The Toronto Blue Jays are officially part of the discussion.
The American League is crowded with top-level teams, and now the Blue Jays have to be included in that list. After adding two Cy Young-talented pitchers in R.A. Dickey and Josh Johnson, an above-average inning eater in Mark Buehrle and adding talent at the top of their lineup in Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera, the Jays are a legitimate threat.
Looking through each team’s projected lineups, using MLBDepthCharts.com as a reference, there are several teams that could conceivably represent the junior circuit in the 2013 World Series.
Last year’s AL champs, the Detroit Tigers, have added Torii Hunter through free agency and Victor Martinez will be back after missing 2012 to injury.
The New York Yankees are always part of the conversation, the Los Angeles Angels added the best free-agent hitter available, the Texas Rangers won 93 games despite their unbelievable collapse and the Tampa Bay Rays had the best pitching staff in baseball in 2012.
If Alex Anthopoulos and the new look Blue Jays want to make some noise in 2013, they’ll have to deal with these five teams—and the Orioles and Athletics mind you—all year long.
Here’s a look at how the Jays’ new rotation, lineup and bullpen match up against the top AL contenders.