"The sun was shining brightly Saturday morning.

Inside the Rogers Centre there was optimism too, brighter than the new banks of lights.

"I think we can contend this year," said manager John Farrell, standing outside the Blue Jays third base dugout before their winter tour kicked off.

That's a big jump from a .500 team to say 91 wins.

Is this reminiscent of then manager Carlos Tosca predicting 96 runs at the state of the union address after winning 86 games in 2003? The Jays fired Tosca 111 games into 2004 as the Jays won only 67 games.

"We can get there," Farrell said. "It will take more quality innings from our rotation. We think Brett Cecil can re-gain his form of two years ago when he led with 15 games."

Farrell then pointed to Henderson Alvarez, Kyle Drabek, Dustin McGowan and "what other young pitchers who could emerge in the spring," as possibilities to start for the Jays behind lefty Ricky Romero, Brandon Morrow and Cecil.

When it came to wins in 2011, Jo-Jo Reyes, who didn't make a start for the Jays after July 22, was third in wins with five.

Yes, they could use an upgrade there.

Every winning team is strong up the middle while the Jays have second baseman Kelly Johnson, who struck out 164 times in 147 games, and Colby Rasmus, who after his coast trip where he knocked in four runs in Oakland on Aug. 16 and homered the next two nights in Seattle, hit .069 his final 16 games with 24 strikeouts in 68 at-bats.

"We know what Colby did here last year, but we also know what he did in St. Louis too," said Farrell.

Rasmus, who injured his wrist diving for a ball in the right-centre field gap, hit 39 homers and 118 RBIs with a .786 OPS in 2009-2010."