Ottawa's Team Is Back — But Can They Top 2025?
Ottawa baseball fans, buckle up: the 2026 Major League Baseball season is officially underway, and Canada's team is back on the diamond with something to prove. After the Toronto Blue Jays delivered one of the most electric seasons in franchise history — winning the AL East with a 94-68 record and pushing all the way to Game 7 of the World Series — expectations across the country, from Rogers Centre to every sports bar on Elgin Street, are sky-high.
So what does the crystal ball say for the Jays this year? Fangraphs has crunched the numbers, and the projected standings make for interesting reading.
Where the Blue Jays Sit in 2026 Projections
According to Fangraphs win projections, the AL East shapes up like this:
- New York Yankees — 87-75
- Toronto Blue Jays — 86-76
- Boston Red Sox — 86-76
- Baltimore Orioles — 84-78
- Tampa Bay Rays — 81-81
The Jays are projected to slot in as a wild card team, finishing just one game behind the Yankees for the division crown. It's a tight race, and in a division this competitive, every series matters.
What the Wild Card Picture Looks Like
Under these projections, Toronto would enter the postseason via the wild card — meaning no first-round bye this time around. Instead, they'd face the Boston Red Sox in a best-of-three wild card series, a brutal opener against a divisional rival that knows them well.
The Yankees and Seattle Mariners (projected at 88-74 in the AL West) would earn the top two seeds and byes through the wild card round. The Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles would square off in the other AL wild card matchup.
It's a humbling step down from 2025, when the Jays dominated the AL and breezed through the opening round. But make no mistake — a 86-win team is still a very good team, and October baseball is October baseball.
The National League Side
Over in the NL, the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves lead the NL East at a projected 88-74, with the Philadelphia Phillies close behind. The Chicago Cubs pace the NL Central, while the full NL West projections round out a league that looks wide open.
Ottawa Jays Watch Parties: Where to Catch the Action
For Ottawa fans who bleed blue and white, the 2026 season is shaping up to be another reason to gather around a big screen. Local sports bars like The Clocktower, Dunn's Famous, and The Horn regularly pack in Blue Jays crowds for big games. If the Jays make another playoff run, expect Ottawa to be right there cheering them on — because around here, the Blue Jays are as much Ottawa's team as they are Toronto's.
Stay tuned all season long as we track Canada's team on the road back to October.
Source: blogTO via RSS. Win projections via Fangraphs.
