From dark-horse candidates to division favorites, can the Toronto Blue Jays exceed expectations in 2022?

In 2021 the Toronto Blue Jays finished a disappointing fourth place in the American League East, despite being 20 games over .500. With a 91-71 record, the Toronto Blue Jays, fueled by the most electric slugger in baseball today, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the lone Canadian team in baseball barely missed the American League postseason.

The Blue Jays have faced arguably the most adversity of any team in the MLB, playing 85% of their home games across the last two seasons outside of Toronto, without a true home crowd due to COVID-19 mandates. The 2022 season will be the first season in recent memory where the Blue Jays roster gets to be at their own home, and they just have to worry about playing baseball.

Ironically, Canada's COVID-19 mandates now benefit the Blue Jays, as unvaccinated opponents will be unable to enter Canada to play road games, per a Wall Street Journal tweet.

"Unvaccinated MLB players won’t be allowed to enter Canada to play against the Toronto Blue Jays. The rule will provide a glimpse into how many players have declined to take the shots." -@WSJ

With division rivals Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees having numerous unvaccinated players who won't be allowed to make the trip north of the border, these divisional games will be all the harder to win against the talented Blue Jays. While some might consider these games to have an asterisk due to the weakened opposing rosters, in the immortal words of Al Davis, "Just win, baby."

How will the Toronto Blue Jays react under the weight of heightened expectations?

The smiling face of the Franchise, Vladdy

Canadian teams in all North American sports have a tendency to be forgotten, yet in 2022 the Toronto Blue Jays have an opportunity to keep all eyes to the north. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a historic 2021 campaign that could not be ignored, but the scrappy Blue Jays remained underdogs in their division where they ended fourth.

However, after an offseason of upgrading the roster both offensively and defensively, with the notable addition of third baseman Matt Chapman, the Toronto Blue Jays are poised for greatness in 2022. Third base was a position of weakness for the Blue Jays, so they went out and acquired the best third baseman available. It sounds pretty simple when you put it like that.

Matt Chapman is already in Toronto and is trying to contribute as much as possible, even offering to help coach some of the younger players, as reported by Shi Davidi via a tweet.

"Cool story from Blue Jays third base and infield coach Luis Rivera on the type of teammate Matt Chapman is. On his first day with the team, "he already told me, 'if you feel like I need to help any of the kids that are here I'm here for them,'" relayed Rivera. "That's great."" -@ShiDavidi

In 2022, watch out for a determined, excited and dominant team out of Canada, as the Toronto Blue Jays are finally home and ready to put the whole league on notice.