Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland (77) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Guardians. Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn

Entering into the 2026 season, the Toronto Blue Jays had their sights set on a comeback tour that would lead them back to the World Series, and come out as victors after the heartbreak that came last postseason.

Well, to say that things didn't pan out well would be an understatement for the year, as they finished under .500 without making it to the playoffs. While it is a team game, there are quite a few pieces that cannot take any of the blame for why October baseball isn't in the cards for them.

The media has highlighted everything that went wrong, which is split between, no offense, led by a historically poor campaign from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as well as injuries, which means those who did step up aren't getting enough credit, as some things did go right for Toronto.

There was no team in baseball that relied so heavily on its relievers as the Blue Jays, whose starting rotation was held together with tape and glue for most of the year, which is why 39 pitchers were used by the time it was all said and done.

Nobody however could have predicted how well some of them would do as closer Louis Varland had the best season of his career posting a 1.27 ERA to complement 35 saves, even though he wasn't in the role for a month into the year.

Varland's setup man, Tyler Rogers, was right on his heels with a 1.77 ERA; the two were the perfect pair, but really it was a trio as Rule 5 Draft pick Spencer Miles had also entered into the coaching staff's circle of trust.

Louis Varland leads all relievers with a 1.27 ERA, backed by a 1.00 WHIP and 97 strikeouts over 78 innings. Mason Miller sits at 1.30 with 127 K in 69 innings, Bryan Baker at 1.44.

When the trade deadline came around in early August the Jays became both buyers and sellers, but two moves stand out more than the rest: Adam Macko was sent to the Texas Rangers in exchange for utility man Josh Smith, and Kevin Gausman was dealt to the Chicago Cubs for top prospect Brett Bateman.

Everyone has come to know and love Bateman, who has established himself as their leadoff man, slashing .329/.402/.424 in 42 games with Toronto. Then, there is Smith, and if he continues to slug the ball as well as he has since joining the team, they will now have a really good option against right-handed pitching.

It is truly a horrifying thought to think about how many games below .500 the Jays would have finished if not for Kazuma Okamoto who hit 33 bombs while also driving home 92 runs in his first season in the United States.

But a couple of others made impressions as well, and both Sean Keys and Charles McAdoo showed that they have a lot of pop in their bats. It would have been nice to see them get some more reps down the stretch, but the kids can flat-out play.

The outcome of the year wasn't anything that the organization was hoping for, and building on the positives will only help change their fate for 2027. There is a lot of talent in the clubhouse, and when this team is healthy next season, the script will most definitely be flipped.