The last time John Gibbons managed the Toronto Blue Jays, he was looking for ways to sell the team as a legitimate contender. It didn't work.
He returned to the Blue Jays this offseason, 4 1/2 years after being dismissed, and now it's the outsiders who are talking about the Jays, picked by oddsmakers as the team to beat in the American League East.
"That's what this roster can do for you," said a smiling Gibbons, rehired to manage the Blue Jays during the offseason.
Things haven't been so upbeat in Toronto since two decades ago, when the Jays were reeling off back-to-back championships, the only team other than the Yankees to have done that since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.
Since then, the AL East had become the private battleground for the deep-pocketed Yankees and Red Sox. The two teams combined to win 16 of 18 AL East titles, and 11 Wild Card berths since the three-division lineup was created in 1995.
This year, however, has the makings of a new look in the AL East.
And the Blue Jays know it.
Nothing says that like the offseason shopping spree of general manager Alex Anthopoulos.
• For a seven-player package heavy on Minor Leaguers, Anthopoulos took advantage of the fire sale in Miami to land starting pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle, shortstop Jose Reyes and versatile Emilio Bonifacio.
• He shipped three more Minor Leaguers, including prospect Travis d'Arnaud, to the financially-strapped New York Mets to acquire National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey and the knuckleballer's primary catcher, Josh Thole.
• Anthopoulos' free-agent signings included left fielder Melky Cabrera, second baseman Maicer Izturis, backup catcher Henry Blanco and Mark DeRosa, who brings a leadership quality along with versatility.
"Look at what Alex assembled here," said Gibbons. "He saw a window of opportunity."
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