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Was This Player Really the Missing Piece for the Blue Jays?

Originally posted on Toronto Blue Jays on SI
By Brad Wakai | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays will compete in the American League Championship Series for the first time since 2016.

Getting to that point has been a long time coming for this front office and ownership group, as they have attempted to build a sustained winner since that point which has resulted in many more lows than highs.

However, this year was different. A lot of things fell into place for the Blue Jays, and it started when they decided to lock Vladimir Guerrero Jr. into his historic contract extension instead of having his impending free agency hang over the heads of the players and this fanbase.

Of course, more things were needed to have this type of success than just that. And that's exactly what happened with Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt having excellent seasons on the mound and Bo Bichette putting together a resurgent campaign of his own.

But to win at the highest level, there needs to be one thing that ties everything together.

Trey Yesavage Named Missing Link for Blue Jays

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Keegan Matheson of MLB.com took a look at how everything came together for Toronto this season, diving into the moves that were made by the front office and some of the key contributors. But he made an interesting note about how Trey Yesavage might have been the missing link for this team.

"The Blue Jays paced their No. 1 prospect perfectly, pushing him up to 98 innings in the Minor Leagues with a combination of starting and, eventually, relieving. The end result? A historic postseason debut, and it feels like the rookie sensation is just getting started," he wrote.

When it comes to Yesavage, there's no doubt that he has performed like an ace during his short tenure in the bigs. With just five earned runs allowed in 14 innings pitched with 16 strikeouts across his three regular season starts, he was sensational in his playoff debut by throwing 5 1/3 innings of hitless baseball to go along with 11 K's.

Trey Yesavage's first #Postseason start: Not bad pic.twitter.com/Hgs8KN9fiQ
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 5, 2025

Not only has Yesavage been brilliant, but his arrival has also provided a jolt to this clubhouse. After being a first-round pick in 2024, his performance in the minors this year basically forced the Blue Jays to call him up to The Show. And when adding someone of that caliber to the equation where he has performed in this manner, that is a huge boost for any team.

Toronto would have still had a great chance at making the ALCS if Yesavage wasn't on the roster, but there's no doubt that his emergence has been a huge plus for the Blue Jays.