addition of Rafael Devers gave the team a lefty power bat to slot into the middle of the order. Logan Webb is one of the most underrated pitchers in the National League so there are pieces in place to work with.
It is easy to get overlooked when you share a division with the Dodgers but a good offseason and a modern day approach by Vitello could lead the Giants back to contention in a big way.
