MLB Preview: Blue Jays Bring Out the Big Guns
The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the worst franchises in the league since the turn of the century making the playoffs only three times since they won the World Series in 1993. They made the playoffs in 2015, 2016, and then again in 2020. Although they did not advance in the playoffs, they certainly made a lot of strides last season and have plenty of tools and young players to build upon like Vlad Guerrero Jr who had a batting of average of .262, getting 33 RBIs and hitting nine home runs during the shortened season.
The Blue Jays will have an uphill battle solely because of their division and will have to contend with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays who both are locked and loaded to contend for a World Series. They will need to have a strong performance against other divisional matchups as winning the AL East is likely a far cry.
Offseason Acquisitions
The biggest move the Jays front office made was acquiring the heavily sought-after outfielder George Springer. Springer signed a six-year deal worth 150 million dollars, a franchise record. Springer adds excellent firepower and leadership to this young team as he has plenty of playoff experience. Springer also was part of the Astros team that got caught cheating during their recent World Series win where he won the World Series MVP.
The Jays have also made some additions to their bullpen with the signings of Kirby Yates and Tyler Chatwood. Yates signed a one-year deal with 5.5 million dollars after having surgery last season getting only six appearances with the Padres. However, during the 2019 campaign, Yates had a stellar season leading the league in saves with 41 and getting 101 strike outs and 13 walks through 60.2 innings. The Jays can only hope that his surgery will have little impact on his career and get the 2019 Yates back. Chatwood also signed a one-year deal worth 3 million dollars and is expected to be a reliever.
Infielder Marcus Semien signs a one-year deal worth 18 million dollars. The shortened season was a weird season for a lot of players and it certainly was the case for Semien who had an off season batting .223 and hitting 23 RBIs and seven home runs after finishing third in the AL MVP voting in 2019. Now that things go back to normal, except players like him to go back to their usually scheduled programming.
Season Projections
This young team has a lot to look forward to this season as they made improvements in virtually every aspect of their lineup by adding proven veterans. The starting rotation isn’t necessarily deep but is far from the worst in the league lead by aces Ryu and Ray. The rotation drops off from there but is still competitive and Yates can come in out of the bullpen to close out the close games.
The firepower the Blue Jays boast will have a lot of fans taking home balls. Vlad Jr, Springer, Semien, Hernandez, Lourdes and Bichette make up some of best hitting lineups in the league. Except some high scoring games.
I project the Blue Jays to vastly improve their record this season and have a winning record finishing 86-76 and will finish second in the AL East and make the playoffs. How far they advance into the playoffs is questionable with their new-look team and young players. They will most likely get bounced in the first round once again due to lack of experience, but can advance depending on how hot this team can get going into the playoffs because they certainly have the bats to beat anyone. However, expect great things from this ball club in the future.
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