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 :)*

Injuries Kill The Blue Jays Once Again

     Another season, another injury-filled campaign for the Toronto Blue Jays. More importantly, another season with no playoff berth. The injuries to the likes of Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Reyes, Brett Lawrie, Melky Cabrera and company were too much for the club to handle over the majority of a 162-game season. As the Blue Jays hope to finish the season strong, the only thing Blue Jays' fans can look forward to is next year. For Blue Jays fans, this season has been a splitting image of the team over the course of the last half-decade.

     The Jays didn't even start the season hot, it seemed to be yet another season of underachieving and below-.500 play from the MLB's lone Canadian franchise. However, the month of May brought the team to new highs that the franchise hadn't experienced since it's glory days in the early 90's. Encarnacion stacked up a team-record sixteen home runs in the month of May and the Blue Jays seemed unstoppable. Toronto jumped into the driver's seat of the AL East, with only Baltimore even remotely in the rear view mirror. Despite an average June, the Jays still held onto the top spot in the division by a good margin. However, July and August killed the team entirely. Brett Lawrie tweaked his back just one at-bat after returning from his hand injury which would eventually sideline him for the remainder of the season, topped off with losing Encarnacion for the majority of the next two months and GM Alex Anthopoulous making zero moves to improve the team at the Trade Deadline sent the team into a downward spiral.

     Loss after loss, and eventually the Blue Jays came to a cross-road with the Seattle Mariners in mid-August. Both teams had identical records and were both in the hunt to claim the second wild card spot. The Blue Jays got spanked in all three games by the M's, and the Jays lost all hope of getting a playoff spot after that crushing blow. The Mariners would go on to win ball games and keep themselves in close contention for the AL Wild Card while the Blue Jays continued to slide deeper into the basement.

     Now heading into the last few weeks of the season, the Blue Jays are basically out of the playoff hunt for good. All the fans have to look forward to now is the future that Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez hold for the organization. This is the second year that the new core group of the Blue Jays have failed to meet their goal of a post-season berth, meaning it will be a pivotal offseason for Alex Anthopolous, Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey and Melky Cabrera to decide if they belong on the Jays in the future.

     It's been another season of disapointment for the Toronto Blue Jays, and if Kansas City makes the postseason this year, it means that Toronto will hold the longest playoff draught in the majors. It's time for change; whether it's the manager, pitching staff, people up in the offices or batters, the atmosphere of Blue Jay baseball needs to change. It's time the Blue Jays finally reward it's fanbase for their support.

Upcoming Blue Jays / Mariners Series Could Seal Jays' Fate

     With a pivotal series loss to the Baltimore Orioles earlier this month, the Toronto Blue Jays have dug a substantial hole for themselves in terms of playoff contention. Losing three of four games against the underwhelming Houston Astros didn't help the Jays' cause, but dropping two of three to their division rival in the Baltimore Orioles dropped Toronto well out of contention for 1st in the AL East, at least for the time being. However, some late rallies over the Detroit Tigers have put them back in a position to regain a wild card spot by the middle of the week if they can take the majority of a three-game set against another team fighting for that second wild card spot, the Seattle Mariners.

     Both the M's and the Jays are 1.5 games back of the Kansas City Royals for the 2nd wild card spot, but the Mariners have 2 games in hand over Toronto, making their series this week that much more

important for the Blue Jays. A 19-inning marathon prior to the series opener doesn't give Toronto the best jump out of the gates, but the Jays' starting pitching staff has been outstanding as of late, something the boys in blue and white haven't had the luxury of having for the majority of the 2014 campaign. After Toronto failed to capitalize on a quality outing from J.A. Happ earlier in the week, it took some late-game rallies in order for the Jays to reward their starters with a win. The Blue Jays can't depend on strong pitching night in and night out, so the bats are going to have to get going if the Jays want to contend for a playoff spot down the stretch.

     The Jays aren't going to have an easy task on their hand, as the Seattle Mariners are coming into this series red hot. The M's have won five of their last six games, and the addition of leadoff man Austin Jackson has really boosted Seattle's offence all-around. Not to mention, the Jays have to face the 1-2-3 starters in Felix Hernandez, Chris Young and Hisashi Iwakuma. Let's face it, Felix Hernandez vs. Drew Hutchison is a little lopsided, but if the Jays bats can solve "The King" in the series opener, it will only boost their morale heading into the latter two games of the series. Nonetheless, the Mariners will be fielding their A-game, as this series means as much to them as it does for Toronto.

     If the Jays can manage to take at least two of the three games against the Mariners, that would put Toronto at a record of 65-57, meaning although the KC Royals have three games in hand on the Jays, it

means Kansas City needs to win two of the four game set against arguably the AL's best in the Oakland Athletics. Not to mention, the Jays are neck-and-neck with the Mariners for the 2nd spot in the wild card, meaning a win against Seattle is a game ahead of the competitors fighting to dethrone the Royals. Don't forget, the New York Yankees, are also breathing down the neck of Toronto, so this series not only seperates the Jays from the M's, but it also sets them apart from the Yanks. Not to mention, Toronto also has two more three-game sets against the Baltimore Orioles down the stretch, which could turn the tables on the AL East standings.

     Although the odds are piled up against the Toronto Blue Jays, this series against a wild card rival in the Seattle Mariners could just open the window for Toronto to make a push for the 2nd wild card spot. Even though there's still over 40 games remaining in the season, there's only so many banana peels you can slip on down the stretch. With the roster their fielding and the star power Toronto is missing, the room for error is becoming more and more narrow as the days pass. Any way you look at it, if you're either a Blue Jays fan or a Mariners fan, this three-game set in Seattle is a pivotal series for both ball clubs, and the victor of the series has a leg up on the opposing squad heading into the final stretch of the season.