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MLB Power Rankings: Post Winter Meetings

By Joshua Sadlock

ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 11: Giancarlo Stanton is introduced as a member of the New York Yankees during the 2017 Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort on Monday, December 11, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 11: Giancarlo Stanton is introduced as a member of the New York Yankees during the 2017 Winter Meetings at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort on Monday, December 11, 2017 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 30: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 2-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 30: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Toronto Blue Jays in action against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on September 30, 2017 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Blue Jays 2-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

18. Toronto Blue Jays

As of this writing, the Toronto Blue Jays refuse to see the writing on the wall and begin a mini-rebuilding effort. Top prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Bo Bichette are at least two years away. The third baseman and middle infielder are the heirs to Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki. Still, the Jays are not open to moving Donaldson before his 2018 date with free agency.

Toronto is in a similar position as the Baltimore Orioles. There are enough pieces left over from the ALCS teams of 2015 and 2016 to convince management the core has at least one more run left before it starts to break up. The Jays do have more pitching than the Orioles, but their lineup is rapidly aging and the bullpen mediocre at best behind closer Roberto Osuna. The presence of Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez is enough to push Toronto ahead of the Orioles, but not by much.

Adding through free agency is not an ideal solution for the Blue Jays because they will only be making themselves older. The average age of their starting lineup has been over 30 the past two years. Taking Jose Bautista out of the equation will make the team younger, but there are no prospects coming to replace his peak production. A return to contention hinges on Tulowitzki, Russell Martin and Devon Travis staying healthy and hitting the entire season.

The Blue Jays aren’t in as terrible a position as the Orioles thanks to their bigger market size and position as the only baseball team for an entire country. They are also owned by a media conglomerate who has an incentive to keep the team in position to win because it boosts their own television revenue. Trading away a few pieces and keeping an eye on 2019 makes sense, but don’t bet on Rogers making any big move in that direction.

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