Prepare for the Worst: Blue Jays Slated To Bring Up the Rear of the AL East

At the end of last season, things already looked bleak for the Toronto Blue Jays.  They had missed the playoffs for the 15th-straight season, two of their best young pitchers would be out for awhile in '09, their offence was struggling again, injuries haunted them all year, and they were guaranteed to lose A.J. Burnett. 

Some people thought that General Manager JP Riccardi would use the offseason to bring in a good power hitter, and a reliable No. 2 pitcher. Unfortunately, the economy collapsed and team owner Ted Rogers passed away.

This dropped Toronto's budget from $97 million to $85 million, and limited them to minor-league contracts only. As of now, the Jays only have one true star on their team, and that is ace Roy Halladay. 

Behind Halladay, there will be Jesse Litsch, David Purcey, Casey Janssen, and Matt Clement. A lackluster group to say the least.  On offence, there is Overbay, Hill, Scutaro/McDonald, Rolen, Barajas, Lind, Snyder, Rios, and Wells. 

If history means anything, then Wells, Overbay, and Rolen will all spend plenty of time this season on the DL again. 

As for the rest of the bats, it can vary.  Of course, John McDonald will be used sparingly in the late innings of games the Jays are winning, as he cannot hit to save his life.  Aaron Hill has the potential to have another above-average season like he did in 2007, but there is always the risk of another concussion, or more post-concussion syndrome. 

Rod Barajas can throw out a base stealer as good as anyone else, but he lacks some pop in his bat.  Alex Rios just needs to get back to his 2007 form, and there is no doubt he can provide the offensive spark that this team will sorely need. 

As of right now, Lind and Snyder are toss-ups.  Lind is a good hitter, and I feel he has the potential to hit 20 home runs, but he must remain consistent throughout the season if he hopes to hold his spot as the DH.

Travis Snyder is still young, and will make mistakes in left field.  However, too many mistakes, or lack of production, will lead to a demotion to Triple-A Las Vegas, and Kevin Millar will take the DH role, and Lind will move to left field.

Being a Jays fan myself, I can already tell that this will be a tough season to endure, and the only way out is some sort of divine miracle, or an economic turn-around by the end of 2009.

Roy Halladay will have to work his ass off again this year, not only to keep the team respectable, but to bail out the young guys who are bound to make many mistakes. Other than that, the Jays will be the cellar dwellers of the AL East this season, and will surely leave a lot of fans disappointed.