DUNEDIN, FLA. — Last in a four-part series on the Orioles' American League East rivals.
DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Toronto Blue Jays were supposed to be the breakthrough team of 1997, but a funny thing happened on the way to the World Series.
They forgot to score runs.
The Blue Jays had spent a fortune to add 1997 Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens -- and he was worth every penny -- but the offense was too thin to sustain the heady optimism that reigned at spring training a year ago.
This year, says rookie manager Tim Johnson, will be different, and he thinks he has the reconstructed batting order to prove it.
"We've got a good offensive ballclub," Johnson said. "We added lot of strength to our offense. We added guys who know how to drive in runs and know how to win."
He had better be right.
The arrival of big-swinging Jose Canseco and a handful of other solid veteran hitters should give the team more offensive continuity. The arrival of Johnson, who replaced longtime manager Cito Gaston in November, figures to alter the chemistry of the club on the field and off.
"We're going to be aggressive," Johnson said. "We're going to make the other teams make mistakes. I'm going to have about seven or eight guys who will have the green light [to steal]."
It all has a nice ring to it. The Blue Jays used to be one of the most exciting offensive clubs in baseball, but back-to-back world titles in 1992 and '93 gave way to a financial crunch and a rebuilding program that has yet to recapture even a glimmer of the organization's past glory.
Now, the franchise is spending again, and the level of talent has risen to the point where the playoffs are no longer a pipe dream.
The Blue Jays addressed their offensive deficit by signing Canseco, catcher Darrin Fletcher, infielder Tony Fernandez and power-hitting catcher/designated hitter Mike Stanley.
They also strengthened their strong suit, luring relief closer Randy Myers away from the Orioles with a three-year, $18 million contract to complete a solid pitching staff.
Not surprisingly, much the focus this spring has been on Canseco, whose dynamic personality and tremendous run-production potential could make him the flash point for the success -- or failure -- of the reconstructed Jays.
Somebody is going to have to step up at the plate, because the Blue Jays let Joe Carter go to the rival Orioles and do not expect young slugger Carlos Delgado to return from a winter-ball injury until June.
