Apr 19, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Kelly Johnson (2) swings as the new logo can be seen embedded on the turf behind home plate against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-US PRESSWIRE

By this time last season, the Jays were 11.5 games back of the Division leading Red Sox, and the Orioles were a whopping 20.5 games back. Sure, the Jays were close to where are today, around .500, but they sure weren’t anywhere close to a playoff spot. In fact, at this time last year, the Jays sat 9.5 games back of the Yankees for the Wilcard spot. Only the Angels (5.5 GB) and Rays (6.5 GB) seemed to be within striking distance of the Yankees. That proved to be true when the Rays seized a massive breakdown from the Red Sox to secure a berth into the playoffs.

This year, everything has changed due to the extra playoff spots. Trades seem to be harder to come by, the price teams are asking is reportedly inflated, and all but 4 to 6 teams in MLB believe they have a shot at grabbing that last playoff spot. The questions I have today are these: will this continue to occur long-term, and what does it mean for competitive balance? (more…)