MLB Preview Roundtable: Are Blue Jays the AL East favourites?

The MLB Preview Roundtable is discussing the upcoming baseball season. Jeff Blair has correctly called the World Series winner for two years running.

Shi Davidi likes the Los Angeles Angels. He thinks they are a low-percentile possibility but they have a good chance of making a run. The Minnesota Twins, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins are interesting.

The Washington Nationals are expected to be one of baseball's worst teams. On the positive side, the Mets are a good team.

Seiya Suzuki, Nick Madrigal, Wilson Contreras, Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, and Clint Frazier are all good prospects. Patrick Wisdom could hit 40 home runs with a full season's playing time. Brennan Davis, the 2021 Futures Game MVP, could debut mid-season. The team has a veteran rotation of low-strikeout, soft-contact generators.

Jeff Blair picks the AL East and NL East as the division winners. He likes the Miami Marlins to surprise as an under-the-radar team. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets stand out immediately.

Jeff Blair thinks Seattle Mariners have a year up on Detroit Tigers. Jeff Blair can see Seattle sneaking up to Houston Astros.

Arden Zwelling picked the Detroit Tigers for the surprise team question. He thinks they will impress and make it to the post-season. Eduardo Rodriguez will win a Cy Young Award. Arden thinks the Tigers are young, hungry, creatively constructed and well managed.

FanGraphs projects the Texas Rangers to be 15 wins better than last year. Seattle Mariners are the team most relevant from a contention standpoint. The Seattle trade for Jesse Winker and Eugenio Suarez deepened the lineup.

The Detroit Tigers are improving this spring. Ben Nicholson-Smith thinks they could be a .500 team in a weak division. He thinks the Seattle Mariners might disappoint people after their late push in 2021.

Arden Zwelling thinks the Toronto Blue Jays will win the AL East in 2022. The team has a top-three rotation, a good offence and a league-average bullpen. It has an impact prospect in Gabriel Moreno who could be MLB ready by summer. George Springer, Alek Manoah, and Jose Berrios are in good shape.

Jeff Blair has all four AL East teams making the playoffs. Jeff Blair thinks the Toronto Blue Jays are the least flawed of the group. Tampa Bay Rays are second. Blue Jay's have grown as an offensive team in the last three years.

Ben Nicholson-Smith believes the Toronto Blue Jays are the best team in the division.

Shi Davidi believes Toronto Blue Jays are the favourites in the AL East. Tampa Bay Rays are a team that is not going anywhere. The lack of an impact left-handed bat makes it easier for opposing managers in leverage.

The NL East is going to be wild. Atlanta Braves are well-rounded and well prepared to defend their championship. New York Mets are spending like every MLB club ought to. Philadelphia Phillies have a good all-bat, no-glove lineup. Miami Marlins are positioned to surprise and remain competitive into September.

Jeff Blair is looking forward to the AL MVP race. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a shot at the Triple Crown. Mike Trout will start with handicaps because of Shohei Ohtani's unicorn status.

The Atlanta Braves look like the most complete team in the NL East. The New York Mets are legitimate, even if they won't have Jacob DeGrom until June. In the West, the Los Angeles Dodgers are clearly the best team, but the San Francisco Giants are not going to fall off a cliff.

Ben Nicholson-Smith is interested in the NL West. He is looking forward to the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. from the injured list.

Wander Franco's emergence last year was a preview for a full season of him this year.

Arden Zwelling wants to see a full Byron Buxton season. Luis Robert could rake his way to an MVP award if his second-half adjustments stick. Tyler O'Neil could be the heir apparent to Joey Votto as Canada's best player. Wander Franco is going to be an absolute monster at the age of 21.

Jeff Blair picks Jazz Chisholm of the Miami Marlins as the player who needs to have played in the majors to show his talent. Jeff Blair also picks the second baseman, who is going to be a key player for the Marlins this season.

Bobby Witt Jr. will start the season with the Kansas City Royals. He could become baseball's next great young shortstop. Other young players who could join him include Fernando Tatis Jr., Trea Turner, Bo Bichette, Xander Bogaerts and Carlos Correa.

The Blue Jays are the favourites in the AL East.

The AL East favourites are Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros, Yankees, Rays, Red Sox. NL favourites include Atlanta, Brewers, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, and Phillies. World Series favourites: Dodgers.

The AL East favourites are Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros, Yankees, Rays, Tigers, and the NL favourites include Atlanta, Brewers, Dodgers, Padres, Mets, Phillies. World Series favourites: White Sides over Brewers.

Shi Davidi gives his opinion on the AL East, NL and World Series.

The AL East favourites are the Blue Jays, White Sox, Astros, Rays, Yankees, Red Sox. The NL favourites include Atlanta, Brewers, Dodgers, Padres, Mets, and Marlins.