Jays looking for another big name

There was no way of knowing it at the time, but the Toronto Blue Jays signing of Hyun-jin Ryu in the fading days of 2019 may have been central to the team’s ability to have a productive 2020 off-season, even with the dire challenges facing every professional sports team.

General manager Ross Atkins — under the purview of team president Mark Shapiro — has approached his winter business with noticeably more aggression than we’ve seen in his five years at the helm of Canada’s only Major League Baseball franchise.

He’s spoken boldly about having money to spend and in the churn of the off-season rumour mill, the Jays have taken a front-row seat alongside the traditional big spenders.

It’s been refreshing to a point, as long as the expectations built in the process don’t prove to be artificial.

With the virtual winter meetings (originally scheduled for Texas) about to get under way this week, we may soon have an indication of just how serious the Jays will be at taking their next step towards legitimate contender status.

The usual sell job facing the Jays as they attempt to woo players to come north of the border is, of course, exacerbated by challenges related to the pandemic.

Essentially, the first question the club recruiters are asked is where the team will play next season. But with payroll cuts and spending limitations seeming to be the rule for the majority of MLB teams this winter, the Jays are at least talking as if what awaits is a land of opportunity.

But the fact that the Jays intend to be players over the weeks and days ahead can be traced directly back to the Ryu signing. When Atkins signed the Korean free-agent lefty to a four-year, US$80million deal, the clock started ticking on the high-end portion of the rebuild.

Part of the blueprint sold to owner Rogers Communications was that the team would continue to add, so as to maximize the value of having an ace on staff.

They may have to overspend to do so, but indications so far are that the Jays are willing to be a bull among the bears.

With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the orders of business that could be high on the agenda of Atkins and company:

In articulating the team’s approach this off -season, Atkins has revealed greater detail of the meticulous blueprint constructed by the creative baseball operations department.

Essentially, the timeline has gone something like this: Purge aging stars, continue to stockpile and develop young talent, wait for a core of that talent to emerge as Mlb-ready, then start to add proven big-league talent.

Firmly in Phase 4 of that process doesn’t mean the Jays are going to go all in to become an instant contender. It’s not the measured way in which Atkins and Shapiro roll.

Ryu was the first major acquisition and the front office is committed to adding at least one more high-end player this winter. But, as Atkins has cautioned, this off-season is just the next opportunity, one which will be followed by the trade deadline and what could perhaps be a more tempting class of free agents next winter.

The winter meetings aren’t the necessarily the swap meet/signing spree they once were — at least as it pertains to the Blue Jays.

A year ago in San Diego, they came away with pitcher Tanner Roark, though it’s worth noting that the early groundwork for the Ryu signing had been laid.

In 2018, the big news was the Jays cutting ties with Tory Tulowitzki, as the purge continued.

In 2017, there was nothing to report and the year before that, the acquisition of Steve Pearce.

So, you get the point.

DOUGLAS DEFELICE • USA TODAY SPORTS Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Hyun-jin Ryu warms up during spring training workouts in Dunedin, Fla., in February.