The Toronto Blue Jays Will Be Postseason Bound This Season
Playing in the toughest division in baseball doesn’t help them but it certainly doesn’t hurt them
Just short last season and some lost star power
Last season, the Toronto Blue Jays finished 91–71. This was not good enough to make it to even a play-in game. They finished one game behind both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in one of the closest and wildest finishes of the regular season I’d ever witnessed.
Robbie Ray (13–7, 2.84 ERA in 2021), the surprise ace and Cy Young Award winner from last season signed with the Seattle Mariners in the short offseason. They also lost Marcus Semien, the breakout power-hitting second baseman. He set a Major League record last season by hitting 45 home runs at the position. He signed with the Texas Rangers. They’ve lost some key players in free agency but they’ve also retained some talent and added some new talent as well.
Adding some legitimate stars and getting a healthy one back
Matt Chapman, who had spent his entire career with the Oakland Athletics, comes over with a power bat and three Gold Glove awards to his name. The Blue Jays could certainly use his talent to bolster the already potent offense from last season. Another big boost to the roster this year is George Springer. He was on the roster last year but missed more than a half-season. He still finished with 22 home runs in 78 games. In his last full season in 2019 with the Houston Astros, the outfielder hit 39 home runs and batted .292. When he’s healthy, the Blue Jays are definitely a power threat.
Vladdy for MVP, come on
Let’s not forget that they have the second leading MVP vote-getter from last season in Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. Had it not been for Shohei Ohtani’s amazing stats from both sides of the ball pitching and batting, Vladdy would’ve easily won the MVP with historical numbers. He hit 48 home runs, drove in 111 runs, and batted .311 in 2021, all while flirting with the historic Triple Crown stats all season long.
Other contributions and the potent offense
Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez was another breakout candidate for the Blue Jays last year as he hit 32 home runs, with 116 RBI, and a .296 batting average. It was his most productive season to date and he’s still 28 years old. The Blue Jays finished with the third-most runs in the American League, the second-most hits, and the most home runs. Despite finishing with a high run differential last year that would normally calculate to them winning 99 games instead of the 91 games they won last year, they struggled with the bullpen and blew the lead late in games.
Pitching is a huge part of a team’s success
One could also argue that their starting rotation is actually better this year than when they had the Cy Young Award winner. Their biggest offseason acquisition on the pitching end is Giants breakout star, Kevin Gausman. Last season, Gausman (14–6, 2.81 ERA) posted numbers similar to Robbie Ray. Note that Gausman’s record is one win better and ERA is a few decimal points lower than the 30-year-old ace’s. Trevor Richards, who started 2021 out with the Rays, and then the Brewers came over to the Jays later in the season and made 32 appearances. He finished with a 4–2 record and a 3.31 ERA.
This is definitely a sign of life for a bullpen that looks to improve over last season. With an already talented lineup on offense to support the strong starting rotation of the Blue Jays, this team is not only expected to make the playoffs this year but they’re looking to make some moves when they get there.
Opening Day
They will probably improve on their record from last year. Here’s the Opening Day roster for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Expanded postseason favors the Jays and potential postseason run
A key difference this season over last season to note is that the MLB during the offseason and the lockout negotiations approved rule changes that permanently expanded the postseason format from 10 to 12 teams. This rule would’ve favored the Blue Jays’ luck last season as they would’ve occupied the last spot in the American League.
This season, the 3 top finishing non-division winning teams from each league also gain a spot along with the 3 division winners. In the new format, the top 2 division winners earn a bye for the first round, and the 4 remaining teams each play in a best-of-three series against each other to advance to the round with the top 2.
The Blue Jays’ energy this season despite losing a few key players feels more geared towards a postseason run and a deep run in the playoffs. I’m not going all the way and saying that they win the World Series this year for the first time in 29 years but the realm of possibility is certainly there. If they can win the toughest division in baseball, they have a very real shot to do just that. 2022 season, opening week of Major League Baseball, from this sports fan, let’s go!
