Are The Toronto Blue Jays the AL East Favorites?

By: Mike Rifkin

The Toronto Blue Jays finished 2021 with a 91-71 record. That record led them to fourth place in the AL East and missed the Wild Card by one game. That has been motivation for the Jays who have been very active since the baseball lockout ended. On Wednesday morning the Toronto Blue Jays acquired Third Baseman Matt Chapman from the Oakland Athletics for prospects. Chapman had a career low .210 batting average with 27 home runs and 72 RBI. Now moving from Oakland to Toronto should help Chapman’s average especially in Toronto’s lineup he can have a huge season. But with Chapman it’s not all about the offense, it’s about his defense Chapman has three Gold Gloves and two Platinum Gloves in his career.  Adding Chapman to a lineup that features Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who was a finalist for AL MVP last season and is one of the best young players in all of baseball. George Springer who was last year’s big free agent addition who had a good season but was limited to 78 games due to injuries. Bo Bichette is a young player who had a really good season in 2021 posting a .298 average with 29 home runs and 102 RBI. Bichette also added 25 stolen bases. 

The Jays also added to their rotation this offseason with the signings of Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi. Gausman started his career in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles. 2021 was Gausman’s best season in the majors going 14-6 with a 2.81 E.R.A. for the Giants. In 192.0 innings pitched he had a career high 227 strikeouts. Kikuchi signed a three year contract after spending the past three seasons with the Mariners. Kikuchi had a 4.97 ERA in Seattle, but had his best season in 2021 and was an All Star for the first time. But the Blue Jays rotation can be really special with Hyun -Jin Ryu who has been a CY Young finalist two of the last three seasons, Jose Berrios who they acquired at the trade deadline and gave a massive extension to, and Alek Manoah who went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA as a rookie. 

The Rays, Yankees, and Red Sox will all have something to say about who wins the division, but right now you have to put the Blue Jays as the frontrunner. Bigger picture the Blue Jays might be the team to beat in the American League.