It seems the bandwagon is in full force right now, with articles popping all over the place indicating that the Jays may, in fact, be a contender for the year 2008. Dayn Perry over at Foxsports provided some guarded optimism, which clearly puts things in perspective in his second last paragraph.
Says Perry: "In the East alone, the Yankees and Red Sox have better talent and vastly deeper coffers. Elsewhere, the Angels and Indians won 94 and 96 games last season, respectively, and the Tigers have drastically upgraded this winter by adding Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis and Edgar Renteria to the fold."
This is true, however the Yankees roster, aside from Alex Rodriguez don't seem to be as intimidating as in years past... they need to acquire Johan Santana to put them over the top. While a lot of the Jay articles coming out indicate that the Jays have a shot at a wild card this year, they seem to all gloss over the state of the Yankees and focus on the health of the Jays. But it seems quite clear for the Jays to have a fighting chance this year, it all boils down to how the Yanks play their cards.
If Johan is a Yankee in 2008, the Jays have no chance. If they don't, then they've left the door open a bit, and anything can happen. Hopefully, the Twinkies give the American League a little bit of a break. Hopefully, the Mets understand the importance of having an elite starter.
Jays Chances Hinge on Johan?
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6 comments:
I think Hughes and Chamberlain making it is just as important to the Yankees as signing Santana. They've also got a bunch of guys who are either getting old or coming off career years. Still a heck of a team, but the 5+ wins that Johan would add doesn't make them a lock next season.
Without the Great J - the Yanks should be odds on to fall to the restored Jays. With Santana - it'll be a close run thing.
I think the Yankees will have a hard time scoring runs and staying healthy. Their lineup is OLD!
Their lineup is still pretty studly, with Cano, Jeter, A-Rod, Matsui and Abreu all proven contributors, it doesn't really matter too much that guys like Damon, Giambi and probably Posada are now on the downside.....
I'm going to go ahead and say Matsui and Abreu are on the downside as well. Melky is Reed Johnson with more media. None of their three starting outfielders will make more than 120 starts.
I'm not a fan of Milquetoast Cabrera as well, but I think the negativity thrown at him (created as a reaction against the NY overhype) is a little overstated as well.... let's remember he's still only 23 and has two full major league seasons under his belt... and even with a good portion of their big guns getting on the downside, they've still had much more amazing careers than the likes of the majority of the Jays starters...
all i'm saying is objectivly comparing the Yanks and Jays batting lineups, it's pretty clear the Yanks is superior.. it's the rotation right now where the Jays reign supreme..... a yankee acquisition of Johan though throws that all out the door.
i agree with Hale's assesment to a degree though, in the event the Yanks don't get Johan, then they'll absolutely NEED 2 of their 3 young pitchers to at least be GOOD (and HEALTHY) next year... i think Kennedy seems the surest bet next year to stay healthy, but he's obviously the least talented of their three youngin's... if joba and hughes can keep their stuff going over 180+ IP, then that will probably steer them to the postseason as well...
all in all, i think as good as the Jays play next year, it really boils down to how good their competition will be......
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