TORONTO — The Blue Jays are betting on The Blip.
After another season that ended in a cruelly mundane way, fans are looking for a savior. Until a heartbreaking incident on Instagram on Dec. 9, that savior’s name was Shohei Ohtani, and now Toronto needs to pivot again and revitalize its beleaguered offense. .
Speaking Wednesday for the first time since December’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee, general manager Ross Atkins expressed optimism about the existing roster. Atkins reiterated over and over how good he feels about this team, this roster, and this lineup, even after coming off a season in which he finished 14th in points and lost multiple pieces. Ta.
“What’s really important is that we put our staff in a position to best support the players that are here to get back to the points we got in ’22, ’21 and ’20,” Atkins said. “I feel like last year was just a blip in terms of scoring.”
You can bet on a better outcome, especially if you look at players like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Dalton Varsho, and Alejandro Kirk. However, this requires a broader perspective. Blip works in both directions.
The Blue Jays’ pitching has been stellar through most of 2023, especially from the veteran quartet of Kevin Guzman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Yusei Kikuchi. Their bullpen, always the most unpredictable group in baseball, has been as strong as it has been in recent years. Re-signed for another season, Kiermaier is coming off his best offensive year since 2017. Brandon Belt, currently a free agent, boosts this lineup from the left side with an .858 OPS. Whit Merrifield and Matt Chapman are outside the door behind him.
Of course, there are reasons to believe this offense will bounce back, many of which are legitimate, but you also have to consider the possibility that the rest of the lineup will step back and require more ability from their hitters. This isn’t poking holes in the 2023 success story, it’s just acknowledging the reality of baseball. Things can vary wildly from year to year, and some pessimism can be healthy when building a balanced roster.
Look at 2021. The best offense in baseball and the best player in Blue Jays history, ranking No. 1 in home runs and OPS, is the only lineup to miss the playoffs in each of the last four seasons. Still, Atkins believes the 2023 lineup and its performance are minor rather than fatal flaws.
“This is an outlier over the last four years and we are optimistic,” Atkins said. “That being said, we’re not going to rest on that. Right now, we’re focused on improving our processes. The league has adapted to us. We need to adjust back.”
There are secrets to all this. The Blue Jays will add more hitters, with Atkins highlighting outfield and DH spots as potential opportunities, but whether Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins, or a utility man walks through the door. This lineup as a whole needs to be adjusted. A lot of this offseason’s energy went into that, improving the communication, transparency and support this organization is giving hitters.
“What I think we’re missing is not people,” Atkins said. ” [thing] What we lacked was the ability to help the players, but I feel like we’ve made up for it and worked to put ourselves in a better position. Obviously, we’re a little right-handed, so could we be a little more left-handed when looking for a fit? Surely that’s possible. ”
This must also include the restoration of electricity. They’ll miss out on Chapman’s 17 home runs and Belt’s 19, although some of those will come from prospects (think Davis Schneider and eventually Orelvis Martinez). This batting lineup should finish at least 16th in home runs.
“I think we have a lot of ability to drive the run,” Atkins said. “It doesn’t mean we’re not open to adding another power bat, but if you take four or five guys at the top of the lineup, they’re all driving runs, they’re all hitting home runs. We have plenty of power. We plan to score again and feel optimistic that we will.”
Sometimes when you rely on optimism too much in baseball, it starts to crumble, and it looks like the Blue Jays are willing to put that to the test.
