The Toronto Blue Jays' 2022 season begins on April 7, just three days after Ontario sports betting goes live in the province. The 99-day lockout delayed the start of the season for a week, but the teams will play a full 162-game campaign.

“Opening Day” at Rogers Centre was originally set for March 31 against the Baltimore Orioles. That game was wiped out when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred scrubbed the first two series of the season.

BASEBALL PREVIEW: What MLB Bettors Should Expect From The Lockout

The delay of the trade window, free agency and spring training means this will be a unique MLB betting season. In the short window since the lockout ended, the Blue Jays traded with the Oakland A's for third baseman Matt Chapman. The team also acqiured Colorado outfielder Raimel Tapia to play right field and platoon with George Springer in center.

What To Expect From The Blue Jays In 2022

The Blue Jays exceeded their 2021 preseason expectations and remained in the playoff chase until after their final game of the season ended. The Jays finished 91-71 and in fourth place in the AL East, nine games back of the AL East Champion Tampa Bay Rays.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. emerged as a top-tier MLB star and only lost the MVP race because of the historic numbers and buzz generated by LA Angels slugger/hurler Shohei Ohtani.

The Blue Jays peaked at 20 games over .500 with a win over the Orioles on Oct. 3 in Game 162. Their hopes for a potential 163rd game against Boston to decide the second Wild Card spot were dashed when the Red Sox beat Washington to clinch the final AL playoff spot minutes later.

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Blue Jays Work To Replace Ray & Semien

The Blue Jays suffered two major departures before the lockout: Robbie Ray and Marcus Semien.

Ray won the Cy Young Award before signing a five-year, $115 million deal with the Mariners on Nov. 30, just hours before the lockout began. The lefty Ray went 13–7 in 2021 and led the AL with a 2.84 ERA, 248 strikeouts, 193.1 IP and 1.04 WHIP. Those numbers earned him 29 out of 30 first-place Cy Young votes.

The Jays tried to balance the loss of Ray by signing Giants starter Kevin Gausman. He completes a rotation that also includes Jose Berrios, Hyun Jin Ryu, and Alek Manoah. A shorter season will ease the pitching burden a bit. Toronto used 33 pitchers in 2021. Expect at least as many arms deployed in 2022. Closer Jordan Romano delivered consistently, but the Jays blew too many leads before they could get to him. Those early-season losses in turn cost Toronto a playoff spot.

All-Star infielder Semien, meanwhile, jumped to the Texas Rangers two days before the lockout, nailing down a seven-year, $175 million deal. Semien, 31, is all-too-typical of the sort of player the Blue Jays have been unable to keep in the fold in recent years. His 45 home runs, 120 RBI and Gold Glove-caliber defense will be tough to replicate.

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Toronto Blue Jays Best Bets & Predictions For 2022

Canadian sports betting fans in Ontario are no doubt eager to wager on the home team come April 4. We urge caution in the MLB futures market, especially for those novice bettors.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays Futures Odds

Odds via BetMGM and accurate as of publication.

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The Jays have plenty of potential, but they will need career performances from at least three of their key starting pitchers. The AL East is stacked. The Yankees continue to incinerate salary and are loaded as usual. The Bombers have spent nearly $4 billion in salary during this century and have just one World Series ring to show for it. The Red Sox bring back their rotation but will be without Chris Sale (injured ribs) for at least another month. The Rays are still the Rays. At least Wander Franco won’t be sneaking up on pitchers this season.

The Jays will likely have to be “buyers” of pitching at the trade deadline, if they hope to contend in the postseason. An expanded playoff format means three Wild Card teams in each league: meaning the Red Sox, Yankees, Rays and Blue Jays could all make the postseason out of the AL East.

The real value here is the Blue Jays winning the World Series at +1100, most likely as a Wild Card. That price has already come down from +1300 a month ago, when we picked the Jays in the same market. This price on betting sites is still steep given the long-term aspect. But first-time bettors in Ontario could do a whole lot worse with the money.

2022 Toronto Blue Jays Player Futures Odds

Markets shown above for totals are regular season only.

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Guerrero’s success in 2021 was smothered by Ohtani-mania. Guerrero wrecked baseballs all season. He launched 48 home runs and drove in 111 runs, while slashing .311/.401/.601. And at 22, Guerrero was able to play in 161 games. That’s why Guerrero at +450 to win the AL MVP remains a worthy play on betting apps.

Trout is an annual MVP favorite but played only 36 games last season because of a calf injury, and the fact that the Angels were out of the playoff race by Sept. 1. Another MVP for Ohtani will be a tough sell if the Angels continue their struggle in the standings.

Our best MLB odds value play is Kevin Gausman to win the AL Cy Young Award at +2000.

Gausman led the majors with 33 starts last season for the NL West champion Giants. He went 14-6 and threw 192 innings, posting a 2.81 ERA. Gausman is durable. That’s the most important commodity in pitching these days.

He will have an edge – at least early – moving to a new league. But he, along with the rest of the pitchers in the majors, will no longer have the advantage of a near-automatic out in the lineup, with the universal DH.

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