Bolstered Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays pillaged the Miami Marlins

Most of the ink that's been spilled this offseason has focused on the pricey free agent acquisitions made by baseball's two burgeoning West Coast superpowers. 2012 saw the Dodgers and Angels grapple for splashy headlines the way competitive siblings battle for their parents' undivided attention. Hollywood has emerged as the center of the baseball world with its pair of star-studded teams, both of whom are flush, aggressive, and hungry to end an interminable three-year postseason drought.

Meanwhile, in a foreign land called Canada, the Toronto Blue Jays have quietly assembled baseball's most dangerous and intriguing ballclub.

Last preseason many tabbed Toronto as a dark horse candidate to make the playoffs, but injuries decimated John Farrell's starting rotation and caused a promising season to end with 89 losses. 2012 was a frustrating year on many levels. Brett Lawrie did not mature into the Ryan Braun clone that scouts hoped he would become. Adam Lind, Kelly Johnson and Yunel Escobar looked lost at the plate. The bullpen struggled. Ricky Romero pulled a Tim Lincecum and went from Cy Young candidate to one of baseball's worst pitchers overnight.

Instead of crossing his fingers and waiting to see what his personnel could achieve when healthy, GM Alex Anthopoulos adopted an aggressive, win-now approach that sacrificed some of his organization's most promising young talent in the process. But unlike, say, Kansas City's much criticized trade of Wil Meyers for James Shields, he made sure he got plenty of established big league talent in return.

In the span of a few short months, he overhauled his roster into one of the most formidable teams in the league. The Blue Jays are going all in for 2013 as they gun for their first playoff appearance in 20 years. With their retooled roster they will try to take advantage of the aging Yankees and rebuilding Red Sox, both of whom are flawed and could be watching from the sidelines come October. After a flurry of trades, Toronto is poised to usurp the kings of the American League East

And for that, the Jays can thank the Miami Marlins.

Less than a year after spending money like a drunken playboy in a Vegas casino, the Marlins dismantled their roster piece by piece, trading away all their talent Harry Frazee style. Now, all that's left is the wildly inconsistent Rick Nolasco, a disgruntled Giancarlo Stanton (who may not see a decent pitch to hit again for the rest of the decade), and Twittaholic Logan Morrison. I envision many solo home runs in Stanton's future, for the basepaths will be just as empty as the seats in Miami's shiny new baseball stadium.

The mass exodus began during the summer when the losses began to mount and it became clear the Marlins weren't going to contend for a playoff spot. Hanley Ramirez took his fading star to Hollywood. Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante packed their bags for Motown. A struggling Gaby Sanchez got dumped on the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the season ended Heath Bell was banished to the Arizona desert. Ozzie Guillen got canned.

Then, to top it all off, the Fish pulled off a fire sale that rivaled Boston's late summer housecleaning. Miami jettisoned its remaining stars north of the border in a blockbuster 12-player trade that rocked the baseball world and ignited a media firestorm.

But instead of focusing on the pathetic Marlins and their winning-adverse ownership, I want to look at the newest members of the Toronto Blue Jays and what can be expected of them in 2013.

Jose Reyes
After signing a nine figure contract, the speedy shortstop played a full season for the first time since 2008 and even led the league in plate appearances, but many considered his lone season with Miami a mild disappointment even though most of his numbers were right in line with his career averages. Health is always a concern with him, especially now that he's playing half his games on artificial turf, but when the switch-hitter's in the lineup he will be a great table-setter for Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. Plus, he can't possibly be any worse than Escobar was last year.

Projection: 104 runs, 13 home runs, 58 RBI, 37 steals, .301/.353/.446

Josh Johnson
Managed to stay healthy last year but was clearly not the same dominant pitcher who won the NL ERA title in 2010. However, it's worth noting that his numbers were inflated by a brutal start; from May 9th to the end of the season he posted a more respectable 3.26 ERA while limiting opponents to a .229 batting average. On the flip side, it's concerning that his home run rate more than doubled given that the Rogers Center is very conducive to the long ball. The oft-injured starter could struggle in the American League, but to his credit he was solid during interleague play by going 8-3 with a 2.95 ERA. Not an ace anymore, but he's a great number two when healthy.

Projection: 12-8, 3.62 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 185 innings, 164 strikeouts.

Mark Buehrle
After taking a productive sabbatical in the National League, Buehrle returns to the AL coming off another strong season in which he produced 3.2 bWAR, received his fourth straight Gold Glove and posted his best WHIP since 2001. One of the game's most consistent and durable hurlers, the 33 year-old workhorse has compiled twelve consecutive seasons with at least 200 innings pitched, 30 starts and double digit win totals. The perfect middle-of-the-rotation starter, Buehrle should stabilize Toronto's rotation and adds another southpaw arm to complement Ricky Romero. He's no stranger to hitter-friendly environments after calling U.S. Cellular Field home for nine seasons.

Projection: 13-12, 4.04 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 204 innings, 112 strikeouts

Toronto also received super-utility man Emilio Bonifacio and catcher John Buck in the megatrade. Since the Blue Jays already have a young power-hitting backstop in J.P. Arencibia, they packaged Buck with three prospects (including Travis d'Arnaud) in a trade to the New York Mets that netted R.A. Dickey and two minor leaguers, Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas.

R.A. Dickey
Toronto secured an ace in the reigning NL Cy Young winner. Although Dickey became a household name in 2012, he'd been a very good pitcher in the two previous years. Over the past three seasons he's made 91 starts, compiled a 2.95 ERA, averaged 206 innings per season and struck out more than three batters for every walk. The 38 year-old knuckleballer is a good bet to fall back to earth next year but his recent record indicates he will succeed in the American League.

Projection: 15-9, 3.43 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 212 innings, 198 strikeouts

Last but not least, Anthopoulos has made one notable free agent signing to date that could pay huge dividends if it pans out.

Melky Cabrera
The Melk Man followed up a breakout 2011 in Kansas City with an even better year in 2012 for the Giants that was truncated by a 50-game suspension for PED use. While it's unrealistic to expect him to repeat his performance from the past two years, I think it's equally unfair to assume he'll regress into the light-hitting outfielder he was in New York and Atlanta. For a two-year, $16 million investment, there's quite a bit of value to be had here. If Cabrera is anything close to the player he was in 2011 and '12, he will be a massive bargain. He teams up with Joey Bats and Colby Rasmus in Toronto's outfield.

Projection: 80 runs scored, 12 home runs, 64 RBI, 15 steals, .291/.330/.432

So with a strong starting rotation of Dickey, Johnson, Buehrle, Romero and Brandon Morrow, the Jays have addressed their biggest weakness and now boast five frontline starters. Adding Reyes and Cabrera makes a good lineup even better, adding balance with their switch-hitting abilities and giving the offense a nice blend of power and speed. On paper, Toronto is loaded. All the pieces are in place for new manager John Gibbons, so expect his Blue Jays to win upwards of 90 games next year and challenge their division rivals for the AL East flag.

For the first time in a long time, Blue Jay fans can say that without sounding like they're riding a maple syrup-induced sugar high.

World Series Preview

The San Francisco Giants completed their stunning comeback on Monday night by blowing out the St. Louis Cardinals, 9-1, in Game 7 of the NLCS. The Giants looked done when they dropped three of the first four games to the defending World Series champs, but with their backs to the wall they rallied. San Francisco held the Cardinals offense, the same lineup that scored the second most runs in the Senior Circuit and featured Matt Holliday, Yadier Molina, Carlos Beltran, Allen Craig, and David Freese, to only one run over the final three games.  Meanwhile, the Giants offense scored 20 times in the same span to eliminate the Redbirds and secure their second National League pennant in three years. They will face the Detroit Tigers, who swept the Yankees in the ALCS last week by silencing New York's expensive bats.

Both teams have great pitching, good hitting and excellent managers at the helm, so it should be a great series. Here is why I think the San Francisco Giants will win in 6:

1. The Giants have home field advantage

Thanks to the National League's Melky Cabrera-driven 8-0 All-Star Game victory, the Giants enjoy home field advantage in the Fall Classic.  This edge could prove to be decisive because Giants pitchers thrived at AT&T Park, where they compiled a 3.09 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and limited opponents to a .649 OPS. That doesn't bode well for Detroit, whose lineup and pitching were significantly worse on the road this year. Away from Comerica Park, the Tigers offense scored 60 fewer runs, slugged 21 fewer home runs and posted an OPS that was 71 points lower compared to their home totals. Furthermore, AT&T Park is a hitter's nightmare that figures to give Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and co. fits. But the hitters weren't the only ones who struggled; Detroit's team ERA jumped by more than half a run and their opponents' OPS climbed 51 points. It's no wonder, then, that Detroit has played sub-.500 ball on the road this year. Playoffs included, they're an uninspiring 40-45 away from home. The Giants are 52-36 at home.

2. The postseason is all about pitching, and the Giants have more of it
San Francisco fielded one one of the best pitching staffs in baseball this year, and it's not hard to see why. Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, and Ryan Vogelsong were outstanding while Barry Zito and Tim Lincecum rounded out the rotation. The bullpen, sans Brian Wilson, has been nothing short of phenomenal. The Tigers have the best pitcher on the planet in Justin Verlander, but even he has not been immune to postseason struggles. Coming into the playoffs, the 2011 AL Cy Young winner/MVP had a 5.57 ERA spanning eight playoff starts. He's been untouchable thus far, but who's to say he won't get lit up a la CC Sabathia? Max Scherzer has been just as good, but he's notoriously inconsistent and could be due for a licking as well. Anibal Sanchez and Doug Fister are above average starters, but neither one possesses dominant stuff. Plus the bullpen, Jose Valverde in particular, has been shaky.

3. The Giants have enough offense to support their pitchers
In 2010, the Giants caught lightning in a bottle when the likes of Cody Ross, Edgar Renteria, and Andres Torres elevated their games in October and sparked San Francisco to the championship. This time around, San Fran's offensive attack is led by more talented and established hitters. Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval and Hunter Pence form an intimidating heart of the order. With Angel Pagan and NLCS MVP Marco Scutaro setting the table for them, they should have opportunities to drive in runs and do some damage.

Melky Cabrera Forfeits Batting Title

Thanks for giving up the batting title, Melky. How about that All-Star Game MVP?

In an unprecedented but well-received gesture, Melky Cabrera voluntarily disqualified himself from the 2012 National League batting race.  The All-Star Game MVP is currently serving a 50 game suspension triggered when he violated the MLB drug policy by testing positive for performance enhancing drugs. His .346 average leads the major leagues, and he was poised to join another cheater--Barry Bonds--as the only members of the San Francisco Giants to win a batting crown in this millennium.

The battle for the batting title now becomes a two man race between MVP candidates Andrew McCutchen and Buster Posey, Cabrera's partner in crime.  Pittsburgh's centerfielder leads San Francisco's backstop .338 to .335, but there is still a week and a half of baseball yet to play.  At the moment, these two seem to be trending in opposite directions. McCutchen was batting as high as .373 on August 1st, but since then has batted an uninspiring .263 as his Pirates plummeted out of the playoff picture.  Over that same span, Posey batted a robust .370 and is showing no signs of slowing down.  There's history to be made here; he's trying to become the first National catcher to capture a batting title since Ernie Lombardi did it in 1942.  Besides Lombardi, Bubbles Hargrave is the only other Senior Circuit receiver with a batting title under his belt.  Johnny Bench, Gary Carter, and Mike Piazza never won one (and Piazza batted .362 one year, for crying out loud, albeit at the height of the Steroid Era. A Coors Field-aided Larry Walker edged him in both the batting race and the MVP race that year).

Obviously this competition could go either way, and will likely be decided by a handful of hits.  It could come down to a single base knock--who legs out that infield single or bloops a flare in front of a charging outfielder. I'm tempted to think Posey will continue his torrid second half and pass McCutchen, as Miguel Cabrera did to Adrian Gonzalez last year. Nevertheless, I'm putting my money on 'Cutch.  He's started to heat up again in September, and even though he probably won't see too many good pitches to hit I think he can hold off Posey down the stretch.  Like Mike Trout, Posey has been so hot for so long that I feel like he's due to hit a speed bump sooner or later.  And, since he has fewer at-bats than McCutchen, an 0-for-4 day at the plate has a greater impact on his batting line (by that some token, so does a 4-for-4).

I'm just glad Cabrera was wise enough to step down and allow a (presumably) clean player to capture the batting title.  He made the correct call by accepting the consequences of his actions. It would have been wrong for him to accept a "tainted" award for an enhanced performance, just as it would have been wrong for Ryan Braun to keep his 2011 MVP trophy had he been forced to serve his own 50 game suspension in the spring (Matt Kemp deserved it anyways, but Braun's going to get screwed over in this year's voting, so it evens out).

Cabrera can't undo what he did, just as he can't take back all the runs he scored or all the games he helped the Giants win.  But give him credit for changing the outcome of something he could still control.