AL East preview: 2. Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto comes into 2023 with one of the best lineups in baseball, a lineup that could undeniably carry them to their first World Series in 30 years. Four-time All-Star George Springer will remain at the leadoff spot, coming off another strong offensive season. He’ll be followed by Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the two faces of the franchise. Guerrero is looking to throw his name back in the MVP conversation, currently sitting sixth in AL MVP odds. Alejandro Kirk was a pleasant surprise for Toronto last year, posting a .285/14 HR slash in his rookie campaign, earning an All-Star appearance. While he only tallied 14 homers last season, Kirk led all catchers in walks (63) and on base percentage (.372).
Any lineup that has Matt Chapman in the six or seven spot has to be pretty damn good. The three-time Gold Glover recorded his fourth season with 20+ homers, further establishing himself as one of the best two-way players in this league. Toronto gave up top 100 prospect Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to acquire utility man Daulton Varsho. The 26-year-old broke out last season, blasting 27 homers with a .235 average over 531 plate appearances. In addition to the strong power numbers, Varsho provides great defensive versatility, having the ability to play any position in the outfield, along with catching experience. Hopefully Varsho’s production can fill the void of slugging outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, whom the Blue Jays traded to Seattle over the offseason. Whit Merrifield is the other utility man in this lineup, who Toronto acquired at last year’s trade deadline. Merrifield will compete with All-Star Santiago Espinal for the starting second baseman spot. Kevin Kiermaier has found a new home in Toronto, and will take over center field for George Springer. My guess is Kiermaier will probably only start against righties, with Springer filling the void in center when Kiermaier is out of the lineup. Cavan Biggio and Danny Jansen remain valuable bench bats, with no big-time prospects likely to be called up for Toronto. There’s no doubt that losing Teoscar Hernandez hurts. While this offense can still put up runs, if George Springer goes down the elite production of the lineup could potentially falter. Don’t be surprised if Toronto adds another bat at the trade deadline in hopes of adding a little more depth and production to the lineup.
The starting rotation has finally reached its peak. After an investment of over $420 million in their starting rotation over the last four offseasons, Toronto has transformed this group into a World Series-caliber starting rotation. Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah will lead this rotation, both coming off stellar seasons. Gausman had a career year, leading all AL starters in FIP (2.38) and WAR (5.7). Manoah built on his incredible rookie season, earning his first All-Star appearance while finishing third in AL Cy Young voting. Manoah posted a 2.24 ERA over 196 innings of work, giving him the second-lowest ERA of an AL pitcher in an age 24 season or younger. It was a disappointing year for Jose Berrios, who received a seven-year, $131 million extension last offseason. While Berrios had occasional quality starts, he was arguably the most disappointing starter last season. He finished with a 5.23 ERA over 172 innings, with Toronto foregoing to start him in the postseason. While I’d like to think Berrios is just too good to have back-to-back awful seasons, he looked terrible in his WBC classic start last Sunday. I hate to be this pessimistic, but is Berrios just not very good anymore? He’ll have to prove otherwise this season. Chris Bassitt was the marquee free agent signing for Toronto, with Toronto hoping Bassitt is the final piece to complete this elite rotation. The righty placed in as the #3 starter in a strong Mets rotation, earning a playoff start in their series against the padres. With Ross Stripling signing with San Francisco, Yusei Kukuchi and Mitch White are options at the five spot, with White likely starting the year on the injured list. Overall, this is a really deep rotation with two legit Cy Young candidates. If Berrios can return to elite form, this could be the best rotation in baseball.
The Blue Jays bullpen features a plethora of right-handers who can throw heat. Jordan Romano remains the closer, posting a 2.11 ERA with 36 saves that earned him his first All-Star appearance. Both Anthony Bass and newly acquired Eric Swanson had sub-two ERAs last season, and are key pieces to help set up Romano in the ninth this year. Former Yankees reliever Chad Greene joined Toronto on a two-year deal this offseason, adding further depth to this well-rounded group. Former top prospect Nate Pearson will look to have his first healthy season, sitting at 98 mph in spring training with some command issues. Regardless, this is a deep bullpen with plenty of live arms.
Overall, I think Toronto is a serious AL contender, one is bat away from being a top team in the American League. Can Toronto put all the pieces together and win the best division in baseball? Only time will tell.