Blue Jays Finally Contenders??

[dballss]

if everyone is mostly healthy i would say yes, but the jays have quite a few injury prone guys right now, have to wait and see...dont think they're done either, off season just started

[AsfanSince99]

I love this trade for the B'Jays. This definitely makes them contenders!

[LASportsFan1996]

Perhaps

[SLS80]

They definitlely have a good shot. Lets see what the Yankees/Red Sox do in the offseason though

Yes they have a good shot. Don't have to worry about the redsox...they are "rebuilding" Yanks will spend and I would say have an eye on TBay.

[Billyen]

Maybe...but lots of trade chips now.

[SpecialFNK]

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, former Indians manager Manny Acta has been strongly reviewed by the Blue Jays.
This confirms earlier speculation that the Jays had interest in Acta. Olney reports that Jim Tracy and and Jim Riggleman are also among the final names being discussed. The Jays are believed to be "close" to hiring their next manager. Acta, who was fired by the Indians late in 2012, has a history with GM Alex Anthopoulos.

who would be a better manager for this Jays team?

[mtf]

who would be a better manager for this Jays team?

None of the potential candidates look particularly interesting, in my opinion. Unless they can overpay someone like Torre to come out of retirement, which is unlikely to say the least.

[SpecialFNK]

Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun hears that the Blue Jays have "phoned former Mariners executives and others" asking about former Seattle manager Mike Hargrove.
He appears to be one of the finalists for the team's vacant managerial position. Like fellow candidates Manny Acta, Jim Tracy and Jim Riggleman, Hargrove has the experience the Blue Jays are looking for, having spent parts of 16 years as a big league skipper. The Jays are expected to announce a decision on their next manager soon.

I've been thinking about something when it comes to the Jays and who they could get to be their new manager. I wonder if the Jays would be able to talk to a team already with a manager, maybe a manager the Jays would be interested in. maybe that manager would be interested in managing the Jays. the teams could work out a trade.
we've seen it happen with the Jays this offseason "trading" Farrell to Boston Red Sox. Boston let it be known they were interested in Farrell while he was still the manager of the Jays. so if word was to come out that the Jays were interested in one or more current managers from other teams then it wouldn't be tampering. and as we've seen with the Farrell trade and the Jays getting Aviles, the price to trade for a manager isn't really high.

[Vampirate]

The Achiles heel on the Blue Jays is health.

If healthy for the year this is as constructed a wild card team and possibly a penant team.

[Kelly Gruber]

I would say the AL East ranks as follows talent-wise:

1. Yankees
2/3. Blue Jays/Rays
4/5. Orioles/Red Sox

The Yankees have an solid line-up that has a lot of talent. The age thing is over-blown, these guys can still play. I fully expect them to be in the mix again.

The Red Sox look down and out to me, but anything can happen and they still have a few pieces. If their pitching staff comes together, they'll hit enough to hang around. Plus I highly doubt they head into next season with their current roster.

Rays always play above the names on their roster. They play baseball the right way and are in every game. Great pitching and clutch hitters that don't quit. They'll hang around as well.

The Orioles are a wild card. Things bounced their way from opening day, could that continue? Sure. Is it likely to? No. They'll either take their experience from last year and build on it, or they'll fall back to Earth. Hard to say.

The Jays have obviously added a lot of talent, but there are a tonne of question marks as well.

To summarize, the AL East is as muddled a mess as it's ever been. Will be very hard to predict this division. I think where this deal works for the Jays is going forward. They'll only get better in the next few seasons as these players come together and some of the youngsters make their way to the big leagues. Have to keep in mind that the Jays have a top 5-10 farm still and most of that is in A ball right now.

Whoever comes out of the AL East is "a contender" and whoever doesn't, isn't. Just really tough to tell who that will be at this point. We'll just have to see what happens in this case. Predictions are futile at this point in the AL East.

[ATL#22]

They will win the AL East

[Luca68]

its time for everybody to take notice, the jays are for reaal!! :

[Vampirate]

They will win the AL East

Woah, woah, woah, let's not make auto assumptions. Until the Yankees are dethroned they are still the team to beat and I still have them ahead of the Jays.

And i'm a Blue Jay fan myself.

[ManRamForPrez24]

Nope marlins had all these guys and sucked this is very similar to bos la trade IMO.

This is a great post

[Vampirate]

This is a great post

On paper the Blue Jays hitting is better than the Marlins last year, our Starting and Relieving Pitching is better than the Marlins last year, and I could make a case for defence as well.

Also, the Blue Jays won't have Ozzie Guillén as manager of last year.