Is this finally it for Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins?
The Toronto Blue Jays should fire General Manager Ross Atkins after this offseasons missteps and blunders.
Ross Atkins and his staff entered this offseason with the goal of turning this roster around via free-agent signings.
"Obviously we've already started that work. There are some obvious areas like adding run scoring and adding to our bullpen
We want to be really comprehensive and creative to make sure that we're doing it in a way that ensures we take a step."
Aside from signing Jeff Hoffman, however, there haven't been any changes on either of those fronts.
The Blue Jays started things off with the goal of signing Juan Soto. They offered him a lucrative contract, but he chose to pass it up and instead sign a monstrous 15-year deal with the New York Mets.
Atkins and his team have also tried to lure in several other free agents, perhaps the next most notable being Corbin Burnes.
They held an in-person meeting for the starting pitcher, but it wasn't enough, as he chose to join the Arizona Diamondbacks instead.
Other big-name players they've attempted to sign but were unable to bring in include Max Fried, Blake Snell, and Willy Adames.
Missing on free agents is far from the only area where Atkins and his staff have failed. They've also made several trades which have set this franchise back in a major way.
Perhaps the worst of all came following the 2022 season, in which Atkins chose to trade fan-favourite Teoscar Hernandez to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Erik Swanson and Adam Macko.
Swanson had a fine 2023 season for the Jays, but struggled to the point of being optioned to Triple-A for a brief period in 2024, while Macko spent the majority of 2024 in Double-A.
Hernandez, on the other hand, has continued to produce big numbers offensively, and played an integral role in the LA Dodgers winning the World Series this past season.
Other big misses on trades include Josh Donaldson for Julian Merryweather, despite being offered a package from the St. Louis Cardinals earlier in the year that included starting pitcher Jack Flaherty.
When the Blue Jays don't miss on free-agent signings, the deals they do make have often failed.
One that stands out immediately was their decision to sign Kendrys Morales instead of bringing back Edwin Encarnacion following the 2016 season.
Morales struggled in his two years with the Jays, while Encarnacion went on to have three more very productive MLB seasons.
They've also had some signings that didn't work out from the get go, such as Tanner Roark, who, after being handed a two-year, $24 million deal, had a 6.80 ERA in 2020 and was designated for assignment early in 2021.
Another ugly signing that is continuing to haunt the Jays is the six-year, $150 million deal they gave to George Springer ahead of the 2021 season.
He has a salary north of $24 million for each of the next two seasons, and hit just .220 with 19 home runs and 56 RBIs in 145 games in 2024.
And last but not least the most recent blunder, the Myles Straw / Roki Sasaki debacle.
Ross Atkins not only lost out on Sasaki, but are now stuck with Straw's contract. The 30-year-old spent all but seven games with the AAA Columbus Clippers this past season.
Straw will command $6.4 million in 2025, and will jump to an even higher $7.4 million in 2026.
He also has a club option for $8 million in 2027 that comes with a $1.75 million buyout.
The Guardians will cover $3.75 million of his salary, leaving the Jays with the remaining $11.8 million.
Based on how many free agents continue to steer clear of the Blue Jays, it's obvious that they don't have a ton of confidence in the front office.
The fans are in the same boat, and it seems that some within the clubhouse may feel the same way.
Both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are unsigned past this coming season, and will both become free agents if extensions aren't worked.
At this point, it's hard to envision either being too keen on sticking around given how big of a mess the organization is in.
The Blue Jays haven't won a playoff game under Atkins' guidance since 2016, and have missed the playoffs entirely in five seasons from 2017 to 2024.
If the Blue Jays hope to have any shot of re-signing Guerrero and Bichette, as well as turn things around in future years with free-agent signings, they need to head a different direction in terms of their management group.
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| POLL | ||
JANVIER 20 | 288 ANSWERS Is this finally it for Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins? Should the Toronto Blue Jays fore Ross Atkins before the 2025 season starts? | ||
| Yes | 178 | 61.8 % |
| No | 36 | 12.5 % |
| I sure hope so! | 53 | 18.4 % |
| Too early to tell | 21 | 7.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
