Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports breaks down the Toronto Blue Jays chances in 2010.
Anthopoulos recognized quickly what Tampa Bay and Baltimore did a few seasons back: Competing in the AL East, particularly against New York and Boston, often takes an organizational retooling. He can’t rid himself of Wells, so Anthopoulos took his most valuable chip – one he was going to lose in six months anyway – and cashed it.
Now comes the fun part: figuring out how to execute the plan that will oust the Yankees or Red Sox. Anthopoulos immediately invested money into scouting, an area somewhat abandoned under Ricciardi’s watch and seen by Anthopoulos as cost beneficial. One thing of which Anthopoulos can’t be accused: copycat management.
This doesn’t make Toronto a threat this year. The Blue Jays rolled out a plethora of young pitchers last season, all of whom looked great at times and mediocre at others. Shaun Marcum is back from Tommy John surgery to anchor the staff, joined by left-handers Ricky Romero, Brett Cecil and Marc Rzepczynski – pronounced Zep-CHIN-Skee, for those curious – and their respectable strikeout rates.
Some pieces will click, some won’t. That’s what happens when a team rebuilds. The Blue Jays are in the first phase, and it’s going to feel awkward for a while, trusty, reliable No. 32 not coming out every fifth game, replaced by some kid on the mound. And don’t forget the kid in the front office, either, the one whose wee trade gets bigger by the day.
When I was a kid, it used to be about players coming up from the “farm club”, playing ball, loving the game etc. Today, sports posture themselves like politicians, corporations and churches. Oui-vah, I’m gettin’ old…
if the Jays finish ahead of the Orioles in the AL East this year then i’ll be surprised. they have virtually no chance to finish ahead of anyone else.
I still think there is room here for delgado at a decent rate. But it does appear the jays don’t want to spend. Their pitching staff might just be better than we think. I also think our center fielder will have a better year.