Josh Donaldson hit 29 home runs and drove in 98 last season for the Oakland A's, despite playing half his games in Oakland's pitcher-friendly stadium. (Photo credit: Keith Allison / Foter / CC BY-SA)
Once again, the Toronto Blue Jays are becoming one of the popular picks in the World Series odds.
Toronto turned heads in Major League Baseball Friday by acquiring stud 3B Josh Donaldson from the Oakland A’s in exchange for Brett Lawrie and three prospects. The move came less than two weeks after the Jays signed C Russell Martin away from the Pirates.
CBS Sports baseball writer Mike Axisa says the moves are a clear signal from Toronto management that the Jays are taking another run at a World Series title, similar to the plan they had two years ago when they picked up Jose Reyes, R.A. Dickey, Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle. Toronto was viewed as one of the favourites in the World Series odds going into the 2012 season.
Even with young talent like Marcus Stroman and Dalton Pompey, the Blue Jays have a clearly defined window of contention. It’s the next two seasons, before Jose Bautista’s, Edwin Encarnacion’s and Dickey’s contracts expire, before Martin and Reyes turn into pumpkins, and likely before the Yankees and Rays return to contention.
The AL East is weak right now. Weaker than it has been in years. The Orioles won the division this year and are still clearly the best team in the division, though they seem likely to lose Nelson Cruz and Andrew Miller to free agency. The Red Sox have made some splashy additions this winter but they currently have what may be the worst rotation in MLB. The Yankees and Rays have an uphill battle ahead of them.
If the Blue Jays are going to go all in again, I mean really go for it, this is the time to do it. The AL East is very winnable. Dioner Navarro and Lawrie are nice players, but Martin and Donaldson are massive upgrades. Upgrades that make them no worse than the second best team in the division on November 28, with three months of offseason remaining.
Toronto still needs a second baseman, and another starter or a few relievers wouldn’t hurt either, but the club appears to have already completed their major moves for the winter. The heavy lifting is done, and the result are big upgrades — both offensively and defensively — behind the plate and at the hot corner. The Jays are going for it again. They just have to hope it works better than it did two offseasons ago.
The Blue Jays’ World Series odds were around 30:1 before they made the Donaldson trade, but they were adjusted to 22:1 at Bodog soon after.
