Blue Jays season preview: 5 reasons this could be the year

With the Toronto Blue Jays on the eve of defending their American League East crown, these five factors have the potential to put them over the top

The wait is over.

On the eve of opening day, the Blue Jays are set to wrap up another successful stop in Montreal and board a plane for Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida where they’ll open up the season with a four-game set against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yesterday morning we looked at three reasons the Blue Jays could struggle in the season ahead. Whether it be an ill-placed injury, short outings from the starting rotation, or plain old regression, there are challenges waiting on this road.

Enough from Chicken Little, though.

This Blue Jays lineup is bubbling over with talent from one to nine, and with rotation upside to pair alongside their impressive bullpen, Toronto will have every opportunity to repeat as champions in the AL East. With the playoff experience under their belts, there’s no ruling out this roster’s ability to take it one step further than they managed last October.

Ahead, we look at five reasons why the Blue Jays are positioned to go all the way. First up, the underrated ceilings of the starting five (and beyond).

No. 5:  Upside in the starting rotation

There isn’t a pitcher in Toronto’s starting rotation without the potential to perform well beyond their 2016 expectations. Yes, even ol’ reliable in R.A. Dickey.

The knuckleballer has made a habit of coming on strong later in the summer, and with a cumulative 3.82 ER over the past two seasons (67 starts), it’s conceivable that Dickey drops that below the 3.50 mark by catching fire a little bit earlier. After dropping 12 pounds this offseason and having a procedure to repair his torn meniscus, which he played with through nearly all of 2015 with, Dickey’s knuckleball velocity could finally see him storm out of the gates.

He’ll be joined by two young guns in Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman, both of whom possess ace-level ceilings and will be backed by a top-shelf defence. They’re still raw, but both are more than ready to contribute.

Offseason free agent signing J.A. Happ could also prove to be a tremendous piece of transactional value if he can recapture even some of his Pittsburgh magic. After being dealt to the Pirates at the 2015 trade deadline, the typically-average Happ made 11 starts with an incredible 1.85 ERA. He also jumped his strikeouts per nine innings from 6.6 with Seattle up to 9.6 after the trade. If some of those advancements linger into 2016, the Blue Jays could have a very solid lefty option at a relative bargain.

Even Marco Estrada, whose potential for regression admittedly looms large, enters the year with cause for optimism. From August on, the changeup maestro made 12 starts to a 2.59 ERA before pitching 19.1 dominant playoff innings. His approach to that success was unorthodox at times, but if he can continue to trend upwards, his two-year, $26 million deal will be another piece of quality business.

Next: No. 4: Whole lotta glove