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With Opening Day less than two weeks away, the final roster of the Toronto Blue Jays is quickly starting to take shape based on how things have played out during spring training.

As expected, there were quite a few surprises in training camp this year with several players emerging as popular candidates to make the team.

There were also a few roster hopefuls that took a step back and didn’t help their cause with sub-par performances in Grapefruit League games.

Injuries have been a huge problem across the league right now. Several noteworthy players such as Kris Medlen of the Atlanta Braves, Patrick Corbin of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Jarrod Parker of the Oakland Athletics have all gone down during spring training with season-ending injuries.

Luckily, the Blue Jays have only experienced minor injuries this spring and the team should go into the regular season with a healthy roster.

With that being said, let’s take a closer look at the surprises, busts and injuries of spring training.

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When the Toronto Blue Jays opened their spring training schedule, Ricky Romero was just an afterthought.

Yes, he was at major league training camp along with the rest of the team, but that was due to his contract and past accomplishments—not because he was expected to be on the Opening Day roster for the 2014 season.

In fact, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos had removed Romero from the team’s 40-man roster last October and outrighted the 29-year-old to Triple-A Buffalo.

This meant that any other team could’ve claimed Romero from the Blue Jays in the Rule 5 draft, as unlikely as that was given his struggles these past two years and the fact that he’s still owed $15.6 million on his contract.

But nevertheless, that move by Anthopoulos showed the team’s lack of confidence in the left-hander ever finding his 2011 form again when he had been an All-Star and had posted a 2.92 ERA in 225 innings.

Since that outstanding season, things have gone steadily downhill for the one-time ace. His ERA in 2012 was an AL-worst 5.77 among qualified starters.

2013 was even worse as Romero failed to make the team out of spring training and then went on to post a 5.78 ERA in 113.2 innings in Buffalo.

Just when it looked like Romero’s career in the major leagues was in jeopardy and he had thrown his final pitch in a Blue Jays uniform, it appears that he’s finally turned a corner.

Going into this spring training, the Blue Jays had declared the fifth spot on the rotation open for competition. While Romero initially wasn’t expected to be a contender for the job, he’s definitely being considered now after looking a lot like his old dominant self on the mound during his three Grapefruit League appearances.

With a 1.97 ERA, lowest among all starting pitchers on the team, and six strikeouts in seven innings, Romero has shown that he may be ready to return to the major leagues at last.

His fastball is hitting 94 to 95 mph. His off-speed pitches have had a good break to them.

Most importantly, Romero has said that his knees, which had bothered him throughout last season, have finally begun to feel better following stem-cell treatment and rehab in the offseason.

Not everything has been flawless and there are still some concerns. Finding the strike zone has been a bit of an issue, as highlighted by the five walks the left-hander has surrendered.

But there’s no denying that Romero has definitely been going in the right direction, and his performance right now is already much better than it was at any point during the last two years.

While there are no guarantees that he will make the team, finishing spring training on a strong note is sure to open up eyes and serve notice that a return to the big leagues could be imminent for Romero. That alone is more than what could’ve been said about the pitcher just two weeks ago.

Considering that the Blue Jays missed out on a last-minute deal with Ervin Santana and projected fourth starter in the rotation J.A. Happ has struggled with injuries and underperformance in spring training, having a rejuvenated Romero in the rotation would go a long way towards giving the team a chance to compete in the AL East.

All stats are from mlb.com

Want to talk sports? Follow me on twitter: @WahajArshad

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Toronto Blue Jays have been mentioned as a possible destination for Ervin Santana as soon the news broke that the free-agent pitcher was seeking a one-year deal with a strong offensive team.

Since then, rumors have followed of Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos offering Santana a one-year, $14 million contract.

It’s hard to figure out whether Anthopoulos has actually offered Santana a deal or not, because the GM has a complete “media silence” policy when negotiating deals.

Rumors in the media about the team’s possible moves turn out to be wrong most of time, as the Blue Jays fan base found out when Yu Darvish was being posted and Toronto was falsely predicted to be the favorite team to land him.

Avoiding getting into bidding wars with top free agents has been something that Anthopoulos has done throughout his tenure as the team’s general manager. The biggest free agent that he’s signed so far has been Melky Cabrera, at two-years and $16 million.

But regardless of what’s happened in the past, getting Santana signed needs to be the top priority for the Blue Jays at this point.

It’s not a secret that an under-performing starting rotation was the main reason for the team’s struggles last season.

Toronto’s starters pitched the second-fewest total innings in the American League with 899.1 and put up the second-highest ERA in the AL at 4.81.

With the departure of Josh Johnson, the back end of the rotation still looks like a question mark heading into the 2014 season.

J.A. Happ was projected to be the fourth starter, but has battled a back injury and command issues in spring training.

Esmil Rogers and Todd Redmond both pitched in the rotation last season, but neither of them were impressive enough to be automatically given another opportunity. They’ve both also looked unspectacular in spring training so far.

Young pitchers Drew Hutchison and Marcus Stroman have both looked impressive in spring training, but might be better off starting the season in the minors rather than being rushed to the major leagues. Hutchison is just making his way back from Tommy John surgery and will be on an innings limit this season, while Stroman has only pitched 131 innings since turning pro.

Getting a pitcher like Santana, who had a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings pitched last season, would provide a huge boost to Toronto’s rotation and the team’s chances to compete in the tough AL East.

By having both of its first-round draft picks protected, signing a qualified free agent in Santana would only cost the team its second-round draft pick.

Even that lost pick could possibly be recouped if the Blue Jays sign Santana to a one-year deal and then offer him arbitration next season if he pitches well. If Santana declines arbitration and signs with another team, that would bring the Blue Jays a first-round draft pick back.

If the right-hander struggles, then Toronto can just let him walk away next offseason like it did for Johnson.

With money being the only factor here and not a lot of other risk involved, Anthopoulos has to break away from his usual policy of avoiding big-name free agents and make a strong push for Santana.

The team’s success this season could strongly depend on it.

All stats are from baseball reference.com

Want to talk sports? Follow me on twitter: @WahajArshad

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Toronto Blue Jays might still be in the mix for free-agent pitcher Ervin Santana, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal via Twitter.

Rosenthal reports that Santana has abruptly changed his free-agency strategy following a split with agent Bean Stringfellow of Performance Sports and is now interested in signing a one-year “pillow contract” as soon as possible.

The 31-year-old was previously expected to wait until the 2014 MLB draft before signing with a new team in order to avoid being tied to draft-pick compensation.

With a starting rotation that significantly underperformed last season, Toronto was widely expected to be active in free agency this offseason when it came to signing starting pitchers. But that hasn’t been the case so far as the likes of Ubaldo Jimenez, Matt Garza and Bronson Arroyo have all signed elsewhere.

While Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos previously said that he was interested in acquiring pitchers via free agency, he recently changed his tune, saying he was uncomfortable with the asking prices for starting pitchers and the team would use internal options to fill out the holes in its starting rotation.

If Santana is indeed interested in accepting a one-year deal, this could lead to renewed interest from Toronto.

The right-hander was outstanding last season with the Kansas City Royals, making 32 starts and posting a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings pitched.

Rosenthal has also suggested that Toronto could be a potential landing spot since Santana, who won just nine games last year, is looking to join a strong offensive team.

Getting Santana on a one-year deal could provide several benefits for the Blue Jays.

Not only would this move allow the team to make a short-term improvement to its starting rotation, which finished 14th in the AL in ERA last season, it would also give top prospects like Marcus Stroman more time to develop in the minors rather than being rushed to the major leagues.

It’s also worth noting that Toronto has both of its first-round draft picks protected in the upcoming draft and would only lose its second-round pick if it decided to sign a free agent tied to draft-pick compensation.

If Anthopoulos is indeed interested in signing Santana to a one-year deal, he’s going to have to move fast considering that plenty of other teams will now be in the mix for the free agent at those terms.

All player stats are from baseball-reference.com

Want to talk sports? Follow me on twitter: @WahajArshad

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Considered a weakness for the Toronto Blue Jays going into last season, the team’s bullpen ironically turned out to be its biggest strength.

With the starting rotation struggling to pitch deep into games and often leaving in the early innings, the Blue Jays’ relievers ended up taking on that extra load and kept the team in most games.

Despite pitching the second-highest number of innings in the American League, Toronto’s bullpen finished the season with a 3.37 ERA, fourth lowest in the AL.

Going into the 2014 season, the Blue Jays will be looking for more of the same from their bullpen as nearly all of the relievers from last year are set to return.

Both general manager Alex Anthopoulos and manager John Gibbons have suggested that the team might use an eight-man bullpen to start off the season.

This seems like a good plan considering that the team has quite a few pitchers who are out of options and could possibly be claimed by other teams if left off the bullpen roster.

Despite the extra spot, there should still be a couple of players such as Neil Wagner who will likely start the season in the minors despite being good enough to be in a major league bullpen. This is a testament to the depth the team has in this area and leaves the bullpen in good shape in case an injury occurs.

That being said, here is the projected Opening Day bullpen with an outlook on each reliever.

All player stats are from baseball-reference.com

Want to talk sports? Follow me on twitter: @WahajArshad

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When Brett Lawrie made his major league debut in 2011, the baseball world was stunned by his performance.

Sure, the then-21-year-old Canadian native out of British Columbia was a top prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays’ system ever since he had been acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers.

But despite that, no one had expected the third baseman to hit .293/.373/.580 with 11 home runs, 25 runs driven in and 26 runs scored in just 43 games to close out the 2011 season.

He was also defensively sound at third base and made several highlight-reel plays at the hot corner that had not been seen in Toronto since Scott Rolen left town.

Aside from the stats he put up, the thing that excited a lot of fans about Lawrie was his unbridled energy and the raw emotions that he openly displayed on the field and bench.

Doing things like screaming after making big plays on the field or wildly high-fiving teammates after hitting a home run, Lawrie’s actions energized the team and made the games more exciting for fans to watch.

A lot of Lawrie’s highlight-reel plays came as a result of aggressiveness and his all-out play style. He ran into stands chasing fly balls and even invited home-plate collisions with catchers in order to make them drop the ball. Again, these plays only made everyone feel more excited by seeing Lawrie’s energy and fearlessness.

With a rookie season like that, short as it was, the Blue Jays fanbase was thrilled. It looked like they had the next franchise player on their hands. The fact that Lawrie was a Canadian representing the only major league baseball team in Canada made it all the more exciting.

Unfortunately, the ensuing two years haven’t been as kind to Lawrie as his rookie season was.

During that time, he’s been injured numerous times, suspended and has underperformed with the bat once pitchers began taking advantage of his lack of patience at the plate.

In 2013, Lawrie hit just .254/.315/.397 with 11 home runs, 41 runs scored and 46 runs driven in. He played just 107 games.

As Lawrie has struggled, the amount of criticism pointed at him has significantly increased.

His passion and energy that were once praised as positive qualities during his rookie season are now being derided by critics as arrogance, over-confidence and selfishness. His all-out style of play has been called reckless.

While it might be unfair to expect Lawrie to put up the same numbers that he did during his rookie season, 2014 would be a great year for Lawrie to at least put the disappointments of the past two seasons behind him and really take the next step into becoming a key part of the team.

The most important thing for Lawrie to do in order to have a breakout season is to properly focus his energy in the right direction, especially while at the plate.

Last season, there were times when Lawrie would step into the batter’s box visibly hyped up and animated. He would take violent swings at pitches well outside the strike zone regardless of the situation or the count.

A patient approach would be more beneficial to Lawrie. He had just 30 walks in 442 plate appearances last season, which shows that he was swinging at too many pitches rather than working the count.

Like many other hitters on the team, Lawrie was also trying to pull the ball a little too often rather than focusing on hitting the ball to all fields.

With the arrival of new hitting coach Kevin Seitzer who preaches a more balanced hitting style by encouraging players to work the count, make contact and hit the ball the other way, Lawrie’s numbers should go up if he buys into Seitzer’s system.

Aside from hitting, Lawrie also needs to tone down his aggressiveness while on defense. Doing things such as letting fly balls go rather than chasing them into the stands and avoiding excessive diving or slides in order to make risky plays will allow Lawrie to take better care of his body and prevent injuries.

A breakout year from Lawrie in 2014 would really help the Blue Jays contend and bounce back from a disappointing campaign last season.

While the team has some good players at the top of the lineup in Jose Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista and Colby Rasmus, the bottom of the lineup is significantly less reliable.

Aside from the light-hitting second baseman Ryan Goins, Melky Cabrera is coming off a down year, Adam Lind has struggled to hit left-handed pitchers and catcher Dioner Navarro hasn’t been a starter since 2009.

Simply put, the team needs Lawrie to realize his potential with the bat and act as a stabilizing force who can bridge the gap between the stronger and weaker parts of the lineup.

That would not only put more pressure on opposing pitchers, but it will also allow the team’s other stars to carry a lighter load.

Lawrie really needs a breakout season in 2014 not just to silence his steadily increasing number of critics who are convinced that his magical rookie season was a fluke, but also because his success will be integral to his team’s performance in the American League East.

All player stats are from Baseball-Reference.com.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

A little more than a year has passed since the Toronto Blue Jays shocked the baseball world and captured the hearts of Canadians nationwide, following two huge trades and the free-agency signing of outfielder Melky Cabrera.

The moves made by general manager Alex Anthopoulos made the Blue Jays fan base forget all about the departure of manager John Farrell to the Boston Red Sox.

Rather, the fans began expecting to watch the team compete in the postseason for the first time since 1993, when it won the second of its back-to-back World Series titles.

To say that the 2013 Toronto Blue Jays underperformed following their offseason makeover would be an understatement. The team won just 10 of its 27 games in April and despite winning 11 consecutive games in June, was never in contention during the latter half of the season, finishing seventeen-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot.

To add salt in the wound, the Boston Red Sox, led by Farrell, clinched the division and went on to win the World Series.

Fast-forwarding to the 2014 offseason, there is considerably less hype going into the season than there was last year, when Las Vegas experts had declared the Blue Jays the odds-on favorites to win the World Series.

There are no such predictions this year from neither the experts nor the fans. Anthopoulos, too, has stayed quiet on the trade and free-agency fronts, with his only notable move being the signing of catcher Dioner Navarro.

While it may be easy write off the 2014 Toronto Blue Jays before the season even starts, fans should do well to remember that the returning roster consists of mainly the same pieces that had the baseball world raving last year.

The only two notable departures from the team are catcher J.P. Arencibia and pitcher Josh Johnson. Arencibia, with a batting average of .194 and an on-base percentage of .227 was arguably the worst hitter on the team. Johnson, meanwhile, only made 16 starts last year, in an injury plagued season and compiled a team high 6.20 ERA. Because of their sub-par performance, the departure of these two may even turn out to be an “addition by subtraction” scenario.

While many of the players no doubt underperformed, injuries also played a huge role in the 2013 Blue Jays’ struggles. Aside from the aforementioned Johnson, starting pitchers Brandon Morrow and J.A. Happ both spent a significant amount of time on the DL. Ace R.A. Dickey pitched a large part of the season with a lingering back injury that sapped the velocity from his knuckleball and led to some sub-par numbers.

Players from the starting lineup such as Brett Lawrie, Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes, Colby Rasmus and Melky Cabrera all spent time on the DL with various injuries. These injuries forced the team to rely upon bench players and minor league call-ups for a large part of the season.

Based on the roster the Blue Jays still have, the team should see much better results if the regulars can avoid the DL for the most part in 2014.

The team’s lineup still boasts formidable names up the middle in all-stars Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Leadoff hitter Jose Reyes is still one of the best table-setters in the game. Colby Rasmus quietly had a breakout season last year and will look to continue that success in a contract year. Melky Cabrera is also an impending free agent following the 2014 season and will be playing for his next contract.

It’s worth noting that even with all the injuries in 2013, the Blue Jays offence still finished eighth in the American League in runs scored, fourth in home runs and sixth in stolen bases. This is still a potent offence and playing half its games in the very hitter-friendly Rogers Centre only adds to that.

The bullpen, led by closer Casey Janssen, was the team’s major strength last year and sent two relievers to the All-Star game. As the starting pitching faltered, the bullpen was overworked and ended up second in the AL in innings pitched. Despite logging so many innings, the bullpen still put up the fourth lowest ERA in the AL.

The starting pitching remains the team’s major weakness, and the one area holding the team back from being counted as a contender. Aside from Dickey and Mark Buehrle, who were solid though unspectacular last year, Morrow and Happ are both being counted on to have bounce-back years following their injury plagued 2013 seasons. The fifth starter in the rotation is still a question mark, but this is something Anthopoulos is aware of and trying to address.

“We’re always looking to add. Anyone wants to add a frontline starter each year. We just want to improve the rotation.” He told MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm in an interview in December.

Adding another frontline starter into the rotation would go a long way towards replacing the departed Johnson and giving the club a chance to compete. Free agents Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez would be prime targets for the team to go after. It’s also worth noting that while both Santana and Jimenez are linked to draft pick compensation, the Blue Jays have both of their first round picks protected in the upcoming 2014 MLB draft and would only lose their second round pick if they sign either free agent. The club also has highly touted prospects such as Marcus Stroman who could challenge for a spot on the rotation.

Provided that its stars stay healthy and its starting pitching can be improved, this team still has the pieces to be a force in the American League and rebound from a disastrous 2013 season.

*All statistics are from baseball-reference.com

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com