The Boston Red Sox's American League East rival Toronto Blue Jays have advanced to the World Series for the first time in 32 years. Toronto placed last in the division in 2025 and did everything right to revamp the club to return to the postseason and have a chance to win it all. The Red Sox could've used their playbook in the past, and will hopefully follow it in the future.
The Blue Jays are often in play for many of the top free agents in each year's class, but they rarely land the best players due to the high Canadian tax rate, and surely a few other factors. So Toronto has to make do with what it can get — from the 2024-25 offseason, that was Andrés Giménez, Anthony Santander, Jeff Hoffman and Max Scherzer.
Santander didn't help much of their playoff run due to injury and posted a down regular season with the Blue Jays, anyway (he slashed .175/.271/.294 with just six home runs in 54 games). He spent time on the 60-day injured list this season, but could easily bounce back next year to keep the Jays a significant threat in the AL East. Giménez's bat didn't move the needle much in the regular season (.210/.285/.313), but he's an elite defender with 97th-percentile range. He stepped in at shortstop throughout the postseason while Bo Bichette recovers from a knee sprain, and his bat woke up at just the right time (.263/.317/.447).
Hoffman (4.37 ERA in 68 IP) and Scherzer (5.19 in 85 IP) had their struggles on the mound this season, and Scherzer spent much of it on the 60-day IL with thumb issues. They both clutched up in the postseason and put their years of experience to good use to help keep the Blue Jays afloat against dominant Yankees and Mariners rotations. Hoffman surrendered just one run on three hits and fanned 12 batters over 7.1 innings in the playoffs, and Scherzer let up two runs on three hits wit four walks and five strikeouts in his lone start, but he did so with the intensity people have come to associate with him.
The Blue Jays had an active trade deadline, where they acquired Shane Bieber, Seranthony Dominguez and Louis Varland. None of them were exactly second-half All-Stars, but they ate innings down the stretch and in the postseason to help get Toronto this far — if Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has said it once, he's said it a thousand times: Teams can never have too much pitching.
The Blue Jays showed the Red Sox everything they need to do to win in the postseason
The Jays also brought Isiah Kiner-Falefa back in September to round out their infield depth after he was released by the Pirates. He stepped in at second base in the postseason while Giménez held down Bichette's usual post, and he played his usual solid defense and delivered some clutch moments at the plate.
Toronto also trusted its rookies to come through in big moments, none more than pitcher Trey Yesavage. The 22-year-old posted a 3.21 ERA with 16 strikeouts and an unsavory seven walks in 14 innings, but came through in October. He blanked the Yankees and fanned 11 batters in a 5.1-inning outing in the ALDS. He faltered a bit in his first outing against the Mariners, allowing five runs in four innings, but he limited damage in Game 6, only allowing two runs over 5.2 innings and striking out seven Mariners.
Finally, the Blue Jays paid their biggest star. They didn't let Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit free agency after this season by handing him a 14-year, $500 million deal. He posted a down regular season after the megacontract, but showed out in the postseason with a .442/.510/.930 slash line, 1.440 OPS, three doubles, six homers and 12 RBI in 11 games. He was duly awarded ALCS MVP for his performance, and the city of Toronto rallied around his showing.
The Red Sox have the money and prospect resources to do the same thing the Blue Jays have done, and they have even better young players on their roster to take it farther. Boston's front office has already learned from some of its mistakes by extending Garrett Crochet and Roman Anthony early, the it still needs the veteran playoff experience that the Blue Jays have to make the same impact in October.
George Springer, a longtime former teammate of Alex Bregman, played hero for the Blue Jays in Game 7 of the ALCS, and Bregman could easily do the same with the right players around him. But bringing him back is an absolute must for the Red Sox, and finding the right mix of veterans, homegrown players and team chemistry will be key to their success in October.
The Blue Jays wrote the Red Sox a clear playbook, and Boston is better equipped to take advantage of it since it's a more preferred destination by many free agents. The Red Sox took some great first steps toward a long playoff run in 2025, but they still have quite a a bit of work to do, and the challenge of beating the Blue Jays in front of them.