The Toronto Blue Jays made a number of trades during the offseason that made them the team to beat by some in the American League East and former outfielder Joe Carter agrees, as long as the team builds trust with each other.
According to the Associated Press, Carter spoke about the new additions to the team and said that guys should try not to put too much pressure on themselves early and try to gain trust with one another. The team is primed for a run at the perfect time, as it appears that both the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox are about to have down seasons.
The Blue made a deal for pitchers Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle and shortstop Jose Reyes in a fire sale deal with the Miami Marlins and they also added Cy Young winner RA Dickey from the Mets and signed Melky Cabrera despite his suspension for performance enhancing drugs. The team looks very different from last year, but adds talent to a roster that has Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Brendon Morrow.
The Jays finished fourth in the division last year, but they have a new manager in John Gibbons, who was brought back to the team after John Farrell left for the Red Sox. The team is trying to make the postseason for the first time in 20 years since Carter helped the team win back to back World Series titles.
"When you have new guys come in -- as many as the Jays have coming in now -- the tendency is to go out there and try to do too much, too early," Carter said. "And then when you do that, you put yourself in a hole. What they've got to do is just go out there and try to relax as much as possible and trust their teammates and believe in their teammates and not try to do it themselves."
