This may sound a bit weird coming from a guy that wrote how we shouldn’t be so quick to expect a title, or even the playoffs, from the Jays, but let’s not be so quick to condemn this team. Let’s just say that this is the optimist’s side of things, something a commenter suggested I should take.

Let’s start with the best thing that the Jays have going for them: The long ball. As of Sunday, the Jays were top of the American League in homers. The bad part is that with the dingers usually comes strikeouts at the plate – a category that the Jays aren’t faring so well at.

But as the excitement of the early season hype dies down, we’ll see some more control at the plate and less whiffs. But we won’t see the long balls slow down as much. As the weather warms up and the dome is opened, the ‘condo jetstream’ will still help push those fly balls carry.

The Jays vaunted revamped rotation has also taken a bit of beating, especially ace R.A. Dickey. The thing with knuckleballers is that they will inevitably go through rough patches. It looks like Dickey is in one of those now, in a very unfortunate point at the start of the campaign. Well, considering his Cy Young reputation, it seems like a good bet that the former Met will turn things around in a couple of starts and perhaps even go on one of those outstanding runs that knucklers can. We used to see Tim Wakefield get shelled for a week or two then bounce back with three incredible starts in a row. It’s just how these things work.

Opening the season at home with the amount of pressure that comes with being a World Series favourite was bound to impact this newly put together squad. Perhaps getting out on the road will put some of that at ease.

This is also a team of guys that are relatively new to each other. With some players also away at the World Baseball Classic this spring, many guys are still learning about each other’s games. The more they play now, the better they’ll play with each other.

Let’s also remember that Brett Lawrie is out of the lineup. Once he returns, the Jays will be solidified at third base both offensively and defensively. That will allow the Emilio Bonifacio and Maicer Izturis to return to the platoon they were supposed to play in.

There has been much ink spilled over the Toronto Blue Jays splashing a lot of money and overhauling their roster in the offseason. Now, with tonight’s opener, it’s finally time to put those players to the test and embark on a 162-game journey which will hopefully arrive at the playoffs come October.

But is it right to expect such a feat from the 2013 Blue Jays, a team that hasn’t been in the post-season since winning the World Series 20 years ago?

First of all, let’s just go over the team that most of the incoming players arrived from: The Miami Marlins. This is a team that basically brought in these very same players last year for a so-called instant rebuild, why should we think that it’ll be different in Toronto? Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Emilio Bonifacio and Josh Johnson were all part of one of the worst squads in baseball. It’s not unrealistic to think that they won’t work out perfectly here, in their new team.

Next up is 38-year-old knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. He’s coming off two amazing seasons – including a Cy Young last year – being the ace of the New York Mets, another one of the worst squads in MLB. The knuckleball is a pitch that can be terribly inconsistent, so can you trust that Dickey will be able to deliver another top-notch season, especially playing with a new tandem of catchers?

Melky Cabrera joined the Jays hot off a 50-game suspension for PED use. If you can’t see an issue with that, then I don’t know what to tell you. It remains to be seen if he is capable of duplicating his big numbers with San Francisco last year without that extra help.

It should also be mentioned that all of these players are coming over from the National League, which is a step below the American League talent-wise. There can be a definite drop-off after coming over to the AL, especially with pitchers who now have to face the DH every game.

You also have to remember that Edwin Encarnacion is coming off a career year that I’d guess he won’t be able to live up to and that Brett Lawrie is already injured. More concerning about Lawrie is that he suffered a similar rib injury to the one he had last season. If this is a reoccurring thing, it could seriously hamper his season, if not his career.

And don’t even get me started on the trainwreck that is Ricky Romero.

But hey, at least Jose Bautista has been mashing home runs and should return to his superstar slugger form.

All said, with a roster this talented, there’s no way that the Jays shouldn’t wrap up one of the wild card spots and will challenge the Rays for the AL East. But, then again, many – including me – thought the Marlins would do the same last year.

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This season it seems that major league baseball is marking a serious changing of the guard. Never have we seen so many legends just barely hanging on at the ends of their careers and such tantalizing prospects ready to take the reigns as tomorrow’s heroes.

For an example of superstars near the end of their ropes, look no further than the New York Yankees. Derek Jeter is still recovering from his broken ankle and he’s 38-years-old. The greatest relief pitcher ever, Mariano Rivera, is coming back from a torn ACL and has announced that this will be his final season. As for Alex Rodriguez – the man who will make more money than the entire Houston Astros team combined – he’s not in good shape. A-Rod is not only recovering from hip surgery, but is also embroiled in another PED scandal.

Even the Yanks comparatively younger stars, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira, are hurt and will miss at least two months each.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have some of the brightest young talents that baseball has ever seen. The Angels’ Mike Trout and the Nationals’ Bryce Harper are 20 and 21 years old, respectively and are already playing all-star calibre ball. If they can simply keep playing at the level they did last season, they will be sure-fire hall of famers.

Both are the types of special players that can define a generation. Five-tool guys that can honestly do it all on the field. Heck, Trout would have won MVP last season if Miguel Cabrera hadn’t bagged the first triple crown since 1967.

We also can’t forget one of the most electric pitchers that baseball has seen in recent memory, Stephen Strasburg. The kid is only 24 and has already come back from Tommy John surgery better than ever. He has one of the most devastating curveballs in the game and is a thrill to watch. Even better, he’s Harper’s teammate in Washington.

Getting two epic prospects two drafts in a row like that is just like landing Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin back-to-back like the Pittsburgh Penguins did. That’s how good the Nationals duo can be.

But now, onto the picks for this transformative season.

AL East: Tampa Bay Rays.
AL Central: Detroit Tigers.
AL West: Texas Rangers.
AL wildcards: L.A. Angels, Toronto Blue Jays.
NL East: Washington Nationals.
NL Central: Cincinnati Reds.
NL West: San Francisco Giants.
NL wildcards: Atlanta Braves, L.A. Dodgers.
Overachievers: The Upton brothers, Cleveland Indians, Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals.
Underachievers: Baltimore Orioles, Chris Sale, Oakland Athletics.
Storylines: The Pirates finally finish over .500, the Jays return to the playoffs, Houston is in the chase for the worst record ever, Mike Trout vs. Bryce Harper: Round 2, the Yankees hold it together through their many injuries, players can actually hit home runs at Safeco Field and Petco Park now – and the home pitchers hate it.
AL MVP: Mike Trout, LAA
NL MVP: Justin Upton, ATL
AL Cy Young: David Price, TB
NL Cy Young: Matt Cain, SF
AL champion: Tampa Bay Rays
NL champion: Washington Nationals.
World Series champion: Washington over Tampa Bay in six.