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DUNEDIN — Veteran reliever Casey Janssen admits the question has crossed the Jays' minds.
What if they were in another division?
Toronto has four consecutive fourth-places finishes in the American League East, where they face the gantlet of the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees. It's not that the Jays are bottom dwellers, as they've won 85-plus games four times in the past eight seasons, with a good enough record in two years to win another division. Yet the Jays never sniffed the playoffs the last decade, getting as close as eight games back in the wildcard.
But instead of using it as an excuse, players say it's an honor to compete in arguably the toughest division in sports. They want to beat the best. And after adding some veterans to an already strong young core, the Jays opened camp Tuesday believing they can contend.
"We don't need anybody to be Superman or come out and do anything extraordinary," said slugger Jose Bautista. "We just need a good team effort together, and we probably will make the playoffs."
Said ace Ricky Romero: "Anything's possible — it's baseball. You can be in last place one day, and the next day you get hot and you're in the playoff race."
Toronto has looked to the Rays as a model, going from worst in 2007 to first in 2008, building through the draft and growing young talent together. The Jays boast one of the league's best farm systems, with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman saying Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has been "building a beast."
"They've got an amazing farm system with a lot of good young talent," Cashman said. "So please, don't forget about them."
Second-year manager John Farrell likes what he sees on the current roster, from catcher J.P. Arrencibia and third baseman Brett Lawrie to centerfielder Colby Rasmus. Bautista (97 homers the past two years) anchors the middle of the order, and Romero tops the rotation. The Jays revamped the bullpen, with new closer Sergio Santos surrounded by veterans like Francisco Cordero and Darren Oliver.
"We know going up against the teams we finished behind last year, we feel like we've made some adjustments that present more of a challenge to them," Farrell said. "And I'll tell you, in this room and this organization, we feel like this is a year for us to contend."
Farrell knows a few things have to go their way. He points out one key to making up the 10-game gap is how their rotation performs. But Farrell believes they've added some more athletic and energetic players that will allow them to play a "different style of game as opposed to being one-dimensional."
Arrencibia said they've developed a loose and close clubhouse, which he pointed out worked for Tampa Bay. "Those guys look like they're having the best time of their life every game out there."
Arrencibia talks about wanting to eventually win — and dominate — the division. "Yeah, we're in the AL East, yeah they're a good team, but we want to beat them, too."
And Janssen, the longest-tenured Jay (since 2006), that's also crossed his mind.
"The day that it does happen, and we are in the playoffs, you know you can look back and those teams that we beat and say, 'Damn, those guys were pretty good.' "
Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@tampabay.com.
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