Should the Blue Jays Be Concerned Given the Wild Card and AL East Standings?

The American League Wild-Card standings continue to change with each passing day. The Blue Jays came into the 2022 season with very high expectations and it’s been a rollercoaster season so far. They’re 47-43 and currently tied with the Boston Red Sox for the third Wild Card spot. Tampa is in first place in the wild card and Seattle has moved into second. The Jays trail 25.5 games behind the Yankees for first place in the AL East division. Should the Jays be concerned about their playoff chances?

There’s no time to hit the panic button. The All-Star break is around the corner. It’s a chance for the team to take a deep breath and start fresh on a clean slate in the second half of the season. The Jays need to be more consistent and get into a winning streak. However, Ross Atkins has some work to do during the trade deadline. Blue Jays need to get a left-handed hitter to give them more boost in the lineup. In addition, they need a few more relievers because their bullpen has been struggling.

The competition is tougher this season than last due to the addition of more teams to compete for the Wild Card. Not only do the Jays need to keep an eye on the Rays, Red Sox, and Mariners, but they also have the Guardians, White Sox, and Orioles right in their tail. Did I say Baltimore Orioles? That’s right. Orioles won 52 games last season, and now they’re one game over the .500 mark with only 1.5 games out of the wild card picture.

The Blue Jays are currently tied with the Red Sox for the third Wild Card spot with the All-Star break right around the corner. Should the club be concerned?

The Blue Jays getting swept by the Mariners during the four-game series was unacceptable. Manager Charlie Montoyo getting fired during the middle of the season caught some of us by surprise. The team has gone 3-10 since July 2. I guess Ross Atkins has seen enough and decided to shake things up. Now, we will need to see if the players will respond favorably on the field with a new manager in the dugout. Montoyo finished his time with the Blue Jays with a 236-236 record in four seasons.

In terms of the AL East, the Yankees have broken the division wide open. The Blue Jays will probably not catch up to them barring a monumental collapse. We don’t always see a collapse in a division like the California Angels in 1995. The Jays’ best chance to make the playoffs is to secure the No. 1 spot in the Wild Card.