How Toronto has gone from worst to first

From the basement to the penthouse, the Toronto Blue Jays are chasing history.

Only 13 teams in the Divisional Era (since 1969) have gone from worst to first, and none since the 2015-16 Red Sox. The Blue Jays are aiming to become the 14th.

As the July 31 Trade Deadline passed, it served as a reminder of how far Toronto has come in just one year -- from selling off pieces in a lost season to sitting atop the American League East standings.

What makes the Blue Jays’ surge even more surprising is how they’ve done it. Ahead of their Interleague showdown against the Cubs on Tuesday, here’s a look at what has -- and hasn’t -- contributed to Jays’ remarkable turnaround.

All stats below are through Sunday.

It’s not because of the players they acquired as Trade Deadline sellers in 2024

As mentioned above, the Blue Jays sold at the Trade Deadline amid a disappointing 2024 season, and they were quite active in doing so. All told, Toronto shipped out eight players before the Deadline in deals that brought back 14 players.

However, while the decision to avoid trading away core assets last year has certainly had an impact on their 2025 performance, the sell-off itself has barely left a mark. In fact, nine of the 14 players they acquired have yet to debut in the Majors, and another -- left-hander Ryan Yarbrough -- departed as a free agent to sign with the Yankees in the offseason.

That leaves four players from the aforementioned group who have made appearances for Toronto in 2025, and none has played a major role.

• OF Joey Loperfido: .420 wOBA over 83 PAs
• OF Jonatan Clase: .267 wOBA over 112 PAs
• INF Will Wagner: .292 wOBA over 132 PAs (traded to San Diego on July 31)
• RHP Jake Bloss: 6.94 ERA over 11 2/3 IP

OK, so last year’s Deadline sale hasn’t sparked this turnaround. Surely it must have been the club’s offseason moves that put them in this position … right? Well, no, not really.

It’s not because of the players they added in the offseason

Once again, the Blue Jays’ offseason was defined more by the stars they didn’t get than the players they did. After missing out on Shohei Ohtani the previous winter, the Jays fell short in their pursuit of Juan Soto this past December. They were a finalist in the race to sign international phenom Roki Sasaki but came up empty there, too. Links to free agents Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman also went nowhere.

Granted, it’s not like the Blue Jays were completely shut out. They signed slugger Anthony Santander (five years, $92.5 million) after his 44-homer season for the Orioles in 2024, landed top reliever Jeff Hoffman (three years, $33 million) and bolstered their rotation with three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (one year, $15.5 million). Gold Glove Award winners Andrés Giménez and Myles Straw also arrived via trades with the Guardians.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, though, those five players have combined for just 1.7 WAR (per FanGraphs). Santander in particular has been a huge disappointment, slashing .179/.273/.304 with six homers and -0.9 WAR over 50 games before succumbing to a left shoulder injury in July. Hoffman has underwhelmed, too, posting a 4.50 ERA and blowing five saves.

So, yeah, it hasn't been their offseason additions, either.

It’s not because of their pitching

There are certainly some things to like about the Blue Jays’ pitching staff. Starters Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt have been steady enough, and reclamation project Eric Lauer has given the back end of Toronto’s rotation a much-needed boost after joining the team on a Minor League deal in December.

The Blue Jays’ relief corps, meanwhile, has improved considerably from 2024 (4.82 ERA, -2.1 WAR), especially in tight games. It’s one of the reasons why Toronto has gone 19-14 in contests decided by one run. The club was 19-30 in such games a year ago.

That said, we can’t give the Blue Jays’ arms too much credit for their rebound. Their rotation is 22nd in ERA (4.43), and their bullpen is 18th (4.06). Overall, they rank 23rd with a 4.28 ERA and 24th with 7.8 WAR.

With the pitching also ruled out as the main driver of Toronto's success this season, it's time to dig into what has been the biggest catalyst behind the Blue Jays' surge. That would be their lineup -- and the familiar faces within.

The surprising numbers behind Toronto's offensive improvement

In 2024, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had very little help as Toronto scored the eighth-fewest runs in MLB. It’s been a different story this year, thanks to a revitalized supporting cast made up of largely the same players.

There are eight hitters on Toronto’s roster who have tallied at least 100 plate appearances for the team in each of the past two years. Excluding Guerrero, the other seven combined to slash .225/.290/.370 with 78 home runs, a .289 wOBA and an 88 wRC+ over 2,980 plate appearances in 2024.

This season, those same seven players have posted a collective .283/.341/.465 slash, 85 homers, a .347 wOBA and a 123 wRC+ in 2,384 PAs. They’re a big reason why no team has made a larger offensive improvement from 2024 to ’25 than Toronto.

Largest increase in wOBA, 2024 to ’25

1. Blue Jays: +.027 (.307 to .334)
2-T. Tigers: +.023 (.299 to .322)
2-T. Athletics: +.023 (.303 to .326)
2-T. White Sox: +.023 (.272 to .295)
5. Cubs: +.018 (.311 to .329)

Arguably no player captures the contrast between the 2024 Blue Jays and their '25 resurgence better than shortstop Bo Bichette. A two-time All-Star who had the third-most hits (555) in MLB from 2021-23, Bichette endured a puzzling decline in his age-26 season, an injury-marred year in which he hit just .225 with four homers and a .598 OPS over 81 games. Now, in his walk year, he’s back to form, posting a .298 average with 16 homers and an .807 OPS over 116 games.

The Blue Jays have also received impressive contributions from two players on opposite ends of the experience spectrum -- 12th-year outfielder George Springer and second-year third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger.

Springer’s OPS declined for the third straight season in 2024, tumbling to a career-low .674, and there wasn’t much reason to expect a significant rebound after he turned 35 last September. But the veteran has bounced back in a big way, hitting .291 with 18 homers and an .889 OPS over 101 games. Barger, meanwhile, has produced 18 homers and an .828 OPS over 95 games this season after struggling in limited action as a rookie (.601 OPS in 225 PAs).

Bichette, Springer and Barger all rank among this year’s most improved hitters across MLB.

Largest increase in wOBA, 2024 to ’25
Min. 200 PAs in each season

1. Kyle Stowers (MIA): +.119 (.265 to .384)
2. Ronald Acuña Jr. (ATL): +.105 (.322 to .427)
3. Maikel Garcia (KC): +.091 (.270 to .361)
4. Addison Barger (TOR): +.088 (.262 to .350)
5. Hunter Goodman (COL): +.087 (.274 to .361)
6. Javier Báez (DET): +.086 (.224 to .310)
7. George Springer (TOR): +.085 (.298 to .383)
8. Bo Bichette (TOR): +.083 (.264 to .347)

Catcher Alejandro Kirk (+.033), outfielder Daulton Varsho (+.054), second baseman/outfielder Davis Schneider (+.086) and infielder Ernie Clement (+.021) have all made notable gains as well, giving the Blue Jays a much more balanced offensive attack around Guerrero, who is having another strong season after inking a 14-year, $500 million extension in April.

Toronto’s position atop the AL East looks even more amazing when you consider that the club started out 26-28 this season and was eight games out in the AL East on the morning of May 28. If that continued, it almost certainly would have prompted major changes throughout the organization.

Instead, the Blue Jays have posted an AL-best 43-22 record in their past 65 games, turning an eight-game deficit into a four-game lead. Their eight key offensive returnees have been especially productive in that time (.380 wOBA), propelling the team to an MLB-leading 5.78 runs scored per game and completely changing the franchise's narrative.