Blue Jays executives reflect on deep playoff run, look forward to 2026 season

The pain of coming a couple outs away from a World Series title was still raw for Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins on Thursday.

They held end-of-season media availabilities five days after Toronto dropped a 5-4 decision to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the Fall Classic at Rogers Centre.

"It certainly wasn't the last out that we had envisioned," Atkins said. "But a lot leading up to it was what we had envisioned."

It was a remarkable turnaround season for the Blue Jays, who finished last in the American League East standings a year ago. Toronto rebounded with a 94-win campaign to secure the division crown and top seed in the AL.

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The Blue Jays earned their first playoff victory and series win in nine years when they eliminated the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.

Toronto then topped the Seattle Mariners in a seven-game AL Championship Series before falling to the Dodgers in an epic series capped by a memorable 11-inning finale.

"It's tough to have your back against the wall," Shapiro said. "This is a group that almost savoured having their backs against the wall."

With such a deep run, the turnaround to the start of free agency was a short one.

Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, who moved to second base for the World Series after returning from a knee sprain, is one of the marquee names on this year's list.

The Blue Jays confirmed Thursday they had extended Bichette a qualifying offer for the 2026 season, the first step in the off-season process. The homegrown two-time all-star has expressed his desire to remain with the team.

"He's been important. We will be in his market," Atkins