2009 Just Got Tougher for the Blue Jays

With the 2008 season coming to an end, the future was starting to look bright for the Toronto Blue Jays. They have one of the best starting rotations in baseball, leading the Majors with a 3.54 team ERA, and if they can add a bat to their lineup to help score some runs, they can make a lot of noise in the AL East next season.

Of course, one of the big questions going into this offseason for the team is whether or not they were going to bring A.J. Burnett back. Burnett was rumored to be on the move at the trade deadline, but instead remained in Toronto, and he's currently tied with Roy Halladay for the team lead in wins (18) and leads the AL with 220 strikeouts. All of which virtually guarantees he's going to be opting out of his deal after the year ends.

Still, even if Burnett leaves Toronto for a bigger contract someplace else, the Jays were still comfortable with their rotation thanks to guys like Jesse Litsch and Shaun Marcum.

Well, they're probably going to have to try harder to keep Burnett around for 2009, because they just found out they aren't going to have Marcum. Shaun needs Tommy John surgery, and he won't be pitching next season. If the Jays lose both Burnett and Marcum for next season, that will leave two large holes in their rotation, and they probably won't have Dustin McGowan back until May as he recovers from shoulder surgery. In other words, next season could already be over before it even starts.