{"id":257950,"date":"2025-11-03T03:11:06","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T03:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/257950\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T03:11:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T03:11:06","slug":"blue-jays-go-from-world-series-heartbreak-into-uncertain-off-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/257950\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Jays go from World Series heartbreak into uncertain off-season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate as Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) looks on after the Dodgers won Game 7 of the World Series in Toronto on Sunday.Nathan Denette\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

Ernie Clement leaned back against a table in the centre of the Toronto Blue Jays clubhouse, listening to a reporter\u2019s question about what\u2019s next for his team after losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series.<\/p>\n

Clement, the breakout star of the post-season, reached behind his own back and grabbed a can that had been strategically hidden from the view of TV cameras.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I\u2019m gonna finish this beer. I\u2019m gonna finish this beer. I\u2019m gonna enjoy one last night hanging with everybody,\u201d said the 29-year-old, gesturing to his teammates around the room. \u201cYeah, I just want to soak it in with these guys. I can\u2019t emphasize it enough, I just love this group. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was literally every single person in the organization who just made this year so awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

All-star shortstop Bo Bichette was even more succinct about what was next after Toronto\u2019s third World Series appearance came to a disappointing end.<\/p>\n

Blue Jays mourn the World Series that slipped away<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI go to sleep, I wake up, I pack up, and I go home, and that\u2019s what happens the next couple days,\u201d said Bichette.<\/p>\n

And certainly, rest and recovery are needed. Both Clement and Bichette played hurt in the World Series against the Dodgers. <\/p>\n

Clement had a hairline fracture in his left middle finger and Bichette missed most of September and the first two rounds of the postseason with a sprained left knee that he deadpanned hurt \u201ca little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Veteran designated hitter George Springer missed Games 4 and 5 of the Fall Classic with a strained midsection and had also taken a 95 mph fastball off of his knee in the American League Championship Series against the Seattle Mariners.<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement reacts after flying out during the ninth inning of Game 7 of the World Series on Saturday in Toronto.Chris Young\/The Canadian Press<\/p>\n

There were two other significant injuries to Toronto\u2019s roster as starting pitcher Jose Berrios didn\u2019t make a single playoff appearance after right elbow inflammation ended his season early. Switch-hitting slugger Anthony Santander \u2013 one of the Blue Jays\u2019 biggest off-season acquisitions \u2013 was shelved after three games in the ALCS with back tightness, an issue that plagued him all year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m shot. My whole body\u2019s shot. I just want to go lay in bed for about a month,\u201d said Clement. \u201cAfter that month, I\u2019ll get ready to play baseball, and I can\u2019t wait for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the Blue Jays heal physically, general manager Ross Atkins has some work to do too. <\/p>\n

Several key players from Toronto\u2019s playoff run are set to become free agents in the off-season, including Game 7 starter Max Scherzer, pitcher Chris Bassitt, and most notably Bichette, who has spent his entire career with the Blue Jays organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said I\u2019ve wanted to be here from the beginning,\u201d said Bichette. \u201cI want to be here, but I just lost a Game 7.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cathal Kelly: Congrats on the loss, Toronto. It was a masterpiece<\/a><\/p>\n

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., has played his entire career alongside Bichette and said he wants to continue being teammates. Guerrero signed a 14-year, US$500-million extension with the Blue Jays on April 9.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously, I would love to finish my career playing with [Bichette],\u201d said Guerrero with the shortstop just a few feet away. \u201cBut with the free agency, he\u2019s got to do his thing, go and do what he\u2019s got to do and get his money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shane Bieber, a trade deadline acquisition from the Cleveland Guardians, has a player option in 2026. Clement and Gold Glove centrefielder Daulton Varsho are also entering arbitration years.<\/p>\n

Guerrero, who was a strong contender to be named World Series MVP if the Blue Jays had won the championship, said that he and his teammates will come back stronger when spring training begins in five months\u2019 time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot just the season, this game will make us stronger,\u201d said Guerrero through team translator Hector Lebron. \u201cIt\u2019s not the way we wanted to end it but like I always say, we lost one battle, but we haven\u2019t lost the war.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, I mean, it\u2019s the way it is. It\u2019s God\u2019s plans, and we\u2019ve got to move forward. I\u2019m very proud of myself, my teammates, and we\u2019ll be back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue Jays reflect on the team’s loss to Los Angeles in Game 7 of the World Series. It’s the closest the team has come to winning the championship in more than 30 years.<\/p>\n

The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: The Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate as Toronto Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":257951,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[901,888,902,879,877,903,49,48,876,895,896,891,878,875,46,549,295,894,887,914,880,881,893,889,890,884,904,885,909,910,912,907,911,905,908,882,898,899,714,897,906,82,865,61,900,892,886,883,913],"class_list":["post-257950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-alberta","tag-arts-news","tag-bc","tag-breaking-news","tag-breaking-news-video","tag-british-columbia","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canada-news","tag-canada-sports","tag-canada-sports-news","tag-canada-trafficcanada-weather","tag-canadian-breaking-news","tag-canadian-news","tag-economy","tag-education","tag-environment","tag-federal-government","tag-foreign-news","tag-globe-and-mail","tag-globe-and-mail-breaking-news","tag-globe-and-mail-canada-news","tag-government","tag-life-news","tag-lifestyle","tag-local-news","tag-manitoba","tag-national-news","tag-new-brunswick","tag-newfoundland-and-labrador","tag-northwest-territories","tag-nova-scotia","tag-nunavut","tag-ontario","tag-pei","tag-photos","tag-political-news","tag-political-opinion","tag-politics","tag-politics-news","tag-quebec","tag-sports","tag-sports-news","tag-technology","tag-travel","tag-trudeau","tag-us-news","tag-world-news","tag-yukon"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257950"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257950\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257951"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}