In 2026, the Toronto Blue Jays spent the entire season paying homage to the franchise's history.

Unfortunately, the season itself didn't live up to the celebrations as the Jays went 79-83, finishing last in the American League East and missing the playoffs. It was a major disappointment considering that the Jays entered the season with World Series expectations. 

However, the year was still fun from a nostalgia perspective, as there were excellent ballpark giveaways, great ceremonies and celebrations, including one for Buck Martinez.

But the nostalgia didn't stop the minute the season ended, as we look back on Oct. 8, 1976, which was the day the initial Blue Jays logo was revealed, exactly 50 years ago as of this posting.

Chris Creamer of SportsLogos.net did a great job unearthing the original press clippings about the logo, which is very similar to the one that the Jays are using now. Toronto previously had other logos, but they ultimately came back to a version that was close to the original.

The Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners both began play in the 1977 season and both joined the American League. The Blue Jays won the World Series in 1992 and 1993 while the Mariners are the only franchise to have never appeared in the World Series.

Ironically, both teams met in the 2025 American League Championship Series, and both teams failed to even make the playoffs in the follow-up campaign.

The Mariners' 50th season was even worse, as they went 76-86 in the extremely porous American League West.

--No one knows exactly what the International Signing Period is going to look like in 2027 because of the labor dispute, but the Blue Jays are well-positioned to sign Dominican outfielder Junior Fortunato, who is one of the best prospects in the class. He earned high marks from Baseball America and is a left-handed hitter.

--The Blue Jays also made an interesting international signing official on Wednesday, inking an 18-year-old infielder from the Netherlands who profiles as a utility player.

--Former Blue Jays outfielder Ezequiel Carrera, who was part of two American League Championship Series groups (2015/2016) was in the news on Wednesday, as he now shares some interesting playoff baseball history with Jo Adell of the Cleveland Guardians.

Carrera spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues and hasn't played since 2017.