October baseball won’t feature the Toronto Blue Jays this time around, but that doesn’t mean their fans are out of reasons to tune in.
There’s still plenty to watch in the 2026 MLB playoffs, and a few of the biggest October storylines connect directly to Blue Jays territory. From a familiar arm in a new uniform to division rivals colliding to the Dodgers chasing history, there’s no shortage of angles for Jays fans to keep an eye on.
Kevin Gausman is one of the more interesting names in the mix.
The 2026 Trade Deadline forced Toronto into a sell-off, and Gausman was among the players moved as the Blue Jays dealt away expiring contracts. He was sent to the Chicago Cubs for rookie sensation Brett Bateman and minor leaguer Ty Southisene.
His first days in Chicago were rough, but Gausman settled in and now has a 4-2 record with a 4.83 ERA in nine starts, plus 57 strikeouts. The Cubs needed rotation help badly, and that’s exactly why they brought him in. Now that Chicago has secured its postseason spot, Gausman was expected to play a major role in the team’s push for another World Series.
That plan hit a snag when he injured his non-throwing shoulder after making an incredible play to get a runner out at third base. There’s no timeline for his return, so the Cubs are waiting on word about their rental. Even so, seeing Gausman get another shot after falling short last October is the kind of storyline Blue Jays fans can still get behind.
Then there’s the American League East, where the entertainment value practically takes care of itself.
The Yankees and Red Sox are likely headed for a Wild Card Round matchup, and whoever survives that series would then have to deal with the Rays. For Toronto fans, that’s a nice reminder that the division can chew up even the strongest teams before they ever get close to the American League Championship Series.
The whole setup is a familiar one in the AL East: nobody gets an easy path, and the chaos usually starts early. Whether the playoff format or division setup deserves a rethink is a fair question, but from a Blue Jays perspective, there’s still plenty of satisfaction in watching rivals knock each other out.
And if Toronto fans want one more October villain to root against, the Dodgers are right there.
Los Angeles is trying to become the first team to three-peat since the Yankees did it from 1998 to 2000. Before the Dodgers won back-to-back titles last season, no club had repeated since that New York run.
That kind of success is exactly what every fan base dreams about, even if it belongs to somebody else. But the Brewers might be the team with a chance to stop it. Milwaukee became the first 100-win team since 2023 and locked up the top spot in the National League, setting itself up for a real run at its first World Series since 1982.
It’s also the first 100-win season in franchise history, which gives the Brewers a pretty strong case as the team best equipped to challenge the defending standard-bearer. They were swept by the Dodgers in last season’s NLCS and now have a shot at payback, with Jacob Misiorowski and bats like Jake Bauers and Brice Turang helping lead the way.
For Blue Jays fans, that’s enough to make October worth watching even without Toronto in the bracket.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Report Card Puts One 2026 Failure Front And Center
The Blue Jays 2026 season review was not gentle, and the harshest mark landed on the one area that never quite found its footing all year: the offense. Hitting coach David Popkins was handed an F in the report card, a reflection of how uneven Torontos attack looked over the course of the season, even as the clubs broader leadership drew more favorable evaluations.
There was more balance in the rest of the grades. Manager John Schneider earned a B for steering a difficult roster through the year, while president and CEO Mark Shapiro received an A for the organizations larger improvements. The front office also came out well in the review, with offseason additions and trade deadline moves singled out as positives, but the offensive mess remains the most glaring issue hanging over the team heading into what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Could Be Saying Goodbye To Several Familiar Names
The Blue Jays are heading into a stretch where the roster may start to look very different from the one fans have come to know. Several veteran arms who were brought in to help bridge the gap toward contention have run into the same familiar issues teams worry about this time of year: age, health, and uneven performance. For a club trying to stay competitive while also keeping one eye on the future, that usually means some uncomfortable decisions are coming.
By the time the 2027 season arrives, Toronto could be leaning on a much younger and healthier mix on the pitching side. Max Scherzer, Paul Sewald, Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon and Yimi Garcia are among the familiar names whose time with the Blue Jays is expected to wind down, leaving the front office with the task of retooling without losing momentum. It is the kind of roster turnover that can reshape a bullpen and rotation quickly, and for Blue Jays fans it may mean seeing several recent additions become part of the past sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Pitching Grades Show Who Carried Toronto Through The Chaos
The Blue Jays 2026 pitching story was one of survival as much as performance, with the staff forced to absorb injuries, shifting roles and heavy workloads all season long. The review of the groups grades makes clear how much Toronto leaned on a mix of established arms and newcomers to keep the rotation and bullpen moving, even as the season kept asking for more from the pitching staff than it could comfortably give.
Some pitchers held up remarkably well under that pressure, giving the club stability when it needed it most, while others were left fighting inconsistency or the effects of all the wear and tear. The full assessment sorts through the bright spots and the setbacks across the staff, and it also leaves you with the obvious follow-up: which arms truly did enough to matter most when the Blue Jays were at their most chaotic? [Read more 🡒]