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Originally Posted by damientheomen3
tbh i feel that as long as the Jays can stay healthy they can contend next year without needing to go all fire sale. Obviously Roy Halladay is Roy Halladay, Dustin McGowan and Jesse Litsch have proven that they can handle starting in the majors.Ricky Romero has a lot of potential, and Brett Cecil could be a decent back end starter one day, plus the team has Shawn Marcum. The emergence of the offense, paired with their potentially strong rotation, should put them in contention, as long as they can stay healthy, which is never a given because of the cold weather in Toronto.
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I am not this optimistic at all, even if they keep Halladay. McGowan hasn't pitched in a over a year and a half and is coming off his second major arm surgery (and knee surgery).
Litsch is not at top end starter IMO -- maybe a 4th or 5th guy. He had a solid season in '08, but a bit lucky. He is a starter who doesn't K many and gives up a bunch of homers. Plus he is coming off major arm surgery.
Cecil has talent, but he hasn't shown that he can be an effective/consistent starter yet.
I like Marcum, but again he is a big question mark.
Rzepczynski and Romero will hopefully build off good starts to their careers, but even if they do the Jays are still a little ways from having a dominant rotation.
Hill, Lind and Snider are great to build a lineup around but.....they currently have zero potential at catcher, short and third. First base isn't very strong especially after Overbay departs. Lind eventually will have to move to first or DH because he is pretty weak in the OF.
But if this happens after Snider and Wells we have nobody for the 3rd OF position.
The Jays definitely have some solid pieces, but they have way, way too many holes to even think about competing with the Sox or Yankees. Even if they miraculously have a good FA period.