Anchored by a strong start to the season by Marco Estrada, the Blue Jays are starting to look like World Series contenders once again. (Photo credit: apardavila via Foter.com / CC BY)
It might be a good time to buy some stock in the Blue Jays 2016 World Series odds market.
Many were jumping off the bandwagon a month ago after the Jays were swept at home by the Rays to fall to 19-23 on the season.
Since then, however, Toronto has gone 16-7. After taking 3 of 4 at Rogers Center against the AL East-leading Orioles, the Jays have pulled within 2.5 games of both the O’s and Red Sox.
Toronto’s slow start led to a discount on the Blue Jays 2016 World Series odds. The Jays opened the year as the top-ranked American League team, paying 12:1. They were downgraded to close to 20:1 by the end of May.
Oddsmakers are moving the Jays odds back up as a result of this recent surge. But as of June 13, you could still get the Jays at 18:1 at Pinnacle.
Toronto is also an attractive +225 to win the AL East.
- Red Sox: +130
- Blue Jays: +225
- Orioles: +300
- Yankees: +800
- Rays: +2200
(All odds subject to change)
There’s more to like about the Jays right now than just their recent record. They’re 5 games over .500 despite the fact that hardly any of their hitters have hit their stride.
The surprising strength has been in starting pitching, particularly Marco Estrada (who, don’t laugh, is a darkhorse Cy Young Award candidate), Aaron Sanchez and J.A. Happ.
Toronto’s rotation ranks second in the AL (Texas is first) with a 3.66 ERA, and that’s without Marcus Stroman being himself for the past few weeks. Even R.A. Dickey’s been solid of late, working into the sixth inning in each of his last 10 starts and lowering his ERA to the low 4s.
Now consider everything that’s gone wrong for the Jays so far. Jose Bautista’s WAR is 0.8. Josh Donaldson isn’t even on pace for 100 RBIs. Russell Martin and Troy Tulowitzki are each hitting around .200. Michael Saunders has been the Jays’ best offensive player.
The good news is, the offence finally seems to be waking up. The Jays have scored 60 runs in their first 11 games of June, with Edwin Encarnacion doing a lot of the heavy lifting.
And don’t forget Toronto will get Chris Colabello back in a little over a month. If he wasn’t a product of PEDs and is able to put up numbers similar to last year, that’s quite the bat to add to the lineup midseason.
This team isn’t perfect, obviously. They don’t have an ace the caliber of many other World Series contenders, their bullpen is full of question marks and Sanchez’s pitch count is already under surveillance.
But at 18:1, the Jays certainly look worth a shot.