Prospectus Hit & Run: Schedule Difficulties

With the possibility of a Roy Halladay deal still lingering, there's little question that the Blue Jays' actions where he's concerned will have an major impact on the rest of the 2009 season. Not only would any trade give his new team a significant boost in their race for a playoff spot, but the vast majority of the Jays' remaining games—53 out of 69—are against the eight American League contenders, those AL teams with records above .500. A revised look at our strength-of-schedule rankings shows that Toronto is tied with the Orioles for the most difficult second-half schedule. If the Doctor is in, the Jays are primed to play spoiler. If he's out, not so much.

Baseball Prospectus