2023 MLB Preview: The Toronto Blue Jays Odds, Prediction

After our preview of the five clubs with the best World Series odds, we arrive at the only team sporting a maple leaf on its uniform, the Toronto Blue Jays. The timing after yesterday’s article is fitting given that Toronto has the sixth-best odds at +667.

As always, don’t forget to check out our MLB Futures for more baseball action.

Also, we’re proud to announce a new collaboration with former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons. He and SIA’s very own David Bastl have already sat down for the inaugural episode of Pitch Clock about the upcoming season. Check that out here!

World Series Odds and 2022 Recap

The +667 odds are very good for Toronto. As the only franchise based north of the 49^th parallel, being considered the sixth-likeliest team out of 30 to win it all is pretty cool. It goes without saying that, notwithstanding any earth-shattering offseason changes, any team that attained some success the previous season will be looked upon favourably at the start of the following campaign.

Such was the case for the 2022 Toronto Blue Jays. John Schneider’s ensemble picked up the pieces of a heartbreaking conclusion to 2021  – missing the playoffs on the final weekend despite an honourable 91-71 record. Undeterred, they improved, if only slightly, to 92-70. This time nothing would prevent them from earning a postseason birth.

Unfortunately, another team emerged from nowhere and prevented them from getting out of the first round. As Jays fans remember, the Wild Card weekend ended in a calamitous fashion. The Seattle Mariners, who hadn’t been a playoff squad in ages, swept the best-of-three series in Toronto. Game 1 went to the Mariners 4-0. Game 2 saw Toronto take a seemingly commanding 8-1 lead in the fifth inning…but lost 10-9. The Expos have Blue Monday, the Blue Jays have Game 2. Welcome to the club of sad Canadian baseball stories.

Big Blue Jays Stats

Regardless of what anyone thinks about how the playoffs turned out, 2022 was, unquestionably, a strong season for the franchise.

Consider that Toronto ended 2022 with an MLB-best .264 collective batting average. They also finished third in runners batted in with 756. The Jays also led all 30 clubs with 1,464 hits. Shortstop Bo Bichette was a beast with his .290 average, 24 HRs and 93 RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. wasn’t far behind at .274, 32 homers, and 97 RBIs. Hitting, evidently, wasn’t an issue. Four players hit at least 25 home runs, after all: Guerrero, Teoscar Hernandez, Matt Chapman, and George Springer. Granted, Hernandez isn’t around anymore, but we digress.

Pitching was a different story. The 2022 rotation finished with an ERA of 3.87, smack in the middle of the 30 MLB teams. It can do worse but also certainly better. It conceded the 11^th-most home runs (180), earned the 13th-most strikes outs, and was 21^st in total hits allowed. Kevin Gausman and Alek Manoah are the 1-2 guys up front, and each is coming off a good 2022. The 10-9 defeat in Game 2 to Seattle in the Wild Card last year was reason enough to question just how good the bullpen is. Moreover, as astute baseball fans know, the importance of pitching grows in October, and one wonders just how good Toronto can get. It’s not bad, but is it worthy of a deep postseason run?

On the topic of pitching, that’s the department most plagued by early-season injuries. Hyun-Jin Ryu may start in mid-April after his Tommy John surgery, relief pitcher Hagen Danner is listed as Out, and starter Mitch White is dealing with elbow inflammation.

Newcomers are Golden Glove winner Kevin Kiermaier in centre field from Tampa Bay and Daulton Varsho out in right, previously in Arizona.

2023 Toronto Blue Jays Prediction

If the latest edition of the Blue Jays is anything like the previous one, they’ll be a fun team to watch. Home runs sell tickets and high-scoring contests are often more thrilling than low-scoring ones. Furthermore, the club’s offence helps them win most of their games. Jays faithful can be assured that the 2023 version should be very competitive, assuming it stays healthy.

It’s also fair to argue that fans should hope Toronto aims higher this year. A brief playoff exit in the truncated 2020 campaign, a solid but non-playoff 2021, and another quick postseason exit in 2022. It feels like this is the season something bigger should happen. Would a loss in the ALDS even satisfy the fanbase given how much promise the roster has? Reaching the ALCS is tough, especially with the Yankees, Astros, Guardians, and Mariners to contend with. On the flip side, an early elimination for the third time in four years would suggest this generation of Blue Jays simply isn’t playoff worthy.

Go big or go home. Get to the ALCS.