After adding Dylan Cease and Tyler Rogers in the offseason, we knew that the Toronto Blue Jays would have a better pitching staff in 2025.

Those were seen as the necessary moves to get the Jays' pitching staff up to par with its offense, which was its calling card in 2025.

Even after losing Bo Bichette in free agency, the Blue Jays were expected to have a great offense again in 2026, especially after signing Kazuma Okamoto. But it just hasn't materialized.

Of course, a season-long injury to Anthony Santander, and a basically season-long series of injuries for Addison Barger haven't helped, but it goes deeper than that.

Okamoto and Ernie Clement have done their jobs, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has really struggled and the supporting cast has failed to replicate what it did during the 2025 run to the World Series.

As noted by StatsCentre, the Blue Jays currently have a .680 OPS, which is last in Major League Baseball, and the worst for a Jays team through 102 games since 1981.

After four consecutive losses, the Blue Jays are 46-56, in last place in the American League East and 6.5 games out of the third and final wild card spot. It's increasingly clear that the team will have to sell at the trade deadline, and we could see any or all of Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, George Springer, Jeff Hoffman and Daulton Varsho moved.

What was supposed to be a coronation has turned into a disaster for the Jays, who find themselves as one of the most disappointing teams in the league - if not the most disappointing.

Gausman has a limited eight-team no-trade list, and we learned who is on it on Wednesday, which could help shape how the team views deadline negotiations.

The positive thing for the Blue Jays is that their is a path back to contention right away in 2027 - so long as Guerrero and Barger come back, and if Santander lives up to the five-year contract they gave him before the 2025 season.

The Jays will wrap up a four-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday afternoon as they look to avoid the disappointing sweep.

Left-hander Ian Seymour will take the mound for Tampa Bay, while Bieber toes the rubber for Toronto.

Seymour has gone 6-2 with a 4.79 ERA, though he's struggled recently. Bieber is 1-1 with a 5.70 ERA, but he's pitched better of late.

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