Baseball has returned.

The Blue Jays have had an exhausting and difficult season marked more by disappointment than joy. However, when the players make their short trip from the parking lot to the clubhouse in Dunedin, Florida, they will carry with them the optimism of a newfound season. 

There's still a lot of uncertainty. Well-known free agents like Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman are still available, and the Blue Jays' roster seems to be only one bat away from coming together flawlessly.

As camp opens, these are the main plotlines:

A redemption story is always entertaining to watch, and Manoah is a natural fit to lead it.  Manoah returned to reality last season after rising to fame in 2021–22, when he posted a 5.87 ERA and was demoted twice to Triple-A Buffalo. This involves more than simply a pitcher and a single person; it involves a relationship with the organization.

It's optimistic to anticipate an abrupt comeback, but Manoah doesn't have to be the Blue Jays' starting pitcher. He currently has the advantage and is competing for the No. 5 position. He'll be able to keep himself on the Opening Day roster if he can provide the Blue Jays with reliable innings and reduce his walk rate. This gets interesting -- and difficult -- if things go wrong. 

Yariel Rodriguez, a right-hander from Cuba, was signed by the Blue Jays to a five-year, $32 million contract to strengthen the depth of their rotation. However, Rodriguez will require time to adjust as he hasn't pitched competitively since the World Baseball Classic almost a year ago.  Bowden Francis is another possibility that you'll begin to hear about more this spring, and No. 1 prospect Ricky Tiedemann is expected to kick the gate open soon, but everything becomes simpler if Manoah can pull this off.

Manoah's 2023 season was an entire disaster. He now has the opportunity to change the story.

This spring, a lot of things will be said about Guerrero changing his swing and being in better shape. These two developments will fuel expectations that Guerrero is ready to regain his 2021 form. Although they are highly positive, all of this discussion about Spring Training won't translate into real results until we see them, not just in March but over the course of a full season as the team makes constant changes.

The simpler the better when it comes to Vladdy. Guerrero's innate abilities have not diminished despite the past two seasons, when he has appeared more like a "very good" hitter than the generational potential he displayed in 2021.

Everything has been there. Guerrero is capable of things that few others can match, but occasionally his abilities have been undermined by rash decisions and an unbalanced approach.

These players have to step up and become a leader this Blue Jays team needs.