MLB Odds: Do the Blue Jays have a better chance against the Yankees or Red Sox?

The Toronto Blue Jays finished the regular season with the best record in the American League, earning a bye through the wild-card and home field advantage in the American League Division Series.

A date with the winner of the Yankees-Red Sox wild-card series is now on the books, but which team is the best matchup for Toronto is up for debate.

The Jays finished with identical 8-5 winning records and New York and Boston in the regular season, so let’s dig a little deeper into the potential ALDS matchups.

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New York Yankees

The Yankees dropped the first game in their best-of-three series, but they still hold home field advantage. Led by Aaron Judge, New York boasts one of the most lethal offences in baseball and they entered the playoffs winning 11 of their final 12 regular season games.

However, the bullpen is a major area of weakness, posting the highest ERA of any playoff team at 4.37. The team has a great combination of power hitting and starting pitching, but they don’t field well and struggle to close late in games.

Going through the Bronx in the playoffs is never ideal, but it’s a matchup the Blue Jays can win.

Boston Red Sox

Boston put themselves in a good position with a victory on Tuesday, giving them two chances to punch their ticket to the ALDS. A great bullpen is key in shorter series’ and that’s exactly what the Red Sox have, led by Aroldis Chapman.

The questions begin the longer the series goes. Garrett Crochet is a clear-cut ace, but after him you have unproven options in Kyle Harrison and Connelly Early. There’s also Lucas Giolito and Brayan Bello, who each have good ERAs, but questionable underlying numbers.

Verdict

I’ll give two answers for the Blue Jays’ ALDS opponent. First is who I think they match up better against, the Red Sox, and second is who I think they will actually play, the Yankees.

Boston isn’t nearly as deep as New York and they don’t have the same type of superstar power someone like Judge brings to the Yankees.

It’s that depth and star power in New York that I think will help them crawl out of their 0-1 hole and come back to win the best-of-three series.

Regardless of who Toronto faces, they have to be confident after posting the best record in the American League this season.