Toronto Blue Jays 2026 Preview

Thumbnail: Flickr: Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Ricky Romero (24) Attribution: Keith Allison (CC BY 2.0)

Blue Jays Heading Into 2026 MLB Season With Much Optimism

The Toronto Blue Jays enjoyed their best season this millennium in 2025, making the AL Playoffs for the fourth time in the last six years and winning the American League to make it to the 2025 World Series, where they lost to the NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Toronto (94-68 in 2025) won the AL East, going 54-27 at home in the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada en route to the AL Playoffs where the Blues Jays defeated the New York Yankees in the ALDS (3-1) and the Seattle Mariners in the ALCS (4-3) before losing to Shohei Ohtani and Los Doyers in the Fall Classic (4-3).

This offseason has been a busy one for Toronto with the team bolstering its pitching staff by re-signing P Shane Bieber, signing RHP Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox, RHP Cody Ponce from the Pittsburgh Pirates, and RHP Tyler Rogers of the Giants and Mets.

The Blue Jays also made big news, signing Japanese sensation and 3B Kazuma Okamoto (Saitama Seibu Lions) to a 4-year, $60 million deal, and the team is still looking to re-sign IF Bo Bichette and is in the market for OF Kyle Tucker, thought by many to be the pick of the 2026 MLB Free Agency litter.

With Okamoto joining the Jays, the list of MLB stars from Japan continues to grow. The Dodgers feature three in superstar OF-P Shohei Ohtani, RHPs Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Rōki Sasaki, while the Chicago Cubs boast OF Seiya Suzuki and LHP Shota Imanaga.

Veteran RHP Yu Darvish has been a key member of the San Diego Padres’ pitching staff for years, while P Yusei Kikuchi will look to help the Los Angeles Angels. And the Houston Astros also just made news this offseason, signing RHP Tatsuya Imai (Saitama Seibu Lions) to a 3-year, $54 million contract, while the Chicago White Sox signed slugger Munetaka Murakami (Tokyo Yakult Swallows).

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Toronto Blue Jays Dates and Locations 2026

When Does Blue Jays 2026 MLB Spring Training Season Start?

The 2026 Spring Training season for the Blue Jays will start in the Grapefruit League at their facility located in Dunedin, Florida, where the team plays in the TD Ballpark (Grass) located at 373 Douglas Avenue and at the nearby Player Development Complex (PDC).

The Blue Jays first scheduled Spring Training game will be on Saturday, February 21 at TD Ballpark against the Phillies and the team has games all week on February 22 (Red Sox), February 23 (Mets), February 24 (Yankees), February 25 (Tigers), February 26 (Marlins), February 27 (Rays), and February 28 with two Split Squad games (Phillies, Yankees).

Good tickets for the Friday, February 27 game against the Rays at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte, Florida can be found for as low as $18.70 here at TicketX.

Before the 2026 MLB Regular Season begins later in the month of March, the Blue Jays will play Spring Training games from March 1 to March 22 in the Sunshine State, and you can find tickets for all of these Grapefruit League games here.

When Does the Blue Jays 2026 MLB Regular Season Start?

The 2026 MLB Regular Season for Toronto is scheduled to start with a 4-game Thursday to Sunday homestand versus the Athletics at the Rogers Centre in Toronto on March 26, March 27, March 28, and March 29.

Tickets for the Blue Jays Home Opener and Opening Day can be found here for $155.10. The 162-game MLB Regular Season will end on Sunday, September 27, 2026. The Jays will end the season with a 3-game Homestand series against the Cincinnati Reds from Friday, September 25 to Sunday, September 27.

You can find tickets for all Blue Jays Spring Training and Regular Season games here at TicketX, as well as for the 2026 MLB Playoffs should Toronto make the Postseason again.

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Who Are the Blue Jays Best Returning Position Players?

The Blue Jays could return all of their key players for the 2026 season if SS Bo Bichette (.311, 94 RBI) re-signs with the club, but their chief rivals, the Yankees and Red Sox, are reportedly trying to lure the talented young infielder away.

RF George Springer (.309/32/69), RF Nathan Lukes (.255/12/645), CF Daulton Varsho (.238/20/55), C Alejandro Kirk (.282/15/76), 3B Addison Barger (.243/21/74), and team heartbeat and 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr (.293/23/81) all had very solid years at the plate in 2025 for the Blue Jays as they entered the AL Playoffs as the top seed.

Re-signing Bichette and/or adding Tucker will bolster an already strong roster, but landing Okamoto from the Nippon Professional Baseball and Cease from the Pale Hose was huge. Toronto may still be the second-best team in MLB and should win the AL again this season.

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What Could be Toronto Blue Jays Starting Batting Lineup?

1. DH George Springer

2. CF Daulton Varsho

3. 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr

4. RF Addison Barger

5. C Alejandro Kirk

6. LF Anthony Santander

7. 3B Kazuma Okamoto [Rookie]

8. 2B Ernie Clement

9. SS Andrés Gimenez

What Could be Toronto Blue Jays Starting Pitching Rotation?

1. Kevin Gausman

2. Dylan Cease

3. Shane Bieber

4. Trey Yesavage [Rookie]

5. Cody Ponce

About the Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays play in the East Division in the American League of Major League Baseball (MLB) and are based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and are the only big league team from the Great White North.

The team came into existence in 1976 as one of two expansion clubs to join MLB in the 1977 MLB Expansion—along with the Seattle Mariners—and got its nickname from the blue jay bird. The team shares the local team’s theme color (blue) with the NHL’s Maple Leafs and the CFL’s Argonauts.

The Blue Jays Manager is John Schneider, Ross Atkins is the General Manager, Mark Shapiro is President, and the team is owned by Rogers Communications.

Defending AL champions Toronto have won the World Series twice (1992, 1993), the AL Pennant three times (1992, 1993, 2025), and have seven AL East Division titles and four Wild Card berths.

The team has had a number of stars play for the franchise including OF Joe Carter—who provided one of the greatest moments in team history—2B Roberto Alomar, 1B John Olerud, RHP Dave Steib, OF José Bautista, SS Tony Fenandez, RHP Roger Clemens, RHP Roy Halladay, 1B Fred McGriff, 1B Carlos Delgado, and of course stud Guerrero Jr.

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Where is the Toronto Blue Jays Stadium Located?

The Blue Jays play at the Rogers Centre (AstroTurf 3D Xtreme with Dirt Infield) in the heart of the city’s entertainment district downtown (1 Blue Jays Way) right next to the world-famous CN Tower and near the northern shore of Lake Ontario.

The Rogers Centre has a capacity of 39,150 for baseball games and from 10,000 to 55,000 for concerts. You can find out what future events will be held at the Rogers Centre by using this link.

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Toronto Blue Jays Betting Odds For 2026

• World Series Winner: 15/1

• American League Winner: 7/1

• AL East Winner: +225

• AL MVP Winner: Vladimir Guerrero Jr 13/1

• AL Cy Young Winner: Dylan Cease 25/1

• Team Wins: 90.5

• To Make Playoffs: -310

• Most Regular Season HRs: Vladimir Guerrero Jr 30/1

• Most Regular Season Ks: Dylan Cease 14/1

• AL Rookie of the Year:

  Trey Yesavage +290