Thought the Blue Jays were done? Think again.
Toronto is reportedly making moves to strengthen a rotation that added Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle from the Marlins in recent weeks by acquiring Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey. If the Blue Jays needed one more move to show everyone they were serious after their megadeal with Miami, which also netted perennial All-Star Jose Reyes, catcher John Buck and utility man Emilio Bonifacio, this would be it.
The Blue Jays’ American League East counterparts haven’t all been silent, of course. The Yankees are bringing back their old guns of Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Huroki Kuroda and Ichiro Suzuki, although most of their offseason moves have been influenced by luxury-tax concerns. They also added former Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis this week.
The Red Sox have made the most of short-term contracts, too, scooping up outfielder Shane Victorino and reportedly working out deals with first baseman/catcher Mike Napoli and starting pitcher Ryan Dempster. They’ve now filled most of their roster holes, even if it wasn’t with big names like Josh Hamilton.
The Orioles, meanwhile, have been mostly quiet on the trading and signing front, while the Rays only made the news when they sent pitchers James Shields and Wade Davis to Kansas City for highly regarded prospects.
Right now, it looks like a no-brainer that the Jays are trending up, while the rest of the AL East is just trying to hang on. But big offseason moves don’t always turn out the way teams hope. How do you think the division will shake out?
