Blue Jays: Five bold predictions for the 2021 season

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will be the Blue Jays best hitter in 2021

One of the more talked about players this offseason has been Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and with good reason. The soon to be 22-year-old entered the big leagues in 2019 with more hype than any Blue Jays prospect we’ve ever seen, and he hasn’t quite delivered on that promise just yet.

Before last season had even ended, Guerrero Jr. started taking his fitness a lot more seriously, and made a serious commitment to put in the work over the winter. The results are very impressive, as the Canadian-born slugger told reporters earlier this week that he lost 42 pounds over the winter. Looking at recent photos and videos that are popping up on social media, the difference is staggering.

With that, not only do I think Vlad Jr. will have the long awaited breakout we’ve been waiting for, but I predict that he’ll be the top weapon of what should be a very deep and dangerous lineup. Yes, I’m aware that the Blue Jays also employ George Springer, Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien, Teoscar Hernandez, and more, but I truly believe that Vlad Jr. will be the pace setter now that he’s found a new commitment to his craft.

Even during his age 20 and 21 seasons, learning hard lessons and playing out of shape, Guerrero Jr. has slashed .269/.336/.442 with 24 home runs and 102 RBI over 685 at-bats. That equates to a decent hitter, and that was nowhere near the best of what he’s capable of. With 183 big league games under his belt, he now understands what it takes to be successful at the highest level, and the results of his offseason work show that he’s ready for the challenge.

Don’t forget the way that he terrorized the minor leagues as a teenager, and that he’s still 21 years old as of this writing. A year from now, we’ll have forgotten all about his slow transition to stardom.

A bash brother too?

As excited as I am to see a full season from Bichette, and the additions of guys like Springer and Semien, I’m equally intrigued by the growth of some of their in-house hitters. I expect we’ll see big things from Hernandez again in 2021, and as long as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. can stay healthy he’s going to rake too.

But I’m legitimately pumped to see Rowdy Tellez cement his place on this roster.

The Blue Jays really do have an embarrassment of riches in their lineup, so much so that guys like Gurriel Jr. and Tellez will likely even start out in the bottom third of the order. That’s going to be exhausting for opposing pitchers, because those two can really hit, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see either of them move up as the season wears on.

When it comes to Tellez in particular, I really liked what I saw from him in 2020, as it seemed like he had turned a corner and was having a legitimate breakout as a big league hitter. It was a shame that he got hurt in the midst of a good run, but I think he’ll pick up where he left off as long as he gets a regular opportunity.

He’s going to have to fight off others for playing time, with Randal Grichuk likely serving as his biggest competition. However, I expect that his bat will force it’s way into the lineup with regularity, enough that I’ll even predict he’ll have his first 30 home run season.

I’m guessing it’ll be a bit of a slow start for Tellez in 2021 as he finds his place in the lineup, but I expect he’ll be more than established by the time we reach the All-Star break. Maybe I’ve just played too many video games, but can’t help but see Tellez as the Ortiz to Vlad Jr’s Man-Ram, and I’ve got a funny feeling that won’t seem so ridiculous in a year’s time.

We’ll get the big trade later

For most of the offseason, it felt like a big trade for the Blue Jays was inevitable. At first it was the possible pursuit of Francisco Lindor, and later the attention was turned to the starting pitching market. The Blue Jays also still have a surplus of catching on their 40-man roster, and after signing George Springer they arguably have one too many starting calibre outfielders.

A blockbuster trade never did materialize over the winter, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the idea. The Blue Jays still need help in the rotation to truly be considered World Series contenders, and I’ll bet that Ross Atkins and company will look to solve that issue in July. The trade market this summer could feature plenty of valuable veterans on expiring contracts, and the Jays have the pieces they need to trade for an arm with contract control as well.

For example, if the Cubs aren’t in the playoff race come July, you better believe they’ll be selling off the majority of their veteran talent. It remains to be seen if Kyle Hendricks would be among that group, but there’s an argument that a complete tear down in Chicago would make sense in this hypothetical scenario. If it’s not the Cubs, maybe it’s a team like the Nationals and Max Scherzer. They should be firmly in the playoff mix in the National League, but there’s also a lot more competition on the senior circuit these days.

The point is, the Blue Jays are going to be well positioned to improve the rotation through the trade market this summer, even if it’s hard to predict who their targets might be. It worked out pretty well in 2020 when they acquired Taijuan Walker, and look for Atkins to add at least one arm this summer through the same avenue.

Jordan Romano will be the closer by the end of the season

While I was very excited to see the Blue Jays sign Kirby Yates this offseason, I think it’s only delaying the inevitable in their bullpen. It won’t happen right away, as I think Yates will have the job to start the year, but I believe it’s a matter of time before Jordan Romano starts a lengthy run as the Blue Jays closer.

That’s not to suggest that I don’t believe in Yates, as that’s not the case at all. I have faith in his ability as long as he’s healthy, and he’ll make the bullpen stronger. However, what I saw from Romano in 2020 was enough to convince me that he’s destined to finish games off for the Blue Jays. He has the skill set with a powerful fastball, and a strong slider as a secondary offering. More importantly, he brings the right energy to thrive in the role.

Just watching the 27-year-old stalking around the bullpen in anticipation is enough to get fans excited for the bullpen doors to open. It was a small sample size for the Markham, Ontario native in 2020, but he thrived as a late-inning option with a 1.23 ERA and a 0.886 WHIP over 14.2 innings, striking out 21 batters and picking up a pair of saves. If not for an injury that sidetracked his solid performance, he might already have the role locked down.

For now he’ll be available as a late-inning option along with Yates, Rafael Dolis, and possibly others. The Blue Jays should have a strong collection of relievers, but none of them bring the excitement to the mound in the way that Romano does. And since he won’t be a free agent until after the 2025 season, I believe this year will be the start of something great in the Blue Jays’ bullpen.

The Blue Jays will return to Toronto this season

There’s a big part of me that is writing this in hopes that by saying it, maybe I’ll throw some sort of positive energy out into the universe to make it happen.

But we need a Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre in 2021.

The team is going to start the calendar playing out of Dunedin at their swanky new spring training complex, after playing their home games in Buffalo last year. The location will certainly do the trick for the time being, but it won’t be ideal to be playing home games in Florida once July and August roll around.

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More importantly, the Blue Jays will need the approval of the Federal Government in Canada in order to host their home games in Toronto. That’s not an option at the moment as the Canada-US border remains closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

That said, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, as the vaccines are rolling out across the world, and we’re seeing infection rate numbers dropping over the bulk of North America. This thing isn’t over yet, but we’re starting to make some real progress.

It would be a safer bet to say that the Blue Jays won’t play on Canadian soil again until 2022, but I’m choosing to be more optimistic than that. It might take until August or September before the option it truly on the table, but it would be an exciting way to bring the Blue Jays back as they pursue a pennant race down the stretch this fall. It’s the kind of story we need after a very difficult year, and I believe that’s exactly what is going to happen.

I could go on, but I’ll stop there for today anyway. What bold predictions do you see for the Blue Jays this year?