"I understand it's a constant uphill battle and sometimes things just have to go right," Halladay said of being with a winning team. "You look at Tampa, they had some unexpected things go right for them.

"So I don't think you grow impatient with people trying to put a team together, you realize how hard it is."

Having lost A.J. Burnett to the Yankees and Shaun Marcum and Dustin McGowan to injuries, the Blue Jays will open the season with three young pitchers in the rotation: left-hander David Purcey and a pair of rookies, right-hander Scott Richmond and left-hander Ricky Romero.

The Blue Jays also have a rookie, Travis Snider, in left field, and 25-year-old Adam Lind will be their designated hitter. Still, Halladay isn't discouraged.

"I think the talent is there and it's a question of how it's played out," he said. "Any time you have young guys that haven't been out (in the big leagues) there's a lot of question marks and that's the biggest thing this year.

"I think the talent's there but it's a bigger question just because there's so many guys who haven't been at this level and haven't done it every day."

The big thing for Halladay is that he likes what he sees.

"I was more impressed than I thought I would be in spring training with some of the young guys, the (Brad) Mills and the Romeros and the Brett Cecils," he said of the young starting candidates. "I was more impressed with them than I thought I would be."

THE BLUE JAYS WILL CONTEND IF ...: Absolutely everything goes their way in 2009. Initially, they will need rookies David Purcey and Scott Richmond to show instant maturity and post winning records right out of the gate. They will also need a quick return of health by right-hander Casey Janssen to stabilize the rotation in May and a return to health in June of Dustin McGowan to further bolster the rotation. Along the way they will need the bullpen to stay healthy and not be overworked. The Blue Jays also need a breakout year from right fielder Alex Rios and a Rookie of the Year type season from powerful left fielder Travis Snider. They will need big contributions from center fielder Vernon Wells, second baseman Aaron Hill, third baseman Scott Rolen and first baseman Lyle Overbay. That's a lot to ask.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: RF Alex Rios was amped during spring training while playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, and he said the experience puts him ahead of his usual pace. In 2007, Rios posted career highs of 24 home runs and 85 runs batted in. The Blue Jays believe he's capable of 35-plus home runs and 100-plus RBIs. This could be his year.

ON THE DECLINE: 3B Scott Rolen experienced left shoulder problems again last season, which limited him to 115 games, 11 home runs and 50 RBI. He is still one of the better defensive third basemen in the game, but his offensive contributions are slipping badly.