Revamped Blue Jays Attempting To Make History

     If you would've told me three weeks ago that the Toronto Blue Jays would go out and acquire all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and ace pitcher David Price within 72 hours, I would've called you crazy. However, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos pulled off just that leading up to the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline, and now has the Blue Jays positioned in the second wild card playoff spot with 53 games remaining in the regular season, with 13 games remaining against the AL East leading New York Yankees. For Blue Jays fans, there hasn't been this much hype around the ball club since the glory days back in the late 80's and early 90's. This season can go one of two ways down the stretch: either the Jays end the MLB-leading 22 year post-season drought with one of the most dangerous teams in the league or they wind up falling just short for another season. Either way, the Blue Jays are geared up for one roller coaster of a finish.

     Let's go back two months, June 3rd. The Jays sit 4th in the AL East with a record of 25-30 and have just a 14% chance of making the postseason. Thanks to a great month of June that saw them bump from 5 games below .500 to 5 games above .500. A mediocre July put the Jays at a crossroads heading into the trade deadline. The team was sitting at 50-51, 7 games behind of the division-leading Yankees on July 28th when they acquired 5-time all-star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies for Jose Reyes, Miguel Castro and two minor leaguers. While most of the baseball world was shocked at the sight of this deal, most pointed out that the deal didn't address the Jays biggest need, pitching. LaTroy Hawkins is a great veteran out of the bullpen but him alone couldn't resurface the Jays in both the Wild Card and Division playoff hunt. Just under 72 hours later, the Jays acquire another 5-time all-star, David Price from the Detroit Tigers. This trade solidified the Jays rotation by adding something they hadn't had since the departure of Roy Halladay, a bonafide ace that can not only eat up innings but also has the ability to strike out batters with overwhelming power. At the time of the Troy Tulowitzki deal, the Jays had just a 37% chance of making the postseason. Fast forward just a week since the deal and the Blue Jays now sit 4 games above .500 and not only hold onto the second wild card spot but are just 4.5 games back of the Yankees in the division. The addition of Ben Revere also gives the Jays much needed speed at the top of the line-up and a good glove in left field, a piece of the puzzle that should definitely not be overlooked. It's astounding what a couple acquisitions can do to boost a ball club in such little time.

     So here we are, 53 games to go with a grasp on the second wild card spot and a very realistic shot at chasing down the Yankees for the AL East Division title. Alex Anthopoulos was on the hot seat heading into this year's trade deadline, and he delivered to say the least. Even with the offseason acquisitions of Josh Donaldson (who is an AL MVP candidate right now) and Russell Martin, AA was forced to turn good results this season or his tenure as GM of the Jays was likely over. If the Jays don't make the playoffs after the acquisitions, at least it wasn't because of Anthopoulos sitting back and not taking action like last year, and it makes it hard for the Blue Jays management to give him the boot after the work he's done to improve the team this season. However, with a new team president on the way, it'll be interesting to see what happens with Anthopoulos at the end of the year.

      While there's still a long ways to go in the regular season, the Blue Jays have positioned themselves to make history, ending the longest post-season drought in the league thanks to help both on and off the field. With 53 games to go and 13 against the Yankees, one thing is for sure, it's going to be an exciting finish.

*Sorry I haven't posted in so long, I'll try and be less lazy :)*

Same Old, Same Old in Toronto

     After a horrendus season that had the Blue Jays as World Series contenders, the Toronto Blue Jays looked to put a dark season behind them and start fresh for the 2014 season in their season opener in

Tampa Bay. However, nothing has changed in Toronto. Alex Anthopoulous (don't check my spelling on that one) made little to no moves in the offseason, and it showed on Monday afternoon. R.A. Dickey had a rough outing, allowing six walks and six earned runs in just five innings of work in an eventual loss. Dickey couldn't throw strikes consistently, and when he did, he got knocked around by the eager Rays. Not to mention, Jose Reyes left after just half an inning with a left hamstring injury, one that he aggravated in spring training. It's the start all Jays fans feared, and it's coming in the worse way.

     R.A. Dickey is quite the odd character. To be thirty-nine years old and be the only knuckleballer in the MLB and the #1 pitcher of the Toronto Blue Jays. Dickey was coming off a Cy Young season

R.A. Dickey had a rough outing to start the 2014 season.

when he was traded to the Blue Jays, in return for top prospect Travis D'Arnaud and much more of the Jays bright future. Although he had a better second half of 2013, Dickey's season was still nowhere up to snub. Dickey was announced the opening day starter for the second straight season, and for the second straight season, the Jays lost. Dickey got shelled in his five innings of work, with the bullpen warming up as early as the third inning to relieve the #1 pitcher. Dickey struggled to find the strike zone all game, as he walked six, yes, six batters in just five innings of work. When Dickey did find the zone, he got knocked around for five hits and six earned runs before being chased out of the mound. It was a rocky start to the season for the knuckleballer, to say the least.

     Although Dickey had a bad outing, his offence didn't back him up. The Blue Jays had two runners on base with none out twice in the first three innings, and failed to generate any runs both times. The Blue Jays were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, something that will need to be fixed if the Blue Jays want to have a successful season. Pinch hitter Erick Kratz was the only Blue Jay to get on the board, as he knocked a 2-run homer off of David Price in the eighth inning, ending Price's shutout. It's alarming when Maicer Izturis, Josh Thole and Erick Kratz are your most productive hitters at the plate over guys like Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Brett Lawrie. Despite Dickey's failure on the mound, the Jays should also be held accountable at the plate.

     Although there are still 161 games remaining in the 2014 season, the Toronto Blue Jays did not get off on the right foot against the Rays in their season opener. The pitching was bad, the hitting was bad, the team was bad. All Jays fans are hoping for a bounceback game from the boys in blue and white, as Drew Hutchison takes the mound to face-off against Alex Cobb. Opening day may not be a foreshadowing for the rest of the season, but it was an opportunity missed to get the 2014 season headed in the right direction.