While the Blue Jays’ 2026 season unraveled on the field, the people steering the operation behind the scenes came out looking very different. Some of the blame landed squarely on the coaching staff.
Some of the credit went to the front office. And manager John Schneider found himself in the middle, doing what he could with a roster that never stayed still.
David Popkins took the hardest hit. A year ago, he was being talked about as the hitting coach who helped spark Toronto’s turnaround, with just about everyone in the lineup looking like a better version of himself on the way to the World Series.
This year told the opposite story. The Blue Jays missed the playoffs because they couldn’t score runs at a league-average rate, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the worst he’s ever been, Ernie Clement regressed, and project hitter Jésus Sánchez failed miserably.
Popkins put it bluntly himself: his hitting philosophy didn’t hold up this season. His grade was an F.
Schneider, meanwhile, drew the usual share of frustration that comes with being the person making the final calls. He has never been short on head-scratching decisions, and this season brought more of them, especially late in the year.
Even so, there was value in how he handled the mess. Toronto used a franchise-record 40 pitchers in 2026, and a roster that unstable could have fallen apart much earlier than it did.
For that work, Schneider got a B.
The front office fared better. Mark Shapiro, one half of the “Shatkins” pairing fans love to target when things go sideways, earned an A.
The organization stayed in strong shape under his leadership, and he secured the buy-in needed to sign key players. He also helped push along the Hall of Excellence, a new addition meant to honor franchise icons, as part of the broader Rogers Centre renovation effort.
Since taking over as the club’s top executive, he has made real changes to the fan experience.
Ross Atkins also came out well in the grading. He has taken plenty of heat over the years, and some of his past decisions have been indefensible.
But his work heading into 2026 stood out. Dylan Cease, Kazuma Okamoto and Tyler Rogers were all described as slam-dunk additions, and Atkins also landed Brett Bateman for Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline.
Whatever else can be said about the season, the article’s verdict was clear: this mess wasn’t his fault.
One other piece of the puzzle belonged to Walker, whose biggest job was helping Cease become the ace the Blue Jays paid for. That mission was accomplished. His staff helped Cease sharpen his pitch mix and settle in as the consistent front-line starter Toronto wanted him to be.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Blue Jays Teammates May Already Have The Perfect Scherzer Nickname
Max Scherzers arrival in Toronto has already given the Blue Jays one more veteran presence to lean on, and now it may have given the clubhouse a little extra personality too. During a recent game, catcher Brandon Valenzuela appeared to be wearing a wristband with Pee Paw visible, a nickname that has started to circulate among fans this season and fits the way Scherzer stands out as one of the oldest players in Major League Baseball.
For a Blue Jays team that finished 79-83 and missed the playoffs, the lighter moments have taken on a little more meaning in the seasons final stretch. With end-of-season media availabilities coming soon, the Scherzer story is one of the few remaining curiosities around the team, and it suggests the veteran right-hander may already have a label that has stuck inside the room, even if the full story behind it is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]