Great Expectations

The making of the Blue Jays’ 2013 season.

After a disastrous 2012 season, the Blue Jays had a major makeover, adding an array of star players through trades and free–agent signings, including R.A. Dickey, the best pitcher in the National League last year, and ticket sales have since soared. Starting with a behind–the–scenes look at the offseason fallout that led to the roster upheaval, this book covers every aspect of the 2013 season with a particular focus on the personalities involved. The cast includes Alex Anthopoulos, the 36–year–old general manager from Montreal; R.A. Dickey, a sexual abuse survivor who also happens to be the only major–league pitcher to throw a knuckleball; Brett Lawrie, the team’s lone Canadian, whose kinetic style of play is a double–edged sword; José Bautista, the two–time home–run champion bidding to revive his power after wrist surgery felled him last summer; and Melky Cabrera, whose 50–game drug suspension last year forced him to sign a free–agent contract with a new team for half the money he might otherwise have realized. Their guide is John Gibbons, whose challenge is to meld a diverse collection of newcomers and holdovers into a winning team in a city starved for a championship. For a generation of fans, 2013 is on the cusp of being a season like no other.