The Toronto Blue Jays kickoff their season tomorrow against the Tampa Bay Rays.
This season brings with it a lot of conversation surrounding the Jays and how they can manage to return to winning ways.
Toronto will be looking to get out of a slump this season after coming from their 3rd wild-card sweep in four seasons.
While many fans claim the team is solid all around, some question the lack of off-season reinforcements.
There was no roster makeover, blockbuster trade or eye-popping free-agent signings for the Jays.
“I was disappointed, we had a chance to land Ohtani or Bellinger and failed at both, along with not trading for Soto,” lifelong Blue Jays fan, Jonathan Papadimopoulos said.
Toronto will be running it back with virtually the same core as last year and hoping for better results to come their way.
“Sure, Turner is a good get and Rodriguez should be a good reliever, but that’s pretty much it. I feel like it’s not enough,” Papadimopoulos said.
Last season Toronto went 89-73 and finished third in the AL East. They made the playoffs as the third Wild Card team and lost to the Minnesota Twins in two games.
“It’s disappointing, especially losing in two to a team like the Twins, while yes the Twins are good, we definitely have the better overall talent,” Papadimopoulos said.
The Rays’ exit from the playoffs went exactly the same way as they lost to the Texas Rangers in two games during the Wild Card round.
The head-to-head series between the Rays and Blue Jays last season was 8-6 in favour of Tampa Bay last season.
Blue Jays fan and player for the York University baseball team, Micheal Iaboni has some thoughts on the Jays’ first game.
“I’m a bit anxious going into the season opener just because of all the injuries. Hopefully, the offence is not as inconsistent as it has been this spring and they show some life,” Iaboni said.
Going into the opener, Danny Jansen, Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson are all injured but are all set to return soon enough.
“The season is 162 games long so missing the first 1-5 games is not horrible and is definitely manageable,” Iaboni said.
The Blue Jays announced that Jose Berrios would get the start on Opening day.
Berrios is coming off a good 2023 season with a 3.65 Earned run average in 32 starts and 184 strikeouts in 189.2 total innings.
“Jose Berrios is a good choice to start against the Rays. Last season, he was carving up hitters every inning he pitched,” Iaboni said.
When it comes to season expectations, many fans are split between being optimistic and realistic.
“My hopes for this season are not relatively high because of the lack of additions that they made. My hope is that we qualify for the post-season and advance to the American League Championship Series,” Iaboni said.
First pitch at Tropicana Field between Tampa Bay and Toronto is tomorrow at 4:10 p.m.