No intention to be sellers
Blue Jays GM says team committed to winning
MILWAUKEE — The Blue Jays are still in last place in the American League East, still riddled with injuries and have undisputedly suffered through among the worst twomonth stretches to open a season in franchise history.
But that doesn’t mean the front office has any plans to tear the team apart in the middle of the season.
Instead, general manager Ross Atkins on Wednesday rather emphatically said he’s still committed to bolstering the lineup to challenge for a third consecutive playoff berth.
What is said towards the end of May could have a dramatically different tone than late July, of course, but for now the team sees reason for optimism in a season where very little has gone right so far.
“We’re focussed on adding and winning,” Atkins said prior to the Jays 8-4 win over the Brewers at Miller Park. “We’re focused on what’s the best thing for us sustaining a championship organization and environment.”
Just how Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro can make that happen remains to be seen. With a 21-26 record, the Jays still have some climbing to do if they are to challenge for the division and/or an AL wildcard spot.
But Atkins pointed to a couple factors fuelling optimism, including some recent precedent for a team that has notoriously been slow out of the gates before morphing into a thundering force down the stretch.
For starters, no one in the AL East is running away with the division — the Jays began Wednesday 7.5 games behind the front-running Yankees and just five out of an AL wildcard spot.
And then there’s the fact that star infielders Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki will rejoin the lineup for a home series against Texas this weekend after lengthy stays on the disabled list.
Add in the fact that they can once again sniff a .500 record and the gloom is lifting.
“Five days ago, roughly, we were 18 and 24 and a year ago we were 19 and 23 on the same day, so one game different,” Atkins said. “We need to go on a run, (but) the division fortunately hasn’t completely run away from us and we’re still very much in it. We absolutely need to go on a run sometime soon.”
It’s clear that the Jays can’t afford another 2-11 slide like the one they began the season with, but consider as well the situation from two years ago at this time. After 45 games, the team had an identical 19-26 record to the one with which they arrived in Wisconsin. With some aggressive trades by then-general manager Alex Anthopoulos prior to the July 31 trade deadline, the Jays went on an epic run to capture the division.
With the age of the current roster and the aim to build the team’s prospect pool, don’t expect Atkins and Shapiro to sell the farm like Anthopoulos did. But as he strongly hinted on Wednesday, the belief is still strong that the team can play its way into contention this season.
Given that the season is more than a quarter completed, the “it’s early” excuse has passed. But remaining in shouting distance, why would a team used to coming from off the pace pack it in now?
Atkins stressed that management is nowhere near a point of deciding to be buyers or sellers though the clear intention is to add rather than subtract, especially if the team can inch closer to contention.
“There is no concrete timeline that we have to make a decision by because it all depends on the division and how were playing,” Atkins said. “We remain absolutely focused on adding and winning.”
The return of Donaldson and Tulowitzki will certainly be a welcome boost, especially for big home crowds expected for series against the Rangers, Reds and Yankees.
It’s not just Tulowitzki and Donaldson, either. With three of the five starting pitchers still on the DL as well as utility fielder Steve Pearce, the Jays have been holding it together. Considering manager John Gibbons hasn’t had his anticipated lineup all season, excitement is building at the prospect that can bring.
“I hate to even talk about things that could come, but we have guys that are coming back into the fold here,” Atkins said. “We could be adding a full team very soon — certainly within weeks.
“There’s certainly been a lot of injuries, but most of them have been short term. Hopefully we can add some of these players who have been rehabbing and go on a run.” rlongley@postmedia.com twitter.com/ longleysunsport