The Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles have been on the sidelines recently in the AL East, as the former hasn?t reached the postseason since 1993, while 1997 was the last time for the latter. Both teams have had highly talented players during that stretch, spending a lot of money on players such as Roger Clemens, Shawn Green, Carlos Delgado, Albert Belle, Javy Lopez and Rafael Palmeiro. Toronto has a good core of Roy Halladay, A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan, but Vernon Wells is now the foundation of their franchise. Baltimore?s franchise player is a little clearer, as Miguel Tejada has been carrying a flawed team on their back since the club signed him after the 2003 season. The Case for Wells Wells is an elite five-tool centerfielder who just recently turned 27. Toronto made him the fifth overall pick in the 1997 amateur draft out of Arlington, Texas and V-Dub has exceeded the expectations laid upon him. He became their everyday centerfielder in 2002 and has gone on to anchor their lineup and transition out of the Carlos Delgado-era. Wells had an MVP-caliber season in 2003, posting a .317 average, 215 hits, 33 home runs and 117 RBIs. He hasn?t duplicated that kind of stat level in the three years after, though he came close again in 2006 and also was more of a threat on the base paths, stealing 17 bases, a career-high. He has now won three consecutive Gold Gloves and is a candidate to boost his offensive numbers now that he is beginning to enter his prime as Andruw Jones has done. The Case against Wells Wells? offensive production is All-Star quality, but he has yet to post a monster season that players such as Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols have made routine. In order for Wells to gain more serious consideration for MVP awards, he will have to eclipse the 40 home run/135 RBI plateaus and up his OPS to 1.000. With a $126 million contract now in hand, will Wells have the drive to become truly great? The Case for Tejada Miguel Tejada is everything a franchise player should be. He plays every single day (current streak of 1080 games) and he plays with a passion that sets an example for all of his teammates. He is a lifetime .286 hitter, but has hit over .300 in four out of the past five seasons. He has also had 98 or more RBIs each season since 2000, topping out at 150 in his first campaign with Baltimore. Tejada is known as a very clutch hitter, though he had postseason struggles during the A?s run of four straight appearances in the playoffs. Since joining the Orioles, he hasn?t seen October baseball again, but that has been to no fault of his production. The Case against Tejada Tejada?s defensive abilities have quickly declined while in Baltimore. He has evolved from an average shortstop to a below-average one who is likely to transition to third base in the near future. His name has also been mentioned during multiple steroid controversies. Former teammate Rafael Palmeiro said that Tejada gave him a supplement which may have led to a positive test, while a Los Angeles Times report said that Jason Grimsley told federal agents that Tejada was an anabolic steroid user. Tejada has categorically denied all accusations that he is a user of performance enhancing drugs, while his offensive numbers have continued to be at All-Star levels, though a bit down from the 2002-2004 stretch. Vote in our poll to determine which player you would rather start a franchise with. Click here for more information about this series and its full schedule.