As the Blue Jays begin the difficult task of trying to turn a last-place team into a legitimate contender, they can at least look to New York for some positive reinforcement.
A year ago, the Mets were a disaster. They were coming off a season that began with aspirations of a World Series and resulted in a 75-87 record, 29 games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves.
Highly respected executive David Stearns was brought in to oversee a modified rebuild. As he implemented changes throughout the organization, the former Milwaukee Brewers general manager also used the deep pockets of billionaire owner Steve Cohen to plug multiple holes with short-term deals.
After the previous high-profile signings of starting pitchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander failed to deliver the desired results, the Mets aimed lower. They focused on bounceback candidates and struck gold with Sean Manaea and Luis Severino on one-year deals. Manaea went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA, while Severino finished 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA.
The Mets also got some decent mileage out of designated hitter J.D. Martinez, who outslugged Justin Turner and signed for $1 million (U.S.) less than the veteran did with the Jays. The minor-league signing of versatile infielder Jose Iglesias proved fruitful, too.
Not all of the moves worked out; they never do. Outfielder Harrison Bader was a $10.5-million bust. Jake Diekman, Adam Ottavino, Jorge López and Shintaro Fujinami failed to make an impact in the bullpen.Â
GM Ross Atkins has enough financial flexibility to make this team better, but there’s no
But the good far outweighed the bad and when the improved rotation was added to the core of Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo it gave the Mets a shot. After spending about $68 million in free agency and adding at the trade deadline, their win total increased to 89.
The Jays will try to do something similar this off-season, except their big expenses will be bats. They’ll also have a bit less to spend with payroll expected to remain relatively unchanged, which leaves $40 million to $55 million for upgrades.
One option is allocating most of that money on one player. They could make a run at outfielder Juan Soto, who will be the top hitter available, but the Jays already went through that with Shohei Ohtani. With the Mets and Yankees expected to bid against each other for Soto, the Jays would be better off shopping a couple of tiers down and spreading their money around.
There’s a desperate need for a power bat in left field. They could also use an offensive upgrade at third base, and there’s space for another DH. Like the Mets, they have to overhaul the bullpen where Chad Green, Erik Swanson and Génesis Cabrera might be the only locks to return.
Fixing everything in one off-season won’t be easy, but the Mets are the latest team to prove it can be done. Their specific needs might be different, but the star power and budgets are similar.
If the Jays choose wisely, perhaps next season will bring improved results. It better, or the Jays might lose Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette for almost nothing a year from now.
High risk and, if the Jays get lucky, maybe high reward.
Blow Jays
Unless the Jays break through next year, this will be remembered as the era of missed opportunities. In 2021, general manager Ross Atkins was slow to fix the bullpen and a team that should have contended instead missed the playoffs by two wins. The next year, they blew a seven-run lead in an epic wild-card collapse vs. Seattle. Last October, the offence failed to show up in another sweep.
The Jays never got remotely close to the playoffs in 2024, but this was another blown chance. The supposedly powerful Baltimore Orioles fell off in the second half. The Houston Astros were a shadow of what they used to be, and AL Central teams remained entirely beatable. Even the Yankees, who appear on the verge of coasting to the World Series, have plenty of flaws.
An AL title was there for the taking at a time when the Jays were supposed to be at their peak. Instead, if they fail to meet expectations again next season, another rebuild looms.
The Jays can talk all they want about being more “thoughtful” in how they generate runs, but if
Farewell to the Trop
After Hurricane Milton wreaked havoc on Central Florida, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Tampa Bay Rays have played their last game at Tropicana Field. that even if the City of St. Petersburg decides to replace the damaged roof, it won’t be ready in time for the start of next season.
There’s also a question of whether the roof should be fixed at all. While insurance will cover some of the cost, the Rays are expected to open a new ballpark by 2028. Either way, they will require a new temporary home.
Moving two hours down the road to their spring training complex in Port Charlotte is one option; the Yankees’ 11,000-capacity ballpark in Tampa is another. But extreme heat would be a factor for both. That might make Triple-A Durham in North Carolina more feasible. The Jays were in a similar situation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Â
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