Jays Journal
FanSided

Blue Jays: Which teams do they have to worry about the most?

By Chris Henderson

Jul 27, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (21 greets first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after he scored against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 27, 2022; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (21 greets first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) after he scored against the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
Blue Jays
Aug 7, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Whit Merrifield (1) is initially called out by umpire Marty Foster (60) at the plate on a tag by Minnesota Twins catcher Gary Sanchez (24) during the tenth inning at Target Field. Merrifield scored on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Cavan Biggio (not pictured) to left fielder Tim Beckham (not pictured). The call was challenged by the Twins and overturned, ruling Merrifield safe on the play due to the catcher blocking the plate. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports /

Arguably the biggest threat is laying in the weeds

I know everyone is talking about the Orioles right now, and with good reason, but the team that worries me the most over the last 30 or so games would be the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins are chasing the Guardians in the AL Central, and it’s entirely possible that they win the division and we could talk about Cleveland here instead. Regardless, the Blue Jays need to keep an eye on whichever team finishes second in that division race, because they could seriously factor into the Wild Card standings.

As of the end of play on Wednesday night the Twins are 67-62, which leaves them three games back of the Blue Jays for the last Wild Card spot. It’s a pretty rare thing for me to be cheering for the Red Sox, but that’s exactly what I was doing on Wednesday.

I feel like the Twins are a sleeper team in the American League, and the type of club that could do some damage if they can make the postseason. They have a deep and talented lineup including the likes of Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Jorge Polanco and more, and they can trot out a pretty competitive rotation as well between Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle, and a strong bullpen to boot.

Not only do I feel like they’d be a threat if they can make the playoffs, I believe they’ll be the biggest obstacle keeping the Blue Jays from playing postseason baseball in 2022. Unfortunately there are no more head to head match-ups between the two teams, so I imagine both clubs will be doing plenty of scoreboard watching as we enter the stretch.

Home/Toronto Blue Jays News