"the Cleveland Guardians have won three of the last four division titles. It's the AL West that figures to be the greater threat to the Blue Jays, though. The Texas Rangers have retooled behind Brandon Nimmo and MacKenzie Gore, the Houston Astros' rotation has replaced Framber Valdez with Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows, and the Seattle Mariners may be even better than last year after acquiring Brendan Donovan."
"Now, the Mariners did have to pay a pretty penny to bring Donovan in, surrendering top prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and sterling hot corner defender Ben Williamson as part of the three-team swap. But none of the players they dealt away figured to garner serious playing time on the major-league roster in 2026, making this a successful win-now move for the M's."
Toronto Blue Jays will face stronger American League opposition in 2026, especially from the AL West where the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners improved. The Rangers retooled around Brandon Nimmo and MacKenzie Gore. The Astros replaced Framber Valdez in the rotation with Tatsuya Imai and Mike Burrows. The Mariners acquired All-Star Brendan Donovan in a three-team trade while largely preserving their rotation and core offense. Seattle surrendered top prospect Jurrangelo Cijntje and defender Ben Williamson but retained major-league-ready depth. The Mariners' move intensifies divisional competitiveness and strengthens their chances of rematching the Blue Jays in another ALCS.
Read at Jays Journal
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