AL Aces Who Could Make The Difference If Wild Card Dreams Come True

Dylan Cease and Jacob deGrom

The Toronto Blue Jays, predictably, gained little traction in the latest MLB power rankings, remaining 17th in the most recent poll.

That ranking comes despite Toronto staying firmly within striking distance of the American League’s final Wild Card position, with roughly five weeks left in the regular season.

The difference between Toronto and some of the American League teams ranked ahead of them is simple: record. Despite being well below .500, there are still a handful of clubs within the Wild Card race.

For teams such as Arizona and Miami, the path to October in the NL requires a significant late-season surge. The Blue Jays, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers face a similar challenge in the American League, but the crowded AL Wild Card race has kept all three clubs alive.

Bottleneck Wild Card

If Toronto is going to make the postseason, their starting rotation could ultimately be what gets them there. In a season where offense has been inconsistent across much of the American League, pitching has carried a disproportionate amount of the load. That has allowed several clubs that might otherwise have been written off by this point in the season to remain in contention.

The AL East could ultimately send four of its five teams into the postseason. The Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox have established themselves as the division's front-runners, and all three have received significant contributions from their starting rotations. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are trying to close the gap from outside the playoff picture.

For Toronto, the starting point is Dylan Cease. Cease has emerged as one of the American League's leading Cy Young candidates and currently sits behind Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler in the race. His recent form has also provided Toronto with something they desperately need: a legitimate ace capable of dominating a game against a contender.

But Cease isn't the only reason to believe Toronto could be a difficult out in October. José Soriano has endured some hard outings since arriving from the Los Angeles Angels at the Trade Deadline, but his overall body of work suggests the Blue Jays acquired a pitcher with legitimate frontline potential. Soriano was dominant early in the season and entered Toronto with the type of arsenal that can give opposing hitters problems in a short series.

Then there is Shane Bieber. The 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner has had an uneven return from injury, but he appears to be finding a competitive groove at a potentially critical time of the season. If Bieber can recapture anything close to his previous form, Toronto suddenly has three starters capable of changing the complexion of a postseason series.

That is the Blue Jays' biggest advantage.

Cleveland Has 1-5, Toronto is Tops 1-3

Cleveland may have a compelling case of their own, with Gavin Williams, Parker Messick and Foster Griffin leading a rotation that has received contributions throughout the season. But among the teams fighting for the final Wild Card position, Toronto has the potential to match almost anyone at the front of their rotation.

The Rangers, meanwhile, have a healthy Jacob deGrom, which is always a frightening proposition for opposing hitters, but have been less consistent behind him. Houston possesses one of the American League's better offenses, but their rotation has not consistently matched the standard established by Astros pitching staffs in previous seasons.

Baltimore presents another interesting possibility. The Orioles have Trevor Rogers at the top, but their path to contention appears more dependent on producing enough offense to compensate for the uncertainty behind their ace.

That makes the Wild Card race particularly intriguing.

The American League remains remarkably congested, and the final weeks could come down to which teams can manufacture enough wins while keeping their pitching staffs healthy.

For the Blue Jays, the formula is becoming increasingly obvious. Cease has to continue pitching like a Cy Young contender. Soriano needs to rediscover the form that made him one of the more intriguing starters available at the Trade Deadline. Bieber needs to continue moving toward the pitcher Toronto believed it was acquiring when it signed him.

If all three click at the right time, the Blue Jays could present a substantial obstacle to any opponent in a short playoff series.

There is, however, one enormous caveat.

Will Vladdy and Co. Finally Rise?

Toronto's offence has been stagnant for much of the season. The Blue Jays can put together one of the more imposing starting rotations among the teams fighting for the final Wild Card spot. But even the best pitching staff cannot carry a team through October if the lineup cannot consistently produce.

That is the question hanging over Toronto with five weeks remaining.

Can the offence finally wake up?

If it does, the Blue Jays' Big Three could give them something every postseason contender wants: a legitimate chance to win three games before an opponent has time to figure them out.