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.
