Gausman for Cy Young and new role for Pearson

A new baseball season is upon us and the Star’s sports scribes are ready to bring you all the Blue Jays news, opinion and analysis you can handle. But first, we challenged them to make their season predictions.

Baseball columnist Gregor Chisholm and “Deep Left Field” podcast host Mike Wilner answered five roundtable questions and gave us their MLB award and playoff picks.

What storyline are you most interested in watching develop for the Jays this season?

Gregor: José Berríos’ attempt at a bounceback season. If the former No. 1 starter rediscovers his previous form, the Jays should have one of the top rotations in the majors. If he falters like he did throughout much of 2022, a lack of depth could leave them exposed, especially if one of the big three (Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman and Chris Bassitt) goes down with an injury. Berrios’ velocity and movement are still there. He just continuously got into problems last season by throwing too many hittable pitches. Improved fastball command would leave the Jays in great shape, otherwise his $131-million (U.S.) contract becomes a major liability. This is a huge season for the club’s former opening-day starter.

Mike: How the radically improved outfield defence is going to be reflected in the pitching numbers. Daulton Varsho and Kevin Kiermaier are elite flyhawks who cover a ton of ground in the outfield. They’re so good that they’ll make some very difficult and challenging catches look routine and we won’t give it a second thought. But those same fly balls would have been sin

gles and doubles last year. And then at the end of the year we’ll see that the pitchers’ numbers are way better than we thought they’d be, and wonder how they improved so much. The answer will have been right behind them all along.

How about across baseball?

Gregor: I look forward to seeing how the new rules will impact the on-field product.

The pitch clock is a welcome addition, but I’m more curious about how the infield shift ban will affect offensive numbers.

There was speculation during the off-season that teams could look to sidestep the rules by placing outfielders in some unusual spots, and it might not be long before an organization like the Rays starts doing something outside the box.

I’ll also be following Shohei Ohtani’s season because he’s the game’s most entertaining player, and if he stays healthy the former MVP will have one of the most compelling free-agent cases of all time.

Mike: I’m interested in seeing how long it takes players and fans to get used to the pitch timer.

I’m in the camp that there will be no less baseball, just less time where nothing is happening, and we won’t even notice the dozens of minutes we’ll have lost watching hitters adjust their batting gloves as they call time after every pitch, or the ones we’ll lose so that pitchers can go for a little walk around the mound between pitches.

For all the gnashing of teeth and rending of garments over baseball having always been the only sport without a clock, this clock will be a massive improvement. And you still have to get 27 outs to win.

Who is the Jays’ X-factor?

Gregor: Berríos is an obvious choice. But since I’ve already picked his season as the most interesting storyline to watch, I’ll go with Whit Merrifield. The 34-yearold figures to open the season as the starting second baseman, but it’s his ability to play the outfield that could really help the Jays. George Springer and Kiermaier haven’t been able to stay healthy the last several years, and it’s realistic to expect at least one of them to go down again this season. The front office declined to add a typical fourth outfielder, which means there’s a good chance Merrifield will have to step in for an extended run some point. The Jays need some length in their lineup and Merrifield is a guy who could provide it at the bottom of the order. Mike: There are so many potential answers to this one. Brandon Belt as the cleanup hitter after almost giving up baseball last year because of knee problems, for one. But I’m going with Berríos.

The right-hander signed a sevenyear extension prior to last season after the Jays traded their top two prospects for him and proceeded to be the worst starting pitcher in the American League in 2022.

If Berríos can shrug off that rough year and get back to being the pitcher he was when the Jays got him, it’s going to be tough for this team to get into any kind of prolonged slump.

Who will be the Jays’ MVP?

Gregor: I could come up with some outside-the-box candidates, but let’s be real. The obvious choice is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The 24-yearold is looking for redemption after last year’s 32-homer campaign with an .818 on-base plus slugging percentage wasn’t up to his standards. That might add fuel to the fire for a guy who just two years ago was far and away the American League’s top bat. Bo Bichette is another option to consider, but if the Jays are going to be successful this season they need to have Guerrero as the star in the middle of the lineup, so he’s still the top pick.

Mike: The answer to this question, as long as he’s healthy, will be always be Guerrero. On a team full of generational talents, he’s the generational-ist.

What’s one bold prediction for this season?

Gregor: This will finally be the year that Nate Pearson makes an impact in the majors. I know, I know, you’ve all read that before, but the former top prospect is still throwing more than 100 m.p.h. And for the first time in at least two years, he finally has momentum. Pearson started turning a corner late last season for Triple-A Buffalo and his progress continued in the Dominican Winter League, and then in spring training. His stuff remains electric. He’s just never been able to stay healthy enough to show it under MLB’s bright lights. The bullpen is deeper than it was a year ago, but it could still use another swingand-miss arm for high-leverage situations. Pearson will force his way into that role before summer hits and will stay there unless yet another injury sidelines him.

Mike: Three Jays will get Cy Young votes and the Jays will win the AL East for the first time since 2015. Oh, and Varsho will hit 40 home runs.