MLB Insider predicts 4th place finish for the Blue Jays

PECOTA, which are standings and projections made by Baseball Prospectus, has the Blue Jays finishing in 3rd place in the east, between the Orioles and Red Sox. This has them around 85 or so wins.

One MLB insider however, isn't as optimistic.

Russell Dorsey, a national MLB Insider for Yahoo Sports, recently appeared on MLB Network's Hot Stove to offer his thoughts.

While Dorsey agreed with PECOTA's projections that had the Yankees atop the division, he went off-board next and had the Red Sox finishing second. This knocked everyone else down one notch, leaving the Blue Jays in 4th place, ahead of only the Tampa Bay Rays.

It's an interesting prediction, although understandable if you look at the numbers. While the Yankees are expected to win the east, the gap between the 1st and last place teams in the division is only nine wins.

While it may seem a like a lot, it's a lot closer than last year, when the difference between the Yankees and Blue Jays was 20 wins.

In 2024, the division with the least number of wins separating the first and last place teams, was the NL Central, where the 93-win Brewers, had 17 more wins than the fifth place Pirates.

With the Blue Jays' additions this offseason, the AL East is once again set to become the most competitive division in baseball.