Blue Jays given harsh reality check by Rays that has nothing to do with Bo Bichette or injuries originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Toronto Blue Jays weren't sitting in a great spot at this time last year, either, and they ended up making it to Game 7 of the World Series.
So yes, there is time. But Tuesday night continued to serve as a harsh reminder for the Blue Jays of a reality that is about much more than Bo Bichette or a slew of injuries.
Those other negative narratives matter, yes.
But the truth is this: The AL East Division was always going to be the biggest hurdle to the Blue Jays this season, no matter what their roster, lineup and rotation looked like.
Anyone who really broke it down in the offseason knew that the AL East was probably going to be the best division in baseball.
It hasn't even totally carried itself out. The Red Sox are 17-24. The Orioles are 19-24. The Blue Jays are smack dab in the middle at 18-24.
But then you look toward the top, and it proves the point. It wasn't clear which team would be having a big season, but almost certainly one or two would be.
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The New York Yankees are 27-16.
And atop the division, after handling Toronto on Tuesday, are the Tampa Bay Rays — they're 28-13.
The Rays are the team of this quintet with the least star power, but they've been on an impressive run. They've set themselves up to be chased by star-studded teams all season, and the Blue Jays will just have to hope they can follow up last season and put themselves in contention again by the end.
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