OK Jays. Now what?
With the World Series winding down, the off-season awaits the Toronto Blue Jays. Alex Anthopoulos, the young prodigy Jays GM has some tall tasks after another lack-luster season (81-81) in the jungle called the American League East. The question is…will the big red Rogers wallet be opened so he can go out and fill some holes in the team’s lineup. So, let’s say that Rogers sells a bunch of cell phones this holiday season and they decide to pour some cash into the Jays to make them more competitive, where should this money go?
Let’s start out with the need for another big bat in the lineup, preferably an actual DH? Jose Baustista needs better protection in the lineup as Adam Lind and current Diamondback, Aaron Hill failed to provide a big enough threat in front of or behind the back-to-back 50 HR hitter, Bautista. Secondly, the Jays need to find themselves a real closer. Last year’s closer by committee approach fell flat as Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco combined for 28 saves and seemingly took turns on the DL throughout the season. The Boston Red Sox may not sign Jonathan Papelbon as they have a younger, cheaper closer in Daniel Bard who outshone Papelbon when he was given the opportunity this past season. Lastly, what the Jays really need is for all of their big name prospects to age rapidly. The Blue Jays have one of the best minor league systems in the league though most of their top prospects are realistically still at least 2 years away from making a big impact for the team. Alex Anthopolis has to walk a fine line the next season by trying his best to improve his team while not sacrificing the team’s future for immediate help.
Alex Anthopoulos has a tall task ahead of him, especially in a division where half the teams spend over double what the Jays do annually. Last off-season, AA made some great moves (most notably, the Vernon Wells trade) and more importantly took huge strides to erase J.P. Riccardi’s mark on the team and mould the Jays into the team he has always envisioned. The big question is whether or not the team’s owner believes that a much improved team will translate into a huge jump in attendance or not as in recent history the Jays annual attendance numbers have been half of those of the World Series Championship years of 1992 and 1993. As a child of the 90’s, I for one hope that 1993 won’t be the last time I see a playoff game in Canada.
Photo: Tumblr
- By Disarm
- November 16, 2011
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