There are certainly long-term pieces here to build around, including starters Manoah, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berríos, as well as Jordan Romano, Guerrero Jr., Bichette, Kirk and top prospects like catcher Gabriel Moreno, SS/3B Orelvis Martinez, and LHP Ricky Tiedemann. While he was signed last year to a contract extension through 2026, he’s now run the baseball operations of the team for seven seasons, without a single playoff win since inheriting the top ten players by WAR on the 2016 ALCS team from his predecessor, Alex Anthopolous, and assistant GM Tony LaCava.Īnthopolous continues to build a Hall of Fame resume as the team president and GM in Atlanta, with five consecutive NL East pennants and the 2021 World Series Ross hasn’t had the same success in Toronto. Blue Jays General Manager SituationĪfter firing his hand-picked manager in July, GM Ross Atkins started the clock on his own tenure with the club. He seems to be well-respected in the clubhouse and has been able to walk the fine line of calling out players for poor performance, all while pointing them in the right direction for future success. Manager SituationĪfter taking over for the fired Charlie Montoyo on July 13th, interim manager John Schneider led the club to the top Wild Card seed on the strength of a 46-28 (.622) record. Note that’s without extensions for anyone. Ross Stripling alone would take up $14-15 million of that difference should the Blue Jays decide to extend him a QO and surely the arbitration awards to the group mentioned above will eat up the rest of the remaining payroll space before triggering the luxury tax. With the luxury tax threshold rising to $233 million in 2023, will ownership be convinced to spend more to retain the current core? To sign the young talent to rich extensions? According to MLBTR, “last year’s figure was $18.4 million, and it’s safe to estimate that this winter’s QO will be worth somewhere in the range of $18-19 million”.Īrbitration-eligible players like Vlad, Bo, Danny Jansen, Santiago Espinal, Tim Mayza, Jordan Romano, Adam Cimber, Cavan Biggio, Raimel Tapia and Teoscar Hernández will all earn more money next year as well. Pending free agent Ross Stripling will cost much more to retain next year, and likely will be offered a one-year qualifying offer (QO) based on the average of the top 125 salaries in the league this season. While the Blue Jays only have a few pending free agents, headlined by third starter Ross Stripling, they also have a current $204 million competitive balance (“luxury”) tax (CBT) payroll – all without signing any of that young, homegrown core listed above to contract extensions past arbitration. So what are some of the more pressing issues as we stare into the future of another offseason, General Manager Ross Atkins’ eighth with the club? Payroll Crunch The young core, including ace Alek Manoah, catcher Alejandro Kirk, and closer Jordan Romano haven’t been locked up to long-term contract extensions either. and SS Bo Bichette are in their arbitration-eligible years. Young stars, like 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. So while the MLB postseason has just begun, it’s time for Jays fans to imagine what could have been and to take stock of where the team stands as another season in their current window of contention slips away. Welcome Back, /BbsW4tVRGaĢ022 Wild Card Series: Another Season in Window of Contention Slips Away Even having Jays’ royalty like Edwin Encarnacion or Vernon Wells in the house couldn’t spur the current team to capture postseason lightning. Sadly, the Blue Jays haven’t won a single playoff game since the great back-to-back ALCS teams in 20. The Mariners dispatched the Jays in short order, punctuated by a gem of a pitching performance from Luis Castillo, a trade deadline pick-up, on Friday and, a heartbreaking 10-9, late innings loss last night after Seattle scored five unanswered runs in the last two innings, and lit up the Blue Jays best relievers Tim Mayza, Anthony Bass and Jordan Romano.Īfter an up and down, but ultimately winning 92-70 season, Jays fans are left wanting again after tasting the postseason for just the fourth time in the past 29 years. It was great to be back in the playoffs until it wasn’t. The Toronto Blue Jays gave a jolt to their city this weekend, hosting the Seattle Mariners as the top Wild Card seed.
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