A Blue Jays return to the World Series next year won't be easy, but fans have hope

After a pugnacious Game 7 nonaccomplishment connected Saturday, Blue Jays fans were inactive licking their World Series wounds this week, until a funny determination by 1 of the team's apical pitchers caught their attention.

Starter Shane Bieber, who joined the Jays successful July, connected Wednesday exercised a $16-million US subordinate enactment to enactment with the team, though galore shot watchers accidental the 30-year-old could've seen a overmuch higher payday had helium chosen escaped agency.

And conscionable similar that, fans person anticipation that Toronto could marque different tally astatine the World Series adjacent year.

"I was perfectly shocked," said Blue Jays superfan Lesley Mak, who's nevertheless delighted to perceive Bieber, a past Cy Young winner, volition beryllium back.

"It means helium believes successful the team, it means the squad has shown content successful him," she said, adding that it confirms each that's been reported astir the camaraderie among the existent Blue Jays.

Some shot observers person suggested Bieber is apt not the lone subordinate of the roster fired up astir the anticipation of a do-over aft coming truthful adjacent to a World Series triumph past weekend.

The Jays themselves were intelligibly heartbroken the other innings nonaccomplishment successful Game 7.

Alejandro Kirk, the past batter up for the Blue Jays successful the bottommost of the eleventh inning of Game 7 past Saturday, deed into a treble play to extremity the game, with Toronto losing 5-4 to the Los Angeles Dodgers. While it was a pugnacious loss, fans inactive anticipation the squad could beryllium backmost adjacent year. (John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images/Reuters)

"I’ve been crying, for, like, astir apt for an hour," said Ernie Clement connected Saturday. "I thought I was done with the tears, but I conscionable emotion these guys truthful much."

Star slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., speaking done a translator, noted that losing Game 7 wasn't the mode they intended to extremity the play and made a vow.

"We mislaid 1 battle, but we haven't mislaid the war," helium said. "We've got to determination forward. I'm precise arrogant of myself, my teammates, and we'll beryllium back."

"I really deliberation that these guys from the Blue Jays, the tight-knit group, they privation to tally it back," said erstwhile large leaguer Sean Casey, portion reacting to Bieber's determination connected MLB Network.

While the Blue Jays tin present number connected astatine slightest 1 much pitcher nether declaration for 2026, the occupation doesn't extremity there. Every off-season is simply a scramble for teams to amended their rosters successful an effort to guarantee they're acceptable to vie successful the spring.

Blue Jays wide manager Ross Atkins and president Mark Shapiro talked to the media Thursday astir what the ballclub would request to bash successful the off-season and if they thought it was imaginable the squad would beryllium backmost successful the 2026 World Series.

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Shapiro says that though the Jays mean to effort to triumph it each again adjacent year, the squad mightiness not look precisely the same.

"You've got to physique disconnected of what happened," helium said. "It won't enactment precisely the aforesaid mode adjacent twelvemonth arsenic it worked this year.

"It's been astir that pursuit, it's been astir perpetual betterment and … making this a large spot to play."

Atkins said helium was "open" to moving it backmost and improving upon what worked.

"I wouldn't enactment myself successful a container to accidental that determination has to beryllium alteration to improve," helium said. "I judge successful quality beings, I judge successful the powerfulness of development, betterment and the powerfulness of cohesion."

But adjacent the astir talented teams indispensable propulsion themselves to marque back-to-back World Series appearances. And portion Toronto has done that before, it took the franchise different 32 years to get different shot.

"A batch of dominoes person to autumn to repeat," said Steve McAllister, a seasoned sports writer who covered the team's back-to-back championships successful 1992 and 1993.

Witness the San Francisco Giants, who won 3 World Series titles successful 5 years (2010, 2012 and 2014), without immoderate appearances successful betwixt those championships. More recently, the Houston Astros went to the World Series 4 times from 2017 to 2022 — winning doubly — but making lone 1 back-to-back appearance.

Not lone bash the Jays look agelong likelihood of making different World Series appearance, they'll besides person to woody with the imaginable departure of immoderate of their champion players who are present escaped agents. And Bo Bichette is astatine the apical of that list.

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'Bo needs to marque a decision'

The Blue Jays said Thursday that the nine had made a $22.025-million qualifying connection to Bichette, the archetypal measurement successful the off-season process.

The 27-year-old is 1 of Toronto's apical hitters and has been with the Jays for his full career. Usually a shortstop, helium moved to 2nd basal during the World Series aft returning from a late-season genu injury.

The two-time all-star has expressed his tendency to enactment successful Toronto — though thing is simply a fixed erstwhile a escaped cause hits the unfastened market.

“I said I've wanted to beryllium present from the beginning,” Bichette said again successful an interrogation instantly aft past Saturday's Game 7 loss.

But the Jays' qualifying connection whitethorn beryllium little than what helium would apt bid arsenic 1 of the apical escaped agents this winter. Toronto has shown that it's consenting to walk large erstwhile it wants to, with a $500-million declaration hold for Guerrero earlier this year.

McAllister says Bichette rates arsenic a precedence for Toronto, not lone for his bat, but besides for what helium means to the ballclub, and, successful particular, Guerrero.

Bo Bichette celebrates his clutch three-run location tally successful Game 7 of the World Series by hugging his teammate Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Bichette is present a escaped agent, meaning helium could take to motion a caller declaration with Toronto, oregon spell to different team. (Mark Blinch/Getty Images)

"There's a yin and yang determination betwixt him and Guerrero," McAllister said, alluding to the relationship betwixt the duo who came up successful the Toronto strategy together.

Mak says "Bo needs to marque a decision" astir whether helium wants to play for Toronto, oregon pursuit his dreams determination else.

What astir the different escaped agents?

The Jays volition besides person to measurement making offers to different notable escaped agents, including infielders Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ty France, who conscionable won a golden mitt award, arsenic good arsenic starting pitchers Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer and reliever Seranthony Domínguez.

McAllister points to the interaction the 41-year-old Scherzer — apt a aboriginal Hall of Famer — had connected his teammates, and whether he'll instrumentality for 1 much play with Toronto.

"Does helium springiness the Blue Jays a discount and travel backmost for different year?" asked McAllister.

Veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer, seen conscionable aft being pulled from Game 7 of the World Series, is present a escaped agent. (Nick Turchiaro/Imagn Images/Reuters)

The Blue Jays volition besides beryllium counting connected involvement from different escaped agents who whitethorn privation to play for a proven World Series contender.

With that successful mind, Mak believes the squad should banal up connected arsenic overmuch prime pitching arsenic they can, whether successful the starting rotation oregon the bullpen.

McAllister points retired that Toronto's part rivals, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, volition besides beryllium warring for the champion escaped agents, arsenic volition the their World Series opponents, the Dodgers.

Can the Dodgers bash it again?

The Dodgers, present the back-to-back World Series champions, volition besides beryllium looking to tally it backmost —in their lawsuit hoping to assertion a 3rd consecutive championship, thing that's lone ever happened a fistful of times successful Major League Baseball history.

The past clip was erstwhile the Yankees won successful 1998, 1999 and 2000. The Oakland Athletics besides won 3 consecutive World Series, from 1972 to 1974. There were besides immoderate Yankees runs decades agone that saw New York triumph 4 successful a enactment (1936-1939), and 5 successful a enactment (from 1949 to 1953).

Pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto raises the World Series MVP trophy astatine Toronto's Rogers Centre aft the Dodgers defeated the Blue Jays successful Game 7 of the World Series past Saturday. Basketball fable Magic Johnson, 1 of the owners of the storied L.A. franchise, stands down him. (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

Despite the comparative rarity of a three-peat, the Dodgers are optimistic.

The nine has been to 5 of the past 9 World Series, winning this twelvemonth and last, arsenic good arsenic the COVID-abbreviated 2020 season, but losing to the Astros successful 2017 and the Red Sox successful 2018.

"It’s a existent situation to spell 3 successful a row," said hoops fable Magic Johnson, who's among the radical of owners of the storied franchise, erstwhile speaking to KTLA astir the possibility.

That said, Johnson believes the Dodgers "have the radical successful the clubhouse" to try.

Dodgers president and controlling proprietor Mark Walter has vowed the squad volition beryllium "back adjacent year" to observe different championship.