23 predictions for the Toronto Blue Jays 2023 season

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As we bring in the new year, we're inching closer and closer to Opening Day 2023. This season figures to be a good one for the Toronto Blue Jays that will be a bit of a new-look club with a bunch of old friends leaving town in favor of some new blood.

After we covered some tongue-in-cheek New Years resolutions for Blue Jays players, coaches and upper management, I figured I would try my hand at 23 predictions for how I believe 2023 will go for the club. Let's get right into it.

23.) Jordan Romano will lead the American League in saves

He was third in the league last year with 36 behind only Liam Hendriks (37) and Emmanuel Clase (42). The dude can pitch and he is going to be one of the best in 2023.

22.) Cavan Biggio is traded during the season

Not a super bold one, but also not one that will be a shock to many fans. The Jays have given Biggio plenty of opportunities but he has just not figured out...yet, at least. He will have a slow start to the season and the club will look to trade him for anything they can get.

21.) Kevin Kiermaier quiets all of the naysayers

Kiermaier is the best defensive outfielder in the game and has proven that when he's healthy, he's a damn good baseball player. To the surprise of everyone, he stays healthy all season and shows what he's made of.

20.) An extension gets handed out....but not to one of the young core guys

Matt Chapman is my pick here. The 29-year-old is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2023 season and remains one of, if not the, best defensive third baseman in the league. His 115 OPS+ and 27 home runs last year showed that he has what it takes to excel in Toronto, so he sticks around for a while.

19.) Alek Manoah will continue to dominate, but he will not be the best starter for the Jays

Hello, Kevin Gausman! Gausman is seven years older than Manoah and has undergone a complete career transormation, going from so-so Orioles pitcher to ace-caliber Blue Jays pitcher ten years later.

18.) José Berríos is one of two Jays pitchers to rebound in a big way

The 28-year-old has a lengthy track record and will make all of the crap-talkers regret their words. He is a two-time All-Star and has registered a 120 or over ERA+ four times in his career. The guy can seriously pitch and he will be quite the comeback story.

17.) Mitch White is the other

In today's game, so many fans love to point to stats like batting average in hitters or ERA in pitchers to justify a player's success or failures. White's 7.74 ERA in 43 innings for the Jays last year did more than enough to turn Jays fans off on him. However, his FIP, which takes the fielders behind a pitcher into consideration as well, has never been above 3.95 in his whole career. Even for the Jays, he posted a 3.76 ERA, suggesting that he may have gotten unlucky quite a bit last season.

16.) Erik Swanson is not going to take off as a Blue Jay and will leave fans even more upset about Teoscar

This is a deal that is already getting a ton of hate in the social media circles of Jays fans. Unfortunately, Swanson is just not going to be able to get it done. He will finish the year on the club but won't have earned many new fans.

15.) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hits over 40 home runs with a .300 batting average

Vladdy showed just what he can do in 2021 when he hit 48 home runs and a .311 average. He's such an incredible talent and he's going to return all the way back to form in 2023.

14.) Addison Barger is going to get an extended look once Biggio is dealt

He will come up to the majors to fill in as Biggio's replacement and will light the league on fire. Mark my words.

13.) Daulton Varsho will make fans forget about who the Jays acquired him for

Varsho is the real deal and I am a massive fan of his. He will capitalize on calling Rogers Centre his new home and will impress all of the fans who were heartbroken over the loss of Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Gabriel Moreno.

12.) Santiago Espinal is going to come way back to Earth

Espinal started slow last year before getting red-hot in May and June, even earning a surprise All-Star Game selection. However, he cooled off big time in July and August before ending the year on a high note. He's going to look a lot more like his July and August self in 2023.

11.) Seeking yet another bat, the Jays sign Robbie Grossman to a one-year contract

Grossman, 33, is a switch-hitter who can play the outfield corners at a solid rate. Feeling like the lineup is just one bat away, Ross Atkins and Co. bring Grossman abord....and it proves to be a waste of time. He continues to look like his 2022 self where he hit .209 with an 80 OPS+.

10.) John Schneider proves he's the man for the job

The guy's been in the organization for two decades and he's only 42-years-old. A former player-turned-coach-turned-manager, he's still young and has left a great early impression on the players and the fans. He's going to be a rockstar.

9.) Danny Jansen wins a Gold Glove Award

Last year, Baseball-Reference says he was worth 1.0 dWAR (Defensive Wins Above Replacement) and he caught 27 percent of would-be base stealers. Since Alejandro Kirk may be more of a designated hitter, Jansen runs away with the starting catcher role and excels.

8.) Bo Bichette does not lead the league in hits three times in a row, but....

He does finally break the 200-hit mark. Luis Arraez of the Twins wins another batting title and leads the AL in hits this time around.

7.) And while we're at it, Bichette is going to take a massive step forward on defense

I understand that there are concerns, I'm right there with you. Last year he was worth -0.8 dWAR but that was on the heels of a season in which he was worth 1.0 dWAR in 2021. Let's call 2022 a fluke and all be impressed by his development as a defensive shortstop.

6.) None of Trevor Richards, Yimi García or Tim Mayza finish the year on the club

Wait, what? Richards is released early on after failing to find anything even close to success on the mound. García pitches well and is part of a package at the trade deadline that we'll get to in a minute. Mayza gets bit by the injury bug once again and misses a significant chunk of time.

5.) The Blue Jays make a huge trade at the deadline in their march to the postseason

Ian Happ will be the big fish acquired at the trade deadline and it will be for a much smaller package than anyone could've seen coming. Somehow, the Jays are able to make it work for only García, CJ Van Eyk and Otto López. Happ, an upcoming free agent, is the missing piece this club needed.

4.) Ricky Tiedemann makes his big league debut as a reliever

Tiedemann will once again dominate the opposition in the minor leagues. With no easy spot to slot into in the rotation, he will join the Jays as a reliever and will blossom into a late-inning weapon down the stretch.

3.) Hyun Jin Ryu does not, after all, make his triumphant return

After hitting a snag in his recovery, Ryu is forced back to the shelf and will end his Blue Jays tenure with a whimper rather than a bang.

2.) The Blue Jays win 98 games, falling one short of the franchise record (1985)

Most things go smoothly for the club aside from the serious injury sustained by a core player. This team is strong enough to push forward despite the loss.

1.) The Blue Jays make it farther in the postseason than they have in the last ten years

After making it to Game 6 in the ALCS back in 2015, the Jays push the needle and take the Astros all the way to Game 7. You decide who emerges victorious.

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