What do you think of the Toronto Blue Jays in the Future?

Question

The Blue Jays are done now, and I'm looking towards the future, and it looks great. They were supposed to be build on offense, but they have a really good pitching staff now.
SP-Halladay, Burnett, Chacin, Marcum, McGowan, Litsch, who put up stellar numbers as a 22 year old(6 pitchers, a good problem to have)

They also have some great up and coming help in the pen
RP- Brandon League, Jeremy Accardo, and then throw in BJ Ryan and some stellar relief pitchers like Scott Downs and Brian Tallet.

Then the Jays got Alex Rios, Aaron Hill who are already some of the better AL players at their positions. Vernon should bounce back now that hes making $18 MILLION a year. And Adam Lind is coming up from the minors. Thigpen is the future behind the plate.

And for people who say money is the issue, please. The Jays I believe are in the upper half of the MLB in terms of payroll

Answer 1

I don't think the future looks good. Honestly, I can see them relocating to the united states eventually. I don't think they'll be able to compete with the Yankees or Redsox for a while, because talent wise they just don't match up. I think they're a very good team though and that they could compete in most other divisions, just not the AL east.

Answer 2

I believe that Chacin is pretty much done as a Blue Jay starter, look for him to be traded. There's no room.

If they got a decent offer for BJ Ryan, they would jump at it as well, as it's obvious that they don't need to spend $11 mil on a closer.
Despite being in the Toronto area, I agree that the Wells signing was a poor one.
With their salary in that $75 mil range, 20 - 25% of it will go to Wells. That's not smart.

I don't one could look at their rotation and say (with a straight face) that it's the AL's best, but the numbers back it up. That's pretty darn good.

1st base is one of their weak points, Overbay was brought in to be a .300 -.320 hitter with ok power (15-22 hrs) and he disappointed in both areas.

As much as John McDonald could win a gold glove if he played 140 games, today's game can't really support a .250 hitter for ever.
There is no speed because of JP not valuing it for strategy or entertainment, thus when the hitting slumps, everything goes in the tank.

I would love a real lead-off hitter, someone that could turn a single into a double.
But I agree, the future looks brighter than it has in a decade.

Now, if they can put a control on the concession prices, I may support them by going to a game. Until then, I will boycott live games and enjoy the TV.

Answer 3

You really need to add Travis Snider to your list as well. There is no question in my mind that the Jays are a team on the rise and could be a contender as early as next year. They will make believers out of many fans in the years to come. The Jays will have to figure out how they can pick up about ten more wins to get into the mix and the young talent is certainly there to accomplish that.

Answer 4

Honestly I am not quite sure, and its hard to say. Anything can happen. Some teams are great on paper, yet they consistently finish at .500. Some teams put together a magic year and make a good run. Look at what Detroit did the past few years. If Toronto makes a few off season moves anything can happen. Especially if they get players who mesh well.

Realistically it will take a few years. Boston and NY are great teams, and they will have to out power one of them to make the playoffs. I think Toronto has a slim chance, and some players who can guide them, but they need to put it together for 162 games to do it.

Answer 5

the jays have some great pitching. although they stuggled earlier in the year, the starters steped up later in the year. they have youth to build around.

their offense is another story. personally, i think that vernon wellls contracts was one of the worst contracts ever. i have a feeling that they will regretting that soon. if the jays can make an impact offensively, they could get up there in the AL East, but it will be difficult with the talent that new york and boston have on a year to year basis.

Answer 6

I think that talent wise they are right there, if Burnett stays healthy you are right you have 6 starters, problem is he is never healthy a full season. The other bigger issue is that the manager wants to fight all the players, he is a bad manager that will hold back their progress! It looks bright there, if they can only get a good leader.

Answer 7

futuristic blue jays that would be cool