Josh Johnson is out with an inflammation in his triceps. The Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher, who was acquired over the offseason in the major blockbuster deal that landed every professional from the Miami Marlins' lineup, is now on the 15-day DL, joining shortstop All-Star Jose Reyes.
The plan was to make the Blue Jays competitive. The plan was to make the Blue Jays the best team in the A.L. East as the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox were old, rebuilding and relying on aging stars to get the job done. However, those guys are in first place.
What Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos did instead was get a bunch of mediocre guys together in one ball club. Toronto looks like they have a quarter of the could-be Dominican Republic World Baseball Classic roster. They have Reyes, Edwin Encarnacion, Emilio Bonifacio, Jose Bautista and Melky Cabrera. These guys are somewhat getting the job done, but overall the team that was supposed to be well composed and was strategically put together, has gone nowhere.
Johnson, who started four games this season has given up 15 earned runs in 19.2 innings pitched. Batters are hitting .329 off Johnson as he's sporting a WHIP just under 1.90. This is just one of the two starts who has been struggling in his first year with the Blue Jays. The other guy who came over from the Marlins, Mark Buehrle, has also struggled in 2013. In six starts, Buehrle is 1-2 with a 6.43 ERA surrendering 25 runs in 35 innings pitched.
This is appauling. A team with so much talent simply getting beat game after game. In 2013, after 28 games played, the Blue Jays are 10-18 and in last place in the division. They actually have the second worst record in the majors right in back of the Houston Astros and just half a game in front of the (other disappointment) Los Angles Angels.
The trade over the summer was simply showing how the Blue Jays were going big or going home, but instead, their stars are going to the DL. Reyes came from Miami and now Johnson is the second player from the deal to land on the DL.
The Blue Jays get ready to face the Red Sox for the third and final game of their series.