2023 Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview

Looking towards the ‘23-’24 season, I feel like the current roster went through the losing they needed to in order to be focused for a deep playoff run. Being swept out of the playoffs feels awful, and I say that as a fan, how do the players feel? Last year’s end to the season set the stage for roster moves in the offseason and attitudes going in the regular season. The shopping list was clear, swing and miss addition to the bullpen, lefty bats, and defense. I feel like those needs were met through the addition of Swanson, Varsho, Bassitt, and Belt. For years I was disappointed with the front office, and more specifically ownership because the budget question was always a question. "Will the team be able to spend what they need to?” was the question every year. It felt like the purse strings were opened just enough to get one free agent. When Ryu was signed that felt like the change we had been waiting for as fans, but it was just one signing.

We look at the moves of the last two offseason and the Blue Jays are officially a luxury tax team. Not only are they above the luxury tax line, but they also have what looks like a roster full of top-end talent. The dollars being spent are going towards roster upside and not age. I feel like the front office and ownership have done the team and the fans a service by spending the dollars in the right place to make this team successful. This puts the onus of success on the players. After spending decades being underwhelmed by ownership unwilling to spend in a division like the AL East, I am pleased to be rooting for a roster this strong.

The table has been set by the front office, the players are in camp, where is the mind of this fan as we get started with spring training games?

• Get Out of the Gate

  • The past two seasons, when this team was playing loose and having fun, they were an absolute joy to watch. If they find themselves 5+ games under .500 in the first 30-40 games and the Yankees get out to what feels like is going to be a 28-10 start to the season, when does the team start to press? Vladdy stated that he tried to press last season and he, based on a very high bar, underperformed. There are players across the roster who want to make good first impressions or show that underperformance from last year was a temporary issue. If the team finds themselves above the .500 line early in the season and carries that momentum out of April and through May, they will have the opportunity to gel as a team and string together some series wins.

• Defense Dividends

  • Watching Kiermaier play center field for the Rays was always a frustration. He was one of the best defensive outfielders. he caught everything in the Trop and, ugh, such an ugly stadium. Now that the Jays have Kiermaier and Varsho in the outfield, I feel great about the team’s defense. My question is, will they start to see the benefits of better team defense that allows starters to make it farther into games and take some innings out of the pen and back into the starters’ stat line?

• Bullpen

  • Usage - As mentioned with the defense, I really hope the season starts with limited usage of the bullpen. Last year felt like the bullpen was playing catch up all year and just when they were close to being back, there was some sort of setback that forced low-leverage arms into high-leverage situations or more innings landing on bullpen arms that needed some rest.

  • Swing and Miss - strikeouts make everything easier. Will the swing and miss brought in with Swanson materialize? Will Romero continue his dominance? We are so lucky we got him back after his Rule 5 departure, haha. I really want to see some easy relief innings.

• AL East

  • Yankees - I mean, it’s the Yankees, Judge, Cole, Rizzo, Cortes, Torres, Stanton etc. The team mashes, they pitch well and they have the magic pinstripes. Some would say it’s the money they spend on the team, but like the Red Sox, there is some magic in those uniforms that makes living in the AL East the annual struggle for everyone involved.

  • Rays - The Rays have earned the right to be considered a threat until they are no longer a threat. They find talent, defense, and pitching without trying. They don’t have a lot of runs in their lineup but winning in the Trop is always a challenge for the Jays. I feel like the Jays have too much talent for the Rays to be an issue but I do worry that the Rays will go .800+ at home against the Jays and find a way to win the game in Toronto that if the Jays won, they would catch up to the Yankees in the standings.

  • Red Sox - The fact that Bogaerts is out of the division and on the other side of the country makes me feel a lot better about the Red Sox this year. However, just like the magic of the pinstripes, the Red Sox have some uniform magic that makes me miserable as a fan and finds a way to win games when the Jays are on a streak looking to make up ground in the standings. One might say the Red Sox are one of the teams “you need to beat” to bank some wins, but the Red Sox have earned the right to forever be a team that finds a way to be noteworthy on the schedule, regardless of their record.

  • (Under Construction) The Orioles are a ‘24-’25 problem. Cross your fingers I don’t get meme’d for this take when August and September get here.

• Kikuchi/Pearson Revival Tour

  • Kikuchi - With the signing of Bassitt, I don’t think Kikuchi needs to be the player he was signed to be. The Jays' starting staff is three strong options deep with a Berrios looking for his own bounce-back season. I trust Berrios will be better. Let’s be honest, there is nowhere to go but up for him. That leaves us with the 5 spot and Kikuchi. His stuff is great and as of this writing, his first spring training start looked great. I think the pitch clock will keep him out of his own head. Living in the present is easier when there is limited time to think about the past. I love the pitch clock btw.

  • Pearson - I’m going to be brutally honest, I have written off Pearson’s upside. I think the roster is built for any of his OPS+ over 100 to be gravy. I feel terrible because he has not caught an ounce of luck in his career. High expectations and injuries have gotten in the way of allowing the player to just play. I think he is capable of being dominant. We’ve seen in short stints, what Pearson can do but there is no way to feel like it will happen over multiple appearances. I sincerely hope he turns into a leverage bullpen arm or a legit starter.

• Texas Rangers

  • The Rangers hold a special place in the hearts of Blue Jays fans. For a long time, that place was filled with the Jays ending up on the winning side. With all that the Rangers did to add to their roster this year AND last year, the Rangers are going to be A PROBLEM. I’m glad they are not in the AL East but the American League is close enough. Just like I’m confident Berrios will make a comeback this season, the Rangers were so bad last year, they can only improve this year, the question is how hard to the comeback to the mean and how far do they swing in the direction of overachieving?

• NL East

  • No doubt this is looking towards the World Series. This is why this is at the bottom of the list. However, the Mets and Phillies look scary. If either of these teams gets out to a big divisional lead, hits their stride, and rolls into the playoffs as the monsters they look like they could be, how optimistic could anyone be going into the playoffs, regardless of what league you’re in? From a Blue Jays perspective, I’m glad they aren’t a real playoff concern until the World Series.

• Some Luck (for once)

  • I would like for the Jays to get an out of nowhere over performance from one of their players. I trust the roster as it is built. It would be nice to be the team that finds a borderline all-star performance from a player that was not on the league’s radar going into the season. (Tiedermann, shhh)

  • If the jays can’t have the breakout unexpected star, it would be nice to ride the good health train.

  • This point is born from the ever-present feeling that the Jays are one “thing” away from having to battle their own internal demons in order to take on the team in the other dugout.