Examining how former Blue Jays have started their 2026 season

The 2026 Major League Baseball season is over two weeks old.

It hasn’t been the greatest of starts for the Toronto Blue Jays, who have a 5-7 record through their first 12 games. After coming within two outs and a few inches of winning the World Series last season, the team is looking to get right back into the Fall Classic.

Faces have come and gone over the years since the Blue Jays started to be a postseason contender. Let’s take a look at how a few former Blue Jays have started the season.

Bo Bichette

After a rough 2024, Bichette was one of the best Blue Jays’ hitters in 2025, and hit a three-run home run in Game 7 of the World Series. He hasn’t found the same success in the Big Apple, slashing just .228/.262/.263 with two doubles and no home runs for a 53 wRC+. He’s mainly played exclusively third base this season and has been fine at the hot corner.

Chris Bassitt

The veteran righty had three solid seasons with the Blue Jays, but isn’t off to the best start, giving up 10 earned runs over his first six and one-third innings, with six walks and three strikeouts.

Seranthony Domínguez

Acquired by the Blue Jays from the Orioles ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, Seranthony Domínguez posted a 3 ERA and 3.37 FIP in 21 innings for the Blue Jays to end the season. The right-handed pitcher had a solid postseason as well, finishing with a 3.18 ERA and 6.84 FIP in 11.1 innings pitched, albeit with more walks than strikeouts.

He signed with the Chicago White Sox this past off-season, and has a 3.86 ERA and 5.72 FIP in four and two-thirds innings pitched. Two of his five outings were against the Blue Jays, where he didn’t allow an earned run in two and one-third innings of work.

Ty France

Ty France was acquired by the Blue Jays ahead of the 2025 trade deadline alongside Louis Varland, as they sent prospect Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden to the Twins. France’s role on the Jays was against lefties, and he departed for the San Diego Padres this off-seasn.

Will Wagner

Wagner is currently on the 10-day injured list and didn’t have the greatest end to his 2025 season, both in Triple-A and the big leagues.

Joey Loperfido

Wagner was acquired before the 2024 trade deadline alongside Blue Jays’ prospect Jake Bloss and Joey Loperfido from the Houston Astros for Yusei Kikuchi. Loperfido was traded back to the Astros shortly before Spring Training for Jesús Sánchez.

Loperfido is off to a solid start through his first 12 games, slashing .273/.342/.364 with no home runs in 38 plate appearances for a 110 wRC+. It seems like the 27-year-old will get some consistent playing time with the American League West team.

Leo Jiménez

Also traded before the start of the 2026 season was Leo Jiménez. Davis Schneider won the final job over the utility infielder, and the Blue Jays sent him to the Miami “Canadian” Marlins for Dub Gleed and some international free agency signing bonus pool money.

Playing six games for the Marlins, Jiménez isn’t off to a great start, slashing .273/.333/.273 with no home runs through 12 plate appearances for a 78 wRC+.

Otto López

Sticking with the Marlins, Otto López was DFA’d, then traded to the San Francisco Giants, who in turn traded the Canadian second baseman to the Marlins. López broke out with the Marlins with regular playing time, hitting six home runs in 434 plate appearances in 2024, then 15 home runs in 594 plate appearances last season, all while maintaining excellent defence in the middle infield.

López is off to another good start for the Marlins, as he’s slashing .333/.400/.489 with one home run in 50 plate appearances for a 152 wRC+ and 0.6 fWAR. I can’t say I was expecting López to become a defensive strong infielder with pop, considering his profile in the Jays’ system was a speedy, hit-first player with no defensive home.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa

The last player to play for the Blue Jays to appear on this list is Isiah Kiner-Falefa. He signed with the Blue Jays during the 2023/24 off-season and got off to a strong start, but after the Blue Jays fell out of contention, they traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Charles McAdoo.

Kiner-Falefa struggled last season in Pittsburgh, eventually being DFA’d and returning to the Blue Jays, where he notched an important hit against the Houston Astros in September. This past off-season, he signed with the Boston Red Sox, where he’s slashing .091/.167/.091 with no homers in 12 plate appearances.

Spencer Horwitz

Following the 2024 season, the Blue Jays made another trade, sending Spencer Horwitz and prospect Nick Mitchell to the Cleveland Guardians for Andrés Giménez and Nick Sandlin. Horwitz was traded to the Pirates shortly after, while Sandlin was non-tendered and signed with the Angels. More on them in a second.

Horwitz began the 2025 season injured, but had a strong second half, finishing the season slashing .272/.353/.434 with 11 home runs in 411 plate appearances for a 119 wRC+. So far this season, the first baseman is slashing .233/.351/.267 with no home runs in 37 plate appearances.

Alek Manoah

Along with Sandlin, who has yet to appear in a big league game this season, the Angels have three former Blue Jay pitchers. Alek Manoah was DFA’d late in the 2025 season after missing most of 2024 with an injury. He didn’t pitch with the team in 2025, but returned to the Buffalo Bisons after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Unfortunately, he’s yet to make his Angels debut, as the 28-year-old is on the 15-day injured list. Manoah had a rough Spring Training, pitching 15.1 innings with a 9.39 ERA and 8.94 FIP.

Yusei Kikuchi

After the 2024 trade deadline move, Yusei Kikuchi made 10 starts with the Astros in 2024, but didn’t appear in a playoff game. He signed with the Los Angeles Angels during the 2024/25 off-season and posted a 3.99 ERA and 4.23 FIP in 178.1 innings pitched last season.

Through his three starts with the Angels in 2026, the left-handed pitcher has a 6.75 ERA and 3.08 FIP in 14.2 innings pitched.

Jordan Romano

The other former Blue Jay on the Angels is Jordan Romano, who was non-tendered following the 2024 season. Before the 2024 season, he was one of the best closers in the big leagues, and one of the most successful closers in Blue Jays’ history.

Romano struggled in 2025 with the Philadelphia Phillies, but is off to a strong start with the Angels. Through six outings, Romano has pitched five innings with a 0 ERA and 1.55 FIP. It’s good to see him get back on track.

Tim Mayza

A big reason why the Blue Jays struggled in 2024 was due to three high-leverage relievers struggling. Romano was one of those relievers, as were Erik Swanson and Tim Mayza. Swanson retired, but Mayza is off to a strong start with the Phillies.

Through five outings, the left-handed pitcher hasn’t given up a run and has a 1.29 FIP in seven innings of work, thanks to a 34.8 K% and 4.3 BB%. Good to also see him back on track.

Matt Chapman

Another reason why the Blue Jays struggled is thanks to losing an important bat in the lineup, Matt Chapman. He signed with the San Francisco Giants during the 2023/24 off-season following two seasons with the Blue Jays.

Chapman has continued to be an effective hitter, slashing .300/.352/.460 with a home run through 54 plate appearances this season. In 2024, he hit 27 home runs in 647 plate appearances, then 21 plate appearances in 535 plate appearances in 2025.

Danny Jansen

Danny Jansen was another player traded during the Blue Jays’ struggles in 2024. At the time, the catcher was the longest-tenured Blue Jay, but they shipped him to the Red Sox for Gilberto Batista, Cutter Coffey, and Eddinson Paulino.

Jansen has bounced around since the trade, struggling with the Red Sox, but becoming the first player in MLB history to play for two teams in the same game. During the 2024/25 off-season, he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays, but was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of the trade deadline. This season, he plays for the Texas Rangers, where he’s slashing .241/.267/.414 with a home run in 30 plate appearances.

Gabriel Moreno

Another catcher of note who was traded a few years ago was Gabriel Moreno. He was traded with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for Daulton Varsho, and has become an important player for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Through 44 plate appearances, he’s slashing .282/.341/.410 with no home runs for a 112 wRC+. Right around his career averages.