Jays GM still sees playoff potential
Management isn’t ready to give up on this season yet
The Toronto Blue Jays are still in last place in the American League East, still riddled with injuries and have undeniably suffered through one of the worst two-month stretches to open a season in franchise history.
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. That could change dramatically by July, of course, but for now the team sees reason for optimism in a season where very little has gone right.
“We’re focused on adding and winning,” Atkins said before the Jays downed the Milwaukee Brewers 8-4 Wednesday. “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 wild card spot.
But Atkins pointed to a couple of factors fuelling optimism.
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 wild card spot. Then there’s the news that star infielders Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki will rejoin the lineup against Texas this weekend after lengthy stays on the disabled list.
“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.”
Tulowitzki and Donaldson aren’t the only ailing Jays. 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 of that changing soon.
“There’s certainly been a lot of injuries, but most of them have been short-term,” Atkins said. “Hopefully we can add some of these players who have been rehabbing and go on a run.”