As spring training approaches, there has been some talk in Toronto Blue Jays baseball about the team making the playoffs in 2012. The last time the Blue Jays made the playoffs was in 1993, the second half of their back-to-back World Series victories. The team, which went 81-81 last season, is looking improved over the summer and should be even better than last season, although cynical Blue Jays fans have heard this all before.

What's different going into the 2012 season is the addition of another wild-card playoff spot. What will happen is that an additional wild-card team from each league will make the playoffs. The two wild-card teams will play one another in a one-game playoff, with the winner going on to play in the post-season tournament. Essentially, there is just one additional playoff game being added, but it makes the post-season race a bit more exciting in baseball, as right now only eight of MLB's 30 teams make the playoffs, compared to 16 of 30 in the NHL.

Blue Jays President Paul Beeston recently predicted that Toronto could make the playoffs for three of the next five seasons. That's a tad optimistic, to put it mildly, but if five of 15 teams in the American League make the playoffs and the Jays field a competitive roster, then their odds of ending a 19-year playoff drought significantly increase.

The key, of course, is fielding a competitive roster. Beeston might have a good reason to be optimistic, although the team is far from perfect. The two key players for Toronto will be Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie. No surprise there. Bautista is one of the best all-around hitters in baseball, being able to hit for average and for power. Lawrie will be entering his first full season with the Blue Jays, and it will be exciting to see what he's capable of throughout the whole year.

As usual, though, the Jays' bats are great, but pitching is a question mark. Ricky Romero is a great staff ace, and Henderson Alvarez looked great in a cameo appearance with the team late in the season, but beyond those two the rotation is weak, and the bullpen has a lot of new faces. There is room for someone to step up, such as a breakout performance from a key pitcher or maybe a great closer, and it could make the difference between Toronto being a .500 ball club and being a playoff club.

No matter how the 2012 season ends, it's going to be exciting. The Blue Jays have been rebuilding over the past couple of seasons, and we've seen a lot of old hands leave and new hands brought in. The Jays are now on the upswing of their rebuilding program, as the team seems largely reconstructed and they have the chance to build on their surprising performance in 2011. How much they improve this year, though, remains unknown.