In a se sing the landscape Kris Dunn Jersey of the American League East, I'd forgive casual baseball fans for not really noticing the . The have been one of the best teams throughout the course of the early part of the season. The are always going to get plenty of attention and they've won 13 of their last 18. The are the defending American League champions and have won 10 of their last 14.Po sibly lost in the shuffle would be the team that has won five of its last six and has gone 15-7 since April 20. They have a chance in the next week-and-a-half to really turn some heads, too. We'll get to that in a second.Thus far, the Blue Jays have flashed lots of elements of a great team. There's a superstar centerpiece, Jr., -- yes, we're calling him a superstar already -- in the middle of a deep lineup. is packing the power, has gotten hot since a slow start and has been good, even if he's capable of better. serves the role of a No. 1 starter well while is an acceptable No. 2 and is a quality mid-rotation guy (his ERA was me sed up by two bad starts).The bullpen has been volatile, but that's the nature of bullpens. They've had a few finds out there (hello !) in the midst of a rash of injuries. They are capable on defense and one of the better baserunning teams in the league. Fantasy Baseball Today Newsletter Your Cheat Code To Fantasy Baseball You're destined to gain an edge over your friends with advice from the award-winning FBT crew. I agree to receive the "Fantasy Baseball Today Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner Patrick Williams Jersey offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was Shaquille Harrison Jersey an error proce sing your subscription. Having the quality pieces playing good baseball for several weeks provides optimism, but there's even more reason to keep our eyes on them and that's because they haven't been full strength all season. was their big-ticket offseason acquisition. He's only managed to play in four games. Prior to this season, Springer was a career .270/.361/.491 hitter, good for a 132 OPS+. He carries 162-game averages of 28 doubles, three triples, 36 homers, 94 RBI and 116 runs. He's very comfortable hitting at the top of a powerful lineup and eventually that's what he'll be Daniel Gafford Jersey doing here.Right now, Springer is trying to work back from a quad injury. When he was placed back on the IL on May 6, Jays general manager Ro s Atkins said, "I would expect it would take more than just the IL stint. There's a chance I'm wrong, but based on the information that I have right now, I would expect that it would take longer than that IL stint." They won't rush Springer back, but whenever he comes back, it'll be like they just traded nothing for an All-Star-caliber player.Someone else worth keeping an eye on is Nate Pearson. The former first-round pick and top-10 prospect made one rough start this season and is currently . If Pearson can work things out both in terms of health and with his stuff, he makes for a pretty formidable rotation down the stretch. Pearson's long had ace upside (in 2019 between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, he had a 2.30 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 119 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings).The best version of Pearson means the Jays have a top four of Ryu, Ray, Matz and Pearson. That's not an a sortment of top-shelf aces or anything, but it would be a damn fine playoff rotation, especially when teamed with this offense and a healthy bullpen Chicago Bulls T-Shirts (if that ever happens). It also couldn't hurt to add an arm in front of the trade deadline. The main thing, however, is getting Springer back. The offense has already shown itself to be good, but he makes it great. Looking forward to Springer and Pearson is more long-term when we're talking about this season, though.In the meantime, the Blue Jays face a stretch where they can really establish themselves as an AL East contender. They have a three-game series against the Red Sox starting Tuesday, followed by a four-game series with the Rays. Then they hit the road for a three-game series against the Yankees.The Jays have actually gone a combined 7-4 against these teams so far in 2021. They have the look of a very good team in the present tense. If they keep things going in that direction while the calendar gets ready to flip to June, we're looking at a bona fide division title contender. The Blue Jays are overshadowed right now, but a big Devon Dotson Jersey week-and-a-half here means no one will be ignoring them much longer. And once they are finally at full strength, the rest of the AL East will have their hands full.