Blue Jays: Looking at the remainder of the 2022 schedule

The Toronto Blue Jays were expected to contend for the World Series this year after some key additions in the offseason as well as the emergence of a squad built around a star-studded young core with an appropriate mix of veterans sprinkled in between. The Jays were not only past their rebuilding stages that plagued the team back in 2017 to 2019 but were inking veteran players to long-term contracts like Hyun Jin Ryu, George Springer, and Kevin Gausman over the past three seasons.

Fast forward to the end of July and the 2022 season has been a whirlwind of emotions. Ryu may never don a Blue Jays jersey again after undergoing Tommy John surgery earlier this year and the club sits 11.5 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East, currently occupying the first AL Wild Card spot with a handful of teams on their trail.

With the MLB Draft over and the trade deadline quickly approaching, let’s take a look at the remainder of the Blue Jays’ schedule this season and highlight some important dates and series to watch as the season goes on.

August 2nd – Trade Deadline

Next Tuesday is the trade deadline, that time of year that becomes one of the busiest amongst many teams in the league looking to either improve their teams for a postseason run or consider selling assets to advance the future.

This year’s deadline has been dominated by Juan Soto, the Washington Nationals superstar outfielder who has rejected multiple contract offers and could be traded before the deadline passes. Prospective teams will have to pony up some top prospects and a few Major League players to get the deal done but Soto is a big-time player who will make any team better with his elite bat.

The extended playoff format and tight playoff races are creating some more teams becoming buyers than sellers but as Ross Atkins confirmed yesterday to reporters, “the prices feel very high… Right now, in order to move quickly, you’re probably going to pay a premium.” This will probably change over the weekend but once one trade goes through, more will likely follow.

The Blue Jays themselves are likely in the market for a bullpen arm or two and maybe a starting pitcher if they believe Jose Berrios can’t rebound and if Yusei Kikuchi is not a viable option in the rotation to finish out the year. A left-handed bat would also be ideal but likely last on the trade depth charts compared to adding pitching.

The fun has just begun with the Yankees trading for outfielder Andrew Benintendi, which could be the starting gun needed to set off the trade deadline races over the next five to six days.

The Blue Jays Remaining Schedule

The Blue Jays have 64 games left on the season and currently sit in the first spot in the AL Wild Card, followed by the Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays who are not far behind.

Looking at the schedule, the Blue Jays have quite a few games remaining within the division:

• Baltimore Orioles: 15 games
• Boston Red Sox: 6 games
• New York Yankees: 7 games
• Tampa Bay Rays: 11 games

With each team sitting either above or just below the .500 mark and fighting for a playoff spot (minus the Yankees who are running away with the division), the Blue Jays can’t afford to go into another slump, especially when they have so many more games against their AL East rivals. They also have a five-game series including a doubleheader against the Rays in mid-September, which the Jays have done already once this year against Tampa and walked away with a 2-3 record that started the slump for the club that led to manager Charlie Montoyo being fired.

The Blue Jays have 64 games left in the season and will be in the thick of a playoff race amongst the AL Wild Card for the remainder of the 2022 season.

While the AL East teams are doing well right now (minus the Red Sox), the Jays do have a few series coming up over the next two months that should see them pad onto the record, namely:

• July 28th to July 31st – Detroit Tigers (40-59)
• August 26th to August 28th – Los Angeles Angels (42-56)
• August 29th to August 31st – Chicago Cubs (40-57)
• September 2nd to September 4th – Pittsburgh Pirates (40-58)

The Blue Jays have 30 games at home and 34 more on the road that are mostly within the division with one stop in the NL when they face Pittsburgh.

The remaining schedule does have some complicated teams in the way with the likes of the Rays and the Yankees, as well as a pesky Orioles squad that is playing .500 baseball. The Jays will have to keep hitting the ball around and find some pitching before the trade deadline passes, as nothing is guaranteed in this year’s AL Wild Card race.