Would you be happy with another meaningless Septmeber?

[Fairview4Life]

Anyone that says yes to the OP question isn't a Jays fan.

That's ridiculous. If the Jays aren't playing meaningful games in September but there's been great progress by the young guys on the team, and prospects (D'Arnaud, Hutchison, Gose, etc) are getting called up and performing well in the big leagues it will be a fun year.
We also get to watch the best hitter in baseball for another season, and as others have mentioned we get a full season of Lawrie. This is going to be a really fun year for Jays fans, regardless of whether we make the playoffs or not.

The OP was a pretty trolly question. The right answer is that no one will be happy with another meaningless September, but could accept it and be happy with development of young players/progress/Jose Bautista's age being readjusted down to 25 when they find a new birth certificate/etc..

[baulderdash77]

I'm not going to delve too much into this discussion.

I'd rather see the what the cumulative effects of a lot of good things could give us:

-Lawrie for the full season
-Colby Rasumus return to statistical norms
-Alvarez for a full season
-A full season of Thames or Snider beats him out (don't think it'll happen)
-Much better looking bullpen with defined roles for everyone
-Improvement from JPA
-EE not having to field anything
-Cecil in good shape & not having dead arm
-Hoping Drabek can bounce back.

[Geddy]

I don't have any expectations for this team so I wouldn't be bothered if we finished barely out of the playoffs or last in the league. I'll start caring more when management looks like they care a little more.

[dah3]

AA has been GM since 09 and since then he has improved the farm system, made good trades and given this team a direction. I know there's pressure to compete due to this team not making the playoffs since 93 but that wasn't under his watch.

[whysoserious]

.500 in the AL East should be viewed as a successful season. Its a competitive team and I look forward to watching this season, and there are plenty of reasons to believe we are going to finish above .500. If not this year, in the near future.

I'd be more concerned if our farm system stunk, we had Alex Rios and Vernon Wells amongst other aging stars, and had no young players with bright futures. There is plenty of reason to believe we are supporting the next generation of Blue Jays, one which can hopefully get us at least a pennant one of the years.

Fortunately we have a lot to look forward too, we ditched the past and now are focused on the future. The team in the present isn't that bad either, they are top 10 in the MLB this year likely. (Last year we were 14th with a lot of Jays under performing, as well as Corey Paterson, Jason Nix and Jo-Jo Reyes having starting gigs)

While it's very accurate that we play in a tough division. This message the Jays organization has sent out to their fans has seeped in to fan bases mentality. They now accept that finishing .500 is a successful season. There is no doubt this organization seems to be headed up and being .500 in the best division is solid. But by no means is that or should that be considered successful.

If they make the playoffs or are right there at seasons end competing, that's a successful season. A number of fans have now accepted that the division is tough and finishing .500 is a good season, which is probably exactly what management wanted when they kept saying it for the past several years.

[BobbyBoy]

Lol, anyone else ever think that a re-building team would be over .500 or at .500? Like holy ****. This year is going to be pretty good, I say 83-79.

[flatjacket1]

While it's very accurate that we play in a tough division. This message the Jays organization has sent out to their fans has seeped in to fan bases mentality. They now accept that finishing .500 is a successful season. There is no doubt this organization seems to be headed up and being .500 in the best division is solid. But by no means is that or should that be considered successful.

If they make the playoffs or are right there at seasons end competing, that's a successful season. A number of fans have now accepted that the division is tough and finishing .500 is a good season, which is probably exactly what management wanted when they kept saying it for the past several years.

Your post brings up some very valid points but I still believe everybody (management and fans) want to win a division title. That's just opinion but AA doesn't seem like the type to be content with a .500 record. I think likely we will finish above .500 with every win being another loss for another team (if Baltimore and us combine a total of 10 wins, consider that at least 1 or 2 more Yankee losses) which should put us in pretty good shape.

If you look at the players on paper, we have a fighting chance for playoffs this year. To me, the best part is that next year we will be even better situated than this year. It's a beautiful thing. If this season is a 10% chance at playoffs, next year is double. I'm excited about this team and look forward to going to 10+ games again this year.

That's just me. I can understand if people are frustrated but personally, I'm excited.

[whysoserious]

Lol, anyone else ever think that a re-building team would be over .500 or at .500? Like holy ****. This year is going to be pretty good, I say 83-79.

When you've been rebuilding for 17-18 years, it kind of wanes on your faith in the organization. Mind, you that's through many different management teams and visions. I actually like what AA has done, but another season of meaningless baseball in September cannot and should not be accepted as successful.

It's fair to acknowledge if there are positives coming out of this season even if we don't make the playoffs, but I really want to see this team make a leap forward, they didn't do it spending money and adding a big piece so let's hope that internal improvement takes a drastic leap forward this year.

[whysoserious]

Your post brings up some very valid points but I still believe everybody (management and fans) want to win a division title. That's just opinion but AA doesn't seem like the type to be content with a .500 record. I think likely we will finish above .500 with every win being another loss for another team (if Baltimore and us combine a total of 10 wins, consider that at least 1 or 2 more Yankee losses) which should put us in pretty good shape.

If you look at the players on paper, we have a fighting chance for playoffs this year. To me, the best part is that next year we will be even better situated than this year. It's a beautiful thing. If this season is a 10% chance at playoffs, next year is double. I'm excited about this team and look forward to going to 10+ games again this year.

That's just me. I can understand if people are frustrated but personally, I'm excited.

One thing fans tend to forget is that they assume that only our team will improve year over year on this trajectory upwards because they like the plan. Don't think for a minute that the Yanks or Bosox will sit still. We had a rare off-season where they weren't major players but I expect next year they will make some moves again so even if we continue upwards, the competition will likely make moves too.

This is where I think the Jays blew a rare opportunity this off-season and it would have just been money. Not to say I think Fielder was the right guy or anything but it was rare that the bigger markets weren't involved in driving up the prices.

[flatjacket1]

One thing fans tend to forget is that they assume that only our team will improve year over year on this trajectory upwards because they like the plan. Don't think for a minute that the Yanks or Bosox will sit still. We had a rare off-season where they weren't major players but I expect next year they will make some moves again so even if we continue upwards, the competition will likely make moves too.

This is where I think the Jays blew a rare opportunity this off-season and it would have just been money. Not to say I think Fielder was the right guy or anything but it was rare that the bigger markets weren't involved in driving up the prices.

Fair argument, but have you ever stopped to wonder why they weren't major players? Those above 178M in payroll will be taxed 42% in 2012 and 50% in 2013 and beyond. This absolutely crippled both the Red Sox's and the Yankee's from being able to play the way they used to. This levels the playing field more than you might think. Initially, they won't be able to go into FA for another several years, and also they get cut out of the pie for revenue sharing which completely messes up another source of income.

This means the Yankees and Red Sox's have a few year period where they can't resign players to ridiculous contracts or go out in FA. I assure you next offseason will be similar to this one as the Yankee's will be forced to make a lot of decisions of who to let go and who to stay.

Fielder was a terrible contract. Fangraphs had him top 3 (I think he was 2nd overall) in worst moves of the offseason. We offered FA more money/years to come to Toronto but a lot of them said no. I think next offseason will look a lot different.

[Kaizen]

You can argue that this was the year because the red sox stood still. You CANNOT argue that the prices would have been higher. Prince got a huge contract and darvish got the same as dice k. Prices do not only go up because of the big two.

[JaysRangers]

If there is a extra wild card i would not be happy with another meaningless September

[whysoserious]

You can argue that this was the year because the red sox stood still. You CANNOT argue that the prices would have been higher. Prince got a huge contract and darvish got the same as dice k. Prices do not only go up because of the big two.

True, they are not the only things that drives up prices but with those two in the mix, the price goes up more than it is and the likelihood of us getting a guy over those clubs is very minimal if they are in the mix.

[satyr9]

just curious but is there an extra wild card spot this year i am not sure?

I had high hopes it would be added, but I really doubt it at this point. Last I heard was optimism from Selig at the end of January, but no news for another month is bad news for an extra WC this year. I think this year's playoff schedule is too tight to shoehorn them in. WS start date won't be changed and because a WC can involve lots of travel, there's no fair way to fit it in. Most of that came from a Rosenthal piece I read a while back.

If there is no WC slot added, then we're probably looking at meaningless September ball again, which I can't say I'm looking forward to, but 95 win territory is a much steeper climb than 90ish.

With an extra WC I'd be disappointed if we didn't have meaningful games in August at least, something that we haven't had in a very long time. My gut says 5th is 91-92 wins and the Jays moderate upside is 86-88. 90 isn't impossible, but I don't see 20 games over .500 being their likeliest outcome. As such by mid-September they'd be all but mathematically eliminated and I'd call that a gigantic improvement on the last 10-15 years where that was basically true at the All-Star break. Let me have some weeks at the end of the summer where the Jays are within striking distance and I can make up scenarios where they pull even and I'll be a happy camper.

But without the extra WC, there are just too many obstacles to realistically think this team is going to challenge 'til the end of the year. It's not impossible, in fact it's more likely than I can remember it being going into spring training, but if it's playoff contention or bust with 4 playoffs spots then my guess is you're likely to be disappointed by this season 'cause I just don't see them announcing a 5th WC spot this late in the calendar.

[Al_Oliver]

they have until March 1st to add the extra Wild Cards (10 team playoffs)

[satyr9]

they have until March 1st to add the extra Wild Cards (10 team playoffs)

Well I didn't know there was a hard deadline, so that's good to know. Still I would've thought we'd pretty much know by now.