Blue Jays Betting: Can Toronto Win the World Series?
The 2024 baseball season is finally upon us, and the Texas Rangers will attempt to defend their World Series Championship after a thrilling run to their first pennant in franchise history. 63 years was a long time to wait for the Rangers’ fan base, but 1993 also feels like a distant memory for the Toronto Blue Jays’ faithful. While the echoes of Joe Carter’s game-clinching homer that ended the 1993 season still murmur in the 500 level of Rogers Centre, many Jays’ fans only remember the early ‘90s dynasty through folklore and grainy video.
Today, some of the most promising young players in the MLB wear the Toronto uniform. Because of that, Canada’s team has generated another year of high expectations and Blue Jays betting is heating up as we prepare for Opening Day of the 2024 season. Read on as we preview the Jays’ coming season, discuss their new roster additions and provide insight into what may separate Toronto from the rest of the pack in their pursuit of World Series greatness in 2024.
Blue Jays Betting: Season Preview
Things got pretty crazy in Toronto this offseason. Canadian media had a field day with the Shohei Ohtani sweepstakes, as the league’s best player was on the market for any team that could afford him. Reports cited the Blue Jays as one of the top contenders for the two-way star’s services, and flight tracking, social media spies and insider information brought the Nation into a frenzy. In the end, “Shotime” signed with the LA Dodgers and the air was released from the Jays’ bubble.
While Ohtani would have changed everything for Toronto, the Jays did well to sign some character players that will add value to their roster. Veteran slugger Justin Turner agreed to terms with Toronto on a one-year deal worth $13 million. Turner is likely to slot in as the Jays’ DH this season, as he looks to build on his 187 career home runs, which includes 23 dingers from last season while a member of the Boston Red Sox. While he’s not the player he once was, Turner will give the young Jays batters stability in the middle of the order and a veteran voice to guide them through tough times.
Toronto brass was also tasked with filling the void of third baseman Matt Chapman, who signed with the San Francisco Giants this offseason. They opted to sign Hawaiian shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa to take over the hot corner. While Kiner-Falefa is an admirable fielder, he’s not expected to provide the same offensive output as Chapman. Finally, Toronto picked up an intriguing wildcard pitcher in the offseason named Yariel Rodriguez. Rodriguez has spent his entire career pitching in either Cuba or Japan, but made the jump to the MLB this offseason. The righty has looked good in spring training so far and could take over the fifth spot in the rotation if one of the starters faulter.
Of the returning Jays, we’re expecting another strong season out of Toronto’s pitching staff. Blue Jays pitchers finished fourth in the MLB in team ERA (3.78) backed by stellar starting pitching and a reliable bullpen. Led by Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios, the Jays’ starting rotation is sure to make them competitive in 2024. Gausman ranked second in the majors with 237 strikeouts, while Bassitt was in a three-way tie for third in the league with 16 wins on the season. Both Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi returned to form in 2023 after struggling the season prior, so the top four of the rotation is locked in for Toronto once Gausman ramps up after a minor injury suffered in Spring Training.
What remains to be seen is who will take the fifth spot in the rotation; Alek Manoah had a disastrous 2023 and his 2024 spring hasn’t looked much better. Manoah has been sidelined with shoulder soreness and won’t be ready for Opening Day. That means Bowden Francis will get the early nod in the Blue Jays’ rotation; Francis has been solid this spring, pitching 18.2 innings with a 3.38 ERA.
Where Toronto needs to see some considerable strides forward is in the batter’s box. Despite having several of the league’s most dynamic offensive talents, in Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and George Springer, Toronto ranked 14th in runs scored (746), 16th in homeruns (188) and 11th in OPS (.745). They lost offensive depth this offseason with the aforementioned loss of Chapman, Whit Merrifield and Brandon Belt, so it’ll be up to the youngsters to take the next step and fill the void.
Blue Jays Betting: Star Players
Whether or not the Jays will climb the World Series betting ranks will depend on their star players. At press, Toronto is +1800 in the futures market. Toronto has several homegrown superstars that are on the verge of dominance in the MLB. Bo Bichette has taken over as Toronto’s perennial stud, leading in batting average (.306) and ninth in the MLB with 175 hits in 2023.
After a breakout 2021 campaign, where Vladimir Guerrero Jr. smashed 48 homeruns, Blue Jays fans have been let down a bit with the first baseman’s offensive progress. Hitting 32 and 26 homers in the last two seasons is solid, but with the sky-high expectations put on Vlad, he’s left fans and management wanting more.
The third pillar of the Jays’ offensive stars is right fielder George Springer. Springer had his healthiest season as a Jay last year, suiting up for 154 games and adding 21 homeruns, 72 RBIs and a .732 OPS. With the departure of several veteran batters this offseason, it’ll be up to Springer to step up as the clubhouse leader and give the lineup the offensive shot it desperately needs.
Recent Blue Jays Seasons
Toronto management, Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro, have spent aggressively since joining the team in 2015, but they’ve failed to make significant progress in the postseason. Aside from their magical 2016 run to the American League Championship Series, Toronto hasn’t gotten out of the Wild Card round.
In each of the last three seasons, expectations have been incredibly high for Toronto. They finished with respectable 91, 92 and 89-win seasons, but either missed the playoffs on the final day of the regular season or were quickly dismissed from the Wild Card round by underdogs. In fact, the Jays haven’t won a single game in each of their last three postseason appearances and that’s not good enough for the league’s seventh-highest payroll. You can expect there will be many questions asked about the direction of this club if Toronto misses the playoffs in 2024 or has yet another early Wild Card round exit.
John Patrick Schneider: A Preview
Blue Jays skipper, John Schneider, has had great regular season success since stepping in as Toronto’s manager. He’s amassed a 135-101 record and has made the postseason in each of those years. But as mentioned, his club has failed to get past the first round once October baseball starts. Schneider has shown he’s not afraid to mix up his roster when the team needs a kick. For example, mid-season last year, he brought in utility man Davis Schneider, who went on an incredible hitting streak to start his Big League career and infused youthful energy into what seemed like a lethargic Jays team in 2023. Coach Schneider will need to continue with that management approach in 2024 to get the most out of his club and keep his star players sharp. His contract runs out after the 2025 season, so he’ll be looking to prove his managerial prowess with a strong campaign this year.
World Series Betting: The Favourites
The MLB odds heading into Opening Day are heavily favouring the absolutely stacked Los Angeles Dodgers, to no one’s surprise. Their batting rotation looks more like an All Star team, with Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman occupying the first three spots in the batting order. In their rotation, they’ve added the top player from Japanese baseball Yoshinobu Yamamoto to go along with Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler and two dynamic youngsters in Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan. It’s going to be hard to match up against LA in 2024, which is why they’re +300 to win the World Series this year. The list of favourites behind the Dodgers are the usual suspects in the Atlanta Braves (+500), Houston Astros (+900) and New York Yankees (+900). Hopes are high on the up-and-coming Baltimore Orioles, who have strong early odds at +950, while the defending champion Texas Rangers slot in at +1100 to repeat.
While the Blue Jays aren’t front-runners in the World Series field at +1800 to start the 2024 campaign, they have as good of a pitching staff as any team in the Majors. Because of that, and the seemingly unlimited potential of Bichette and Guerrero, they’re a strong underdog bet to take the league by surprise and push for their first title since 1993.
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