Are the Blue Jays the Best Team in the AL?
After the Josh Hamilton signed with the Angels, ESPN’s Baseball Tonight posted a picture of the Angels with the caption of best team in baseball on their Facebook account. I think that Baseball Tonight put the wrong team next to this caption. The Blue Jays have a better shot at being the best team in baseball at the end of the season.
During the off-season the Blue Jays have made two key trades to improve the team. The first trade was a blockbuster deal that netted the club 5 players. The players were shortstop Jose Reyes, outfielder Emilio Bonafacio, catcher John Buck, pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson. In the second trade the Jays will acquire reigning Cy Young award winner R.A. Dickey and catcher Josh Thole from the Mets. Dickey must sign an extension with the Jays to make this deal official.
The Jays have turned an area of weakness into an area of strength. Coming into the off-season the Jays rotation did not look like that of a contending team. After adding pitchers Mark Buehrle and Josh Johnson the team became instant contenders in the AL East. If Josh Johnson stays healthy all year? He can be a very solid number 2 pitcher in the rotation. While Buehrle begins a solid 12+ wins a year and playoff experience to this club. Dickey will be the ace of the staff and pitched a 1 hitter against the Rays in a dome stadium last season. The rotation will be made up of Dickey,Johnson, Buehrle, Romero and Morrow next season.
The Jays have a had a very productive lineup in the past couple of seasons. Adding Jose Reyes gives the Jays another element of speed to go along with Rajai Davis. Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion make a very dangerous 1-2 punch in the middle of the lineup. Overall the Jays will score a ton of runs with this lineup next season. Because they have a good mix of power and speed on the team.
The Blue Jays have made the moves in the off-season that have made them contenders. After adding solid pitching this team is poised to make a splash next season. This team has the potential to join the 1992 and 1993 teams as being the best in baseball. Barring any injuries we should see this team fight for the top spot in the game next season.
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