Blue Jays not benefiting from delay as much as some other teams

The Toronto Blue Jays appear to be one of the teams with the most to lose if there is an extended delay in the 2020 season.

The young, upstart Blue Jays were predominately healthy and just hitting their stride in Grapefruit League action when the season was halted due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The team was chomping at the bit to break camp and prove their rightful place atop the American League East.

On the contrary, the New York Yankees were decimated by injuries to James Paxton, Luis Severino, Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks. The Yanks were a walking infirmary and hardly in a position to own the AL East when the delay occurred.

The longer the delay drags on, the better positioned the Yankees will be health-wise when the season eventually commences. The Blue Jays were sitting pretty to exploit the Yankees and the Red Sox had the season started on time.

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An early jump in the standings can be all a team needs to carry that momentum through to the summer.  The Red Sox in all likelihood will be a non-factor this season especially considering the news that surfaced yesterday in regards to Chris Sale having to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.

The Red Sox were already without Mookie Betts and David Price following their trade to the Dodgers. The starting rotation was nothing to write home about prior to the Sale injury news.

Even the Tampa Bay Rays were beginning the season with uncertainty surrounding Blake Snell, however, the layoff will definitely go a long way in assisting his recovery. The Rays don’t razzle-dazzle anyone but they always seem to end up near the top of the division when the fat lady sings.

The only Blue Jays player to benefit from the delay could be Ryan Borucki who was not tabbed to be ready for Opening Day after shoulder tightness. The layoff could assist Borucki in edging out Trent Thornton for that final spot in the rotation.

Unfortunately, the Jays were poised to run and gun out of the gate but that will have to wait as their competition will be on a more level playing field when things finally get underway.