Written By: Gus Cousins Monday, October 2nd, 2023

With Wes Parsons on the mound, Tyler Heineman behind the plate, and Cam Eden in left field, Toronto took the field on Sunday with a playoff spot secured. Unsure of who their opponent would be, yes, but mission accomplished nonetheless - even, as it turns out if it’s the final Wild Card spot in the American League with a record of 89-73.

Baseball, in legal terms, was in fact played at the Rogers Centre that day. Parsons ate innings, Heineman hit a triple, and rookie Cam Eden got his first big-league knock - and that’s about all anyone needs to know as the regular season finished between the Rays and Blue Jays. Playoff time! Now we go.

Some may call it backdooring yourself into the playoffs, but the fact remains that Toronto, as WC3, won two more games than the AL Central-winning Minnesota Twins, who finished with a record of 87-75. Is that fair? Perhaps a discussion for another time, but for now there is no shortage of confidence from the Blue Jays as they head to Target Field for a three-game Wild Card Series against the aforementioned Twins.

With the official announcement coming today, Game 1 will consist of Kevin Gausman and Pablo Lopez dueling on the mound, with Jose Berrios squaring off against Sonny Gray in Game 2. Official 26-man rosters are expected either later tonight or early tomorrow, however Toronto’s squad should, in my opinion, line up something like this:

This comes with news that OF Nathan Lukes, INF Ernie Clement, UTL Spencer Horwitz, RHP Jay Jackson, and RHP Bowden Francis also have designated lockers in Toronto’s clubhouse, should an injury replacement be needed. Additionally, any of these players could very easily make the 26-man roster - Trevor Richards and Cam Eden aren’t locks by any means, while Santiago Espinal’s defensive versatility likely keeps him around. LHP Yusei Kikuchi will likely not be added to the Wild Card roster, however, should Toronto advance to the ALDS, he will be. Though both Jay Jackson and Bowden Francis have pitched heads and shoulders above the level at which Trevor Richards has been, I do not see a scenario in which Ross Atkins and co. eliminate his changeup ability against a team like the Twins.

There has been no word on whether Danny Jansen, who has been sidelined since early September due to a finger injury, is close to a return. Alejandro Kirk will handle catching duties, with Tyler Heineman acting as an above-average defensive replacement. If all else fails, Daulton Varsho - as he’s done all season - will act as Toronto’s emergency catcher.

While Toronto is eager to prove themselves after last year’s debacle against the Seattle Mariners, Minnesota is trying to overcome a far greater struggle - 18 straight playoff losses, with their last win stemming from the 2004 postseason. For reference, Johan Santana pitched seven scoreless innings in that game, with Joe Nathan getting the save. A Jacque Jones solo bomb and Shannon Stewart RBI were all Minnesota needed to defeat New York 2-0. The Yankees would go on to win the next three games, and knock the Twins out in the ALDS. Toronto finished last in the AL East that year.

Major League Baseball also announced start times for each of the Wild Card series, with Toronto-Minnesota scheduled for a 4:38 PM EST first pitch each game - Game 3, if needed, may be adjusted based on the other series’ times and length. The other AL Wild Card series, Texas at Tampa Bay, will start at 3:08 PM EST - the first game of each day, tentatively.

See our bets and submit your bracket for this postseason on Sportstree!