As the calendar flips to 2026, the Toronto Blue Jays are about a month and a half away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Dunedin, Florida, for the beginning of spring training.
The Blue Jays’ quest to get back to the World Series begins on Friday, Mar. 27, in Toronto against the Athletics. While fans look forward to the Blue Jays’ home opener, here is an early look at five later series that fans can get excited for in 2026.
Five Series That Blue Jays Fans Can Circle on the Calendar in 2026
Apr. 6-9 vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The Blue Jays players, fans, and management don’t need to wait long to see the team that bested them in Game 7 of the World Series. The Dodgers travel to Toronto for each team’s fourth series of the 2026 season.
Hello 🤗
Our 2026 season starts in THREE MONTHS! pic.twitter.com/4cjN5ainxx
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) December 27, 2025
The Dodgers added Edwin Díaz this offseason to a three-year, $69 million deal at the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida. The contract set an annual average value record for a relief pitcher, and it should help shore up the Dodgers’ biggest weakness from 2025.
Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and former Blue Jay Teoscar Hernández are all back with the Dodgers in 2026, giving them a powerful lineup yet again as they try to make it three championships in a row.
Clayton Kershaw has announced his retirement after an 18-year career, but the Dodgers still will be bringing a pitching staff led by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell, amongst others, north of the border in what should be a great early test for the Blue Jays after opening the season against the Athletics, Colorado Rockies, and Chicago White Sox.
Apr. 27-29 vs. Boston Red Sox
This is the first American League East matchup of the season for the Blue Jays as they look to repeat as AL East champions. Last season, the Blue Jays took the season series between the two clubs, winning eight of the 13 matchups.
The Red Sox finished 89-73 in 2025, claiming the second wild card spot in the AL before falling to the New York Yankees in the best 2-of-3 Wild Card Series. The Red Sox have been active this offseason, acquiring Sonny Gray and Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals in two separate trades and Johan Oviedo from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Alex Bregman, who hit .273 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI, and Lucas Giolito, who went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA and 1.290 WHIP, were key contributors for the 2025 Red Sox and remain on the free agent market as we enter January.
Boston still has the Cy Young runner-up in Garrett Crochet and Brayan Bello atop the team’s rotation, with Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, and Trevor Story to anchor a lineup that finished fourth in MLB in hits in 2025.
May 18-21 @ New York Yankees
This will be the Blue Jays’ first trip back to the Bronx since eliminating the Yankees in four games during the American League Division Series. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the star of that series, batting .529, with a .550 on-base percentage, three home runs, and nine RBI over the course of the four games. That series is where rookie phenom Trey Yesavage came to life, throwing 5 1/3 hitless innings while striking out 11 Yankees in a 13-7 Game 2 win.
The ever dangerous Aaron Judge continued his tear against MLB last season, batting .331 with 53 home runs and 114 RBI, en route to the slugger’s third AL Most Valuable Player award. The Yankees have been quiet to this point in the offseason, bringing back Amed Rosario, Ryan Yarbrough, and Tim Hill. Cody Bellinger remains a free agent, while both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver took their talents to Queens to suit up for the New York Mets.
Last season, the Blue Jays won eight of the 13 games against the Yankees, giving Toronto the tie-breaker and home field advantage over the AL East rival when they both finished at 94-68. Many Blue Jays fans remember the four-game sweep of the Yankees last summer, centred around Canada Day, that had the Rogers Centre buzzing.
The Yankees’ rotation should have Carlos Rodón back from the elbow surgery the left-hander underwent in mid-April, while Gerrit Cole is targeting a return sometime around mid-May/June after recovering from Tommy John surgery, adding more fuel to what has become one of the better rivalries in baseball.
Jul. 3-5 @ Seattle Mariners
A rematch of the highly contested American League Championship Series, where the Blue Jays defeated the Mariners 4-3 in Game 7 after a George Springer three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning.
The Mariners went 90-72 a season ago, being crowned as AL West champions for the first time since 2001. The Mariners’ offense was a force to be reckoned with in 2025, hitting the third most home runs in MLB with 238. The lineup was led by AL MVP runner-up Cal Raleigh, who led all of baseball with 60 home runs. 2022 AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez had a strong 2025, hitting .267 with 32 home runs, 95 RBI, and 30 stolen bases, flashing a dynamic power and speed combo.
The Mariners return much of their pitching staff for 2026, headlined by Bryan Woo, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Luis Castillo, and Bryce Miller. As a team, the Mariners pitched to a 3.87 ERA in 2025, sixth best in the AL. Woo was the leader of the group, going 15-7 with a 2.94 ERA and 0.927 WHIP.
The series are always fun when the Blue Jays travel to Seattle, with many Western Canadians traveling south of the border, and surrounding the Fourth of July, this has the potential to be one of the best series in 2026.
Sept. 21-23 @ Baltimore Orioles
The penultimate regular season series for the Blue Jays will take place at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, squaring off for three games against the Orioles. 2025 was not kind to the Orioles, finishing 75-87 and at the bottom of the AL East. After a 15-28 start, manager Brandon Hyde was dismissed and replaced in the interim by Tony Mansolino, who led the Orioles to a 60-59 finish from May 17 on. Craig Albernaz will be the manager in 2026, his first time leading an MLB club.
The Blue Jays won seven of the 13 games in the 2025 season series, even with the Orioles having their worst season since 2021, when they lost 110 games. The Orioles were a playoff team in both 2023 and 2024 and still have much of the same young core that led them there.
On Dec. 11, at the Winter Meetings, the Orioles signed Pete Alonso, who brings added power to a lineup that includes Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, and Adley Rutschman. Alonso has averaged 41 home runs a season, excluding the 2020 season, when the first baseman hit 16 home runs in 57 games.
The Orioles have been active this offseason, acquiring Andrew Kittredge from the Cubs, Taylor Ward from the Los Angeles Angels, and Shane Baz from the Rays, while also bringing in Ryan Helsley on a two-year, $28 million contract as they look to reassert themselves in the ever-so- competitive AL East.
Main Photo Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports