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TORONTO — To fully understand both the reach and power of the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays, consider the empirical evidence provided by the Canadian broadcast numbers for Game 7 of the World Series — an average audience of 10.9 million, a peak of 14 million, with 18.5 million viewers watching the minimum contest.
Those are staggering numbers, and at a time when the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers have no stable weight, winning a gripping 5-4 final in 11 innings, the key question facing the Blue Jays is how to recover from a remarkable 2025 season.
For a front office that has long taken an admiring glance at the organizational machine the Dodgers have built under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, it’s not a quick deal. Much like Friedman took the Tampa Bay Rays’ operating system and turbocharged it with the benefits of the Los Angeles market, the Blue Jays are finally doing the same with the Cleveland model and Toronto’s resources.
Now, for the first time since Mark Shapiro has taken over as president and CEO following the 2015 season, there is a real, compelling proof of concept that can be seen and created. The Blue Jays no longer need the core free agents they tried to lure north to imagine how good it would be to not just capture a wild-card spot but actually win here. They can actually show.
How much that flux helps remains to be determined. But there’s a big difference between pitching a concept versus being able to sell a vision board.
So, if the Blue Jays intend to build a Northern powerhouse, as their pursuits of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto indicate the past two winters, their World Series run and their players talk about their experience this season is a unique window.
That’s why this winter is the Blue Jays’ most important opportunity since 2015-16, when a run to the AL East title and a six-game loss to the Kansas City Royals in the ALCS reignited similar national passion for the team and the sport.
Then, for a number of reasons, they didn’t fully capitalize on it amid a change in senior leadership—with Shapiro taking over from the retiring Paul Beston, the departure of GM Alex Anthopoulos and his replacement with the arrival of Ross Atkins—as well as the need to modernize the organization’s business structure.
With valid concerns about an aging core, the Blue Jays had a cautious off-season, making only a few short-term promises to make another ALCS run in 2016 before a steady decline in the rebuild that led to the current group.
This is all important reference, as there are many salt equivalents between 2015 and 2025.
Perhaps most importantly, Shapiro, like Beston, is working on an expiring contract, although at this time around, no changes are expected and his extension is likely to be announced soon.
Also playing differently is that on the business side, the Blue Jays’ renovation of Rogers Center completed for the 2023 and 24 seasons, along with the recent shift in dynamic ticket pricing, ensured that this postseason run was used more effectively than in 2015-16.
And rounded out on the list is now-superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose monster playoff came just as the kick off of his $500-million, 14-year extension next season and he heads into what should be the peak years of his career.
All of this makes Bo Bechette’s free agency an interesting stress test for the Blue Jays.
Like Guerrero, the star shortstop has been a cornerstone of the franchise for the past six years, and heading into his age-28 season next year, his peak is just yet to come. The ability he showed sliding over to basically play a new position on one leg in the World Series was remarkable, and if the Blue Jays had closed out Game 7, his third-inning drive off Ohtani might have been one of the club’s greatest home runs.
There are a few things to consider out of the conditions — starting with being at second base to reduce wear on his body, with Andres Gimenez staying at shortstop. But assuming it works out, and taking Bechette at his word about ending his career with Guerrero and getting together in Toronto, there’s plenty of common ground to work with.
Free agency can be wild, of course, giving other teams a chance to break ties. The Blue Jays, too, have made discipline a core value in their operations, which is what they have benefited from their ownership so far, which means they will have a vantage point. So, too, too Bichette.
The Dodgers have parted ways with some key talent in recent years — Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, chief among them — without missing a beat, confident in their ability to develop or acquire suitable replacements to bolster the roster.
Maybe the Blue Jays can similarly replicate that runaway success, but there is also value for clubs in retaining their top homegrown talent.
That’s especially true with Bechet as a baseline four-win player, whose offensive play embodies all the qualities the organization values, whose impact was evident off the field throughout the season.
His status alone, of course, won’t solve many questions on the roster, as rotation is a priority right there with him. Strengthening the bullpen will also be important, and there is some depth on both ends of the pitching market.
Together, this is some heavy lifting, of course, but in capitalism, anything is possible, although some times are more likely than others.
As a team projected to finish this year just over the third luxury-tax threshold at $281 million, ending a World Series run that could double as a lifetime marketing campaign with the club, there may be more acceptance in the market than ever for the Blue Jays’ financial strength.
A decade ago, they were not in a position to take full advantage of the same opportunity. Better positioned to do so this time, they don’t let this opportunity slip away.
