Hopeless Case of a Kid in Denial

Just a few weeks ago, I was reflecting on the glory days of the Toronto Blue Jays with not much hope for them returning to that level of excellence anytime soon. After a .500 season in 2011, hopes were somewhat high for at least some improvement in 2012, but a ridiculous swath of injuries cut through the team and left them four games under .500 and 22 games out of first place. The team was in a shambles and manager John Farrell bolted right after the season to take the helm in Boston, which he called his "dream job." Despite the seemingly capable mind of general manager Alex Anthopoulous, the Jays had a lot of holes to fill and fans were pretty down about the future.

And then this week happened. AA pulled off a monster of a 12-player deal with the Miami Marlins, getting three bonafide star players in shortstop Jose Reyes and starters Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle and sending several young players and prospects in return. MLB commish Bud Selig is taking his sweet time signing off on the deal, mainly because there has been such an outcry about the Marlins pulling off yet another fire sale (something they did after winning the World Series in '97 and '03). The difference this time is the Marlins had spent the last offseason amping up expectations in the Miami area, unveiling a $634 million taxpayer-funded stadium, new uniforms and pricey free agent signings including Reyes and Buehrle. But the team stumbled out of the gate and owner Jeffrey Loria started selling off assets before the season ended. It's a mess down there.

But in Toronto, the city's going nuts. The Jays used to sell out the then-Skydome every night in the early '90s, but after the baseball strike of 1994, attendance and the team's performance dropped off considerably, as did ownership's interest in keeping up with big-spending teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. Hockey has always been number one in Toronto, but with the lockout inching inexorably toward another lost season, the Jays have a great opportunity to capitalize.

AA didn't wait for Selig to approve the deal before adding another key piece, signing free agent Melky Cabrera to a two-year deal. Cabrera is notorious for leading the National League in hitting before getting suspended for 50 games for using performance-enhancing drugs. Whether he's able to repeat last year's performance or drop back to his former self is to be seen, but Cabrera is an upgrade over the Jays' current left field situation and he makes the lineup that much more dangerous. And Anthopoulos got him fairly cheaply. The Jays still need to name a new manager, but reports are they're closing in on one.

What all of this means is right now, on paper anyway, the Jays have their strongest team since that early '90s squad that was a perennial contender. They've had superstars in the interim, like Roger Clemens (albeit steroid-aided), Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, etc., but they've never had the full complement needed to really be considered a threat to make the postseason. Now it appears they could do that, if everyone performs to their potential and injuries don't take a toll. That's a lot of ifs, but I'll take them over the dispiriting reality of the last 18 years or so. Hope is never a bad thing, as long as you've got something to back it up with. We'll see if the Jays can actually do some damage next season, but I'm glad they're at least making the effort.