MLB Opening Day: Odds Stacked Against Toronto Blue Jays

What a difference a year makes in the life and times of a Toronto Blue Jays supporter.

Last year, the Blue Jays went into the season as MLB favorite to win the World Series and ended up hitting every pothole imaginable in the long road of a baseball season. They finished in last place in the American League East Division, 23 games off the pace of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox.

This year, Sports Interaction’s MLB futures odds have a very different look. The Jays’ World Series odds are almost double what they were a year ago at +1300, seventh on the board. The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the way at +650 with the Detroit Tigers and Washington Nationals each at +800. AL East rivals the New York Yankees are at +900 while Boston is +1100.

Sports Interaction’s MLB Futures Odds

“We’ve kind of earned that because of the way we played last year,” Toronto manager John Gibbons told reporters. “And until we go out and do something to change all that, nothing’s going to change. As far as having the same team, we liked the team we had last year (and) we didn’t think it was something you had to really overhaul.”

It has to be hard to shake the horror of last season for Jays supporters. The Jays dropped five of their first seven out of the gate and it all went downhill from there. Toronto was hammered by injuries and its pitching staff never got out of first gear.

Shortstop Jose Reyes limited to 93 games after hurting his ankle sliding into second base midway through April. R.A. Dickey went from a Cy Young winner with the Mets to watching his ERA balloon above 4.00 in his first season in Toronto.  By the time everything was said and done, Jays supporters had lost more than 10 units in their bets.

The Jays need to avoid another slow start as they open the 2014 campaign this afternoon as visiting underdogs against the Tampa Bay Rays. Sports Interaction’s MLB odds has Toronto as a +130 underdog as Dickey and David Price share the hill. Still, the Jays are already dealing with some bad news after learning closer Casey Janssen will begin the season on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain.

However, outside of the Janssen injury, the Jays are in much better place this year as far as injuries go. Plus, with a year of playing together in the books, Toronto hopes to be more consistent this season.

“We’re kind of getting a mulligan this year,” Dickey told reporters. “Last year, a lot of things went wrong. This year, we’re pretty much all healthy. … We’re in a much different place.”

Now we get to see if that makes any difference.

Play ball.