Major League Baseball

Three reasons to watch the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:12 p.m. ET

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Go ahead. Just admit it. You'€™re prejudiced against Canadians. Never appreciated Steve Nash'€™s dimes, or Warren Moon'€™s CFL statistics. Worse, you haven'€™t seen a Toronto Blue Jays game in years ... except for when your favorite team was playing them. And then you were all U-S-A, U-S-A. Just like in 1980.

Hey, I get it. Toronto'€™s a tremendous city, but that stadium'€™s not one of the reasons. And did you know it'€™s been more than 20 years since the Blue Jays have been in the playoffs? That'€™s now the longest streak in the majors, and by a fair piece. They'€™ve finished as high as second place just once in that span. Funny thing about the Blue Jays, though. While they haven'€™t been really good in a long, long time, they also haven'€™t been terrible in a long, long time. They'€™re always just kinda ... there, you know? Neither good nor bad nor interesting, really.

* And before you start equating Canada with uninteresting, remember that many of our funniest Americans have been Canadians. Plus, Rush.

So why watch? For one thing, this team'€™s got a better chance of winning the American League East since any Blue Jays team since ... well, since last year. But before that, it had been a long time! Last year'€™s team was essentially co-favored to win the East, and so is this year'€™s. Give or take.

Even beyond that, though, if you just dig in a little, you'€™ll see that these Blue Jays really are pretty interesting. Here, I'€™ll prove it to you ...

1. Messrs. Dickey & Buehrle
If you'€™re making a list of the five most interesting pitchers in all the major leagues, don'€™t R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle both have to be on it?

Dickey, of course, is MLB'€™s only top-notch, full-time, dyed-in-the-wool knuckleball pitcher. Yes, Steven Wright'€™s got a shot at joining Dickey, whether this year or some other. But will Steven Wright co-write one of baseball'€™s better recent memoirs? Probably not. Is Steven Wright missing a ligament that almost everybody else has? Also probably not!

And then there'€™s Buehrle, who'€™s probably the fastest-working pitcher in the majors and the most durable.

So there'€™s wholly two-fifths of the Blue Jays'€™ pitching rotation, which means if you just happen to tune in for the first pitch, you'€™ve got a 40-percent chance of seeing something really interesting.

2. Those No. 5 starters
Yes, now we'€™re up to 60 percent of the rotation. But hear me out! With the season-ending knee injury suffered by Marcus Stroman, the Blue Jays certainly got worse, but they might also have gotten just a touch more interesting. Because among the top candidates to fill that hole, two --  Daniel Norris and Johan Santana --€“ are also among the more interesting pitchers you'€™ll find. Norris, as you'€™ve no doubt heard, dances to the beat of his own drum, and that'€™s when he'€™s not marching to the beat of a different drummer.

OK, so I'€™m cheating a little. Santana'€™s nowhere near ready to make the Blue Jays'€™ Opening Day rotation; probably not even their roster. But hey, we can dream a little, can'€™t we? Maybe Santana will get a lot healthier, and we know some of the Jays'€™ other starters will get less healthy. Not that we'€™re hoping for something like that; but if Norris and Santana wind up as 40 percent of the rotation, are we really going to complain? If only for the sake of our 21st Century attention spans, I doubt it.

3. Ummm
OK, so I'€™ll admit I'€™m at a bit of a loss here. Sure, the Blue Jays now have Josh Donaldson, certainly one of the best third basemen in the majors. They now have Russell Nathan Coltrane Martin, one of the best pitch-framers in the majors. They seem to be counting on Dioner Navarro and Justin Smoak for important contributions, which is ... something, anyway. But if you want to go all big-picture and stuff, you might still be intrigued by sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, both of whom went from part-time player to slugging star well past the point when that sort of thing is supposed to happen. Both were All-Stars in 2013 and '€™14, and the Jays probably need similar production if they'€™re going to overcome the loss of Stroman and a few weak spots in the lineup.

Toronto Blue Jays
2014 record: 83-79
Playoffs: N/A
Projected 2015 record: 82-80*
Key additions: 3B Josh Donaldson, C Russell Martin, SP Marco Estrada, OF Michael Saunders, 1B Justin Smoak
Key subtractions: OF Melky Cabrera, RP Casey Janssen, 3B Brett Lawrie, OF Colby Rasmus, 1B Adam Lind, SP J.A. Happ, SP Brandon Morrow, RP Dustin McGowan

*Projected records courtesy of Fangraphs

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