Blue Jays Enter Final Week With AL’s Best Record but Major Concerns

The Toronto Blue Jays head into the final week of the 2025 regular season with the best record in the American League.

They also just gave up 20 runs in a single game to the Kansas City Royals. The tsunami of runs allowed was a little misleading because two of the pitchers the Blue Jays used were actually position players, with backup infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa rescuing backup catcher Tyler Heineman by getting the final two outs of the bottom of the eighth inning. Fluky stuff, right?

The problem is, 41-year-old right-hander Max Scherzer started the game, and could get only two outs himself before being taken out by manager John Schneider. Scherzer allowed seven runs, and his ERA is 5.06, which would be easily the worst of his career if the season ended today.

At a time the Jays find themselves on the verge of clinching a postseason spot, including the AL East title (unless the New York Yankees overtake them), and setting up their rotation for the playoffs (assuming they get there), it feels more like they're just barely hanging on. They say a baseball season can be a war of attrition. The Blue Jays appear to be losing it right now.

In addition to Scherzer's meltdown, the Jays recently told right-hander José Berríos that they want him to pitch out the bullpen now because of mediocre work through 30 starts. That sounds ominous enough, but they also put right-hander Chris Bassitt on the injured list because of a lower-back flare up.

José might want to stand by for another conversation.

One bit of good news, maybe, is that Scherzer and Bassitt have a little extra time to get themselves right. If the other Jays can pull themselves together in the final week of the regular season and clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs, they'll get extra time off. It's safe to say that nobody in the postseason field needs the time off more.

Another bit of good news: Scherzer, Berríos and Bassitt are not the Blue Jays best starters. Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, left-hander Eric Lauer and rookie Trey Yesavage are ahead on the depth chart. But even that's iffy. Bieber was a great addition at the trade deadline, all things considered, but he's also recovering from Tommy John surgery. His results have been solid, but TJ rehab cases go through ebbs and flows. The Jays have no time for an ebb right now, but it's also not something anyone can control.

Yesavge has looked like a savage so far in two appearances, and his over-the-top delivery looks oh-so-promising for the Jays going into 2026. But it's been two starts, and they're going to be relying on him for something important in the postseason.

The Jays can cover Bassitt's loss, and Berríos mid-turn, and even Scherzer's troubles. But they're covering them with a teeny bikini thread. Sexy but dangerous.

Let's see: What else is wrong with the team with the best record in the American League? They've been missing star shortstop Bo Bichette because of a knee injury. He might be 50-50 to return before the Jays are finished playing games.

They do have Andrés Giménez to play short, which is fine. He's got a little of that Cleveland Guardians devil magic going, but Bichette was in the middle of a renaissance season — leading the league in hits and doubles and producing about 30 percent better than league average through this weekend.

What else?

The bullpen is hard to trust, though closer Jeff Hoffman is closing the season strong after making fans quite nervous in August. Let's just say the bullpen overall is middle of the road, which is not ideal when the starting rotation is struggling — nor is it ideal in the modern game, period.

The Jays finish Sunday against the Royals before going home for three against the Boston Red Sox and three more against the Tampa Bay Rays. Only the Red Sox likely have anything to play for among that group, but they're four games in the loss column behind the Blue Jays, so they'll have motivation to upend Toronto's season.

The Jays won't likely melt down enough in the season's final week to actually miss the playoffs. But they also can't put themselves in the best position to overcome a vulnerable American League and get to the World Series for the first time since 1993.

Enjoy the rest of the season, Jays fans!