Blue Jays’ fans enjoying the 2025 surprise

- By Bruce Penton

June 27, 2025

key points from this story:

• Blue Jays exceed early season expectations
• Team solidly in second in A.L. East
• Alejandro Kirk batting .311 after 76 games
• Anthony Santander underperforms after big contract
• Closer Jeff Hoffman leads league in saves
• Fans excited for playoff contention

Major League Baseball in 2025 has produced a wide variety of spectacular catches, some outstanding hitting, precise pitching and more than a few surprises, with the Toronto Blue Jays’ early-season performance one of the leaders in that ‘surprise’ category. If you thought a Rafael Devers trade from Boston to San Francisco was a shocker, how about the Blue Jays at one point in June being eight games above .500, solidly in second place in MLB’s most competitive division, the A.L. East, and — if the season ended today, which would be a shock — in a wildcard playoff position.

Pre-season prognostications by baseball insiders pegged the Blue Jays for another last-place finish in their division, which lately has been dominated by the Yankees, Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. The Jays, according to the experts, were likely to battle it out for fourth place with Tampa Bay. But if somebody named Cal Raleigh (a catcher with Seattle) can be on a pace to belt 60 home runs and if Aaron Judge can be batting around .370 near the halfway pole, and if Max Fried can prove to be one of the best free-agent signees ever (9-2, 2.05 ERA with the Yankees), then what’s so surprising about the Blue Jays being a contender?