[Official Toronto Blue Jays '13 Season Thread]

As long as we make the playoffs!

No easy task in that division.

[Official Toronto Blue Jays '13 Season Thread]

the blue jays are the canucks are baseball

English, do you speak it?

[Official Toronto Blue Jays '13 Season Thread]

It's John Gibbons that worries me. He's got a lot to prove in order to become the World Series GM.

I've been supporting the Blue Jays since forever, so it'll be weird to actually see them being covered by American media.

When I heard about the John Gibbons hire I actually said WTF? out loud. I can't say I'm sold on him but I'm trusting that Alex Anthopoulos knew what he was doing with that hire. Having said that, if the team struggles and it's obvious that Gibbons is playing a role in that, I suspect the media is gonna be pretty hard on Alex for what appears to be a step back in time with Gibbons as opposed to moving forward.

[Official Toronto Blue Jays '13 Season Thread]

Some Jays fans are in early. I love it.

Go Jays

[Official Toronto Blue Jays '13 Season Thread]

With all the big moves I'm wondering if the Jays can pull it off this year. Of the the 4 major North American sports, baseball relies the least on team chemistry (on field anyways) So assembling big names in baseball can start to pay off almost immediately. (Just look at the Yankees)

PROJECTED LINEUP

1. SS Jose Reyes

2. LF Melky Cabrera

3. RF Jose Bautista

4. 1B Edwin Encarnacion

5. DH Adam Lind

6. 3B Brett Lawrie

7. CF Colby Rasmus

8. C J.P. Arencibia

9. 2B Emilio Bonifacio/Maicer Izturis

ROTATION

RHP R.A. Dickey

RHP Brandon Morrow

LHP Mark Buehrle

RHP Josh Johnson

LHP Ricky Romero

CLOSER

RHP Casey Janssen

3 REASONS TO BELIEVE

Mr. Dependable: Jose Bautista. Despite a roster overhaul that netted multiple All-Stars, this remains Bautista’s team. He had become baseball’s leading slugger until a wrist injury limited him to six games after the break last season. He still hit 27 homers to increase his total over the past three seasons to 124.

X-factor: Casey Janssen. Amid heightened expectations, the Blue Jays are pinning a lot on an unproven closer. Not only does Janssen have limited experience in the ninth inning, he is returning from offseason shoulder surgery. If Janssen picks up where he left off last season (2.54 ERA in 63 2/3 innings), the team should be fine. If not, Toronto can turn to Sergio Santos. But he also is coming back from shoulder surgery.

On deck: Brett Lawrie. You could say Lawrie already has broken out, but he still has a big step ahead to fulfill his promise. But first, he needs to stay healthy. Lawrie, 23, has missed time with an oblique strain, broken finger and broken wrist in the past two seasons, and he just injured his oblique again. He is the only Blue Jay younger than 25 expected to see any significant time this season.

TEAM SNAPSHOT

OFFENSE: The Blue Jays were three runs shy of the major league leaders when Bautista injured his wrist in mid-July. Adding Reyes and Cabrera to the 1-2 punch of Bautista and Encarnacion should ensure that Toronto won’t again finish 13th in the AL in on-base percentage (.309).

DEFENSE: This is an average defensive team in a division that isn’t known for its collective glove work. Reyes is a slight downgrade from Yunel Escobar defensively, but Buehrle has won four consecutive Gold Gloves.

ROTATION: This unit is much improved from last season but still ranks behind the Rays. Dickey, Johnson and Buehrle must adjust to AL East pressures. And Romero must rebound.

BULLPEN: There are no big names like Mariano Rivera or Fernando Rodney, but this is potentially a strong suit. Janssen and Santos have closer experience, and the ageless Darren Oliver is tough from the left side.

BENCH: Rajai Davis, Maicer Izturis and Mark DeRosa give Gibbons several solid options.

2013 OUTLOOK

What could go right: Reyes and Cabrera should add to a potent offense, and Dickey, Johnson and Buehrle bring stability to the rotation. It’s enough to start dreaming about World Series hero Joe Carter throwing out the team’s first ceremonial playoff pitch since 1993.

What could go wrong: If injuries continue to plague the team, Romero struggles again and Encarnacion regresses to pre-2012 form, the Blue Jays still could win 90 games—but that likely wouldn’t be enough to reach the postseason.

Bottom line: Toronto finally has the pitching to complement its potent offense. Gibbons will be a stabilizing force from the dugout and a good offense will get even better. With New York aging, Boston retooling and Tampa Bay strapped for cash, the Jays are strong contenders.

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