The top of the Blue Jays lineup suddenly looks stout. (US Presswire)

Are the Blue Jays the new favorites in American League East? If healthy, it appears they might be, just looking at their lineup and rotation on paper (in November).

On Friday, the Blue Jays not only filled a gap in their outfield, they also fortified the lineup with a two-year, $16-million deal with Melky Cabrera, who fits in nicely in the two-hole behind Jose Reyes and ahead of Jose Bautista.

Here's how the team's lineup could look April 2 at Rogers Centre against the Indians.

Blue Jays projected 2013 lineup
2012 stats listed
Player, Pos AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI
1. Jose Reyes, SS .287/.347/.433 11 57
2. Melky Cabrera, LF .346/.390/.516 11 60
3. Jose Bautista, RF .241/.358/.527 27 65
4. Edwin Encarnacion, DH .280/.384/.557 42 110
5. Brett Lawrie, 3B .273/.324/.405 11 48
6. Adam Lind, 1B .255/.314/.414 11 45
7. J.P. Arencibia, C .233/.275/.435 18 56
8. Colby Rasmus, CF .223/.289/.400 23 75
9. Maicer Izturis, 2B .256/.320/.315 2 50

The team could also use Emilio Bonifacio at second base and its top prospect is catcher Travis d'Arnaud. With the addition of John Buck, the team may keep d'Arnaud in Triple-A until it finds a taker for Arencibia. D'Arnaud is a better hitter than Buck and a much better defensive player than Arencibia, so it will be interesting to see what the team does at that position.

The rotation also has potential, with Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle at the top, followed by the underrated Brandon Morrow (and perhaps accurately rated Ricky Romero).

Blue Jays projected 2013 rotation
2012 stats listed
Player W-L ERA WHIP K BB
1. Josh Johnson 8-14 3.81 1.28 165 65
2. Mark Buehrle 13-13 3.74 1.17 125 40
3. Brandon Morrow 10-7 2.96 1.12 108 41
4. Ricky Romero 9-14 5.77 1.67 124 105
5. J.A. Happ 10-11 4.79 1.40 144 56

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