Blue Jays: How Sunday’s results determine the seeding

We know the Blue Jays will be in the playoffs next week, but until Sunday’s schedule has concluded, we won’t know where they’ll be seeded.

If you thought the final weekend of the regular season was going to be relaxing as a Blue Jays fan, think again.

The good news is that the pressure is off of Charlie Montoyo and the Blue Jays to qualify for the post-season, but still have something meaningful to play for on Sunday. That said, it’s a complicated picture, and a lot of it rides on what happens with the other playoff bound teams in their last games.

The simplest place to start is with their own game against the Orioles. The Blue Jays have to win on Sunday or nothing else will matter and they’ll end up as the eighth seed and will play the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round. The same goes for if the Yankees defeat the Marlins today, which would secure their spot as the second place finisher in the AL East.

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However, if the Jays win and the Yankees lose, that’s when things get really complicated as far as who they’ll face in the first round. I’ll do my best to make it as clear as mud here, but all of these scenarios require a Blue Jay win and a Yankee loss on Sunday or the point is moot.

If the Twins and White Sox both win on Sunday, then the Blue Jays will square off against the White Sox in what could be a preview of an AL battle for the next five years or so. The Blue Jays would also get the White Sox in the event that they lose, and Cleveland also loses on Sunday.

Speaking of Cleveland, the Jays could end up playing against them in the first round as long as Cleveland wins on Sunday, and the White Sox lose. That’s not all either, as one more scenario could still happen. That one would require a White Sox win, and a loss for the Minnesota Twins, and in that case the Blue Jays would draw the latter.

If that was a little tough to follow, then thank Twitter user @james_in_to for breaking it down in the above tweet as well.

To add to the fun, all MLB games will start at 3pm EST today, so no teem will have the advantage of scoreboard watching. Chances are the Blue Jays will end up playing the Rays next week, however, there’s a lot that could still change, and my guess is the Blue Jays will be looking to pick up their 33rd win of the year in order to make things interesting.