Being a perennial contender in MLB is an extremely difficult thing to do.
It’s the most competitive baseball league in the world, and most teams go through peaks and valleys over the course of a specific period of time.
Remaining an elite team over time is not easy.
The Toronto Blue Jays are proof of this.
They finally made the playoffs in 2015 and 2016 with consecutive ALCS exits after being out of the postseason since their back-to-back World Series wins in 1992 and 1993.
After 2016, they entered a three-year period of mediocrity until 2020, when they showed signs of life and their contention window opened again.
As a result of the highs and lows, their record over their last 1,000 regular-season games is exactly 500-500, per Baseball Reference.
The Blue Jays are exactly 500-500 over their last 1,000 regular season games 👀 https://t.co/HSahhrFcrl
— Baseball Reference (@baseball_ref) June 20, 2023
So, yes: the Vladimir Guerrero Jrs., Bo Bichettes, and Kevin Gausmans of today were preceded by three years of really bad performances from 2017 to 2019.
That evened things out.
Right now, the Jays are a good team that happens to play in the strongest division in MLB: the AL East.
Their 39-35 record would lead both Central divisions, for instance, but is only good enough for fourth place in the East.
The season is long and the Jays have every reason to believe they will improve as the weeks go on.
They have an explosive lineup, a strong pitching staff, and a few potentially impactful prospects.
Whether or not they will have a place in October baseball remains to be seen, but they will be competitive no matter what.
NEXT: Kevin Gausman Is Approaching A Blue Jays Record
