Blue Jays: Ross Atkins has the chance to win us over

After three separate savvy trades by the Blue Jays’ front office this offseason, fortifying the rotation with a quality arm could win the fan base over for Ross Atkins.

It’s never easy taking over a job from someone that most people liked, and that’s what Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro got themselves into when they came to Toronto. I’m well aware there were plenty of folks who didn’t care for former GM Alex Anthopoulos, and/or former President Paul Beeston, but after qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in over two decades in 2015, the duo had a great deal of support. Especially when you consider the bold trades that were made at the end of his tenure, many fans and writers long for the days of Anthopoulos’ reign in Toronto on occasion.

I’ll admit that I was a fan of the former GM as well, but the longer I’ve been watching Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro craft this year’s version of the roster, the more I’m starting to appreciate their work as well. The additions of Aledmys Diaz, Yangervis Solarte, and Randal Grichuk have all been needed and significant upgrades, and none have come at a terribly great cost. Sure, Dominic Leone, Conner Greene and the others the Blue Jays traded have value as well, but in the grand scheme Atkins and company have done very well so far, if you ask me.

I’ll readily admit that it’s been tough to sit back patiently and wait for the free agent market to play out, but that’s been a nearly universal truth for baseball fans everywhere this offseason. Most of the top free agents are still without a new contract, and we’re getting dangerously close to February. As ridiculous as it’s been, it’s hard to blame the Blue Jays’ front office more than anyone else. The market is just weird this year.

More from Jays Journal

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

That said, the Blue Jays’ braintrust has a real opportunity at this stage in the offseason. With the upgrades of Solarte, Diaz, and Grichuk, they’ve managed to fill three holes at a relatively small cost. Solarte is due to make 4.125 million, Diaz will receive somewhere in the neighbourhood of two million, and Grichuk will make just 2.6 million.

Because of those affordable salaries, there should be plenty of room remaining in the budget to add one more significant name. The signing of Curtis Granderson for just five million also has the potential to be a bit of a bargain, especially if he’s used in a platoon with Steve Pearce in left field, and not over-utilized.

If the Blue Jays were to add an impact arm in their rotation then I think fans and writers everywhere would have to look at this offseason as a success, even if that signing doesn’t completely finish their work before Opening Day. Multiple reports have speculated that they should have somewhere between 12-15 million remaining, which should be enough to bring in a solid upgrade. If we’re talking someone of the calibre of a Lance Lynn or an Alex Cobb, that’s a pretty significant move of the needle for the pitching staff. Guys like Yu Darvish and Jake Arrieta may be out of their price range, but that could always change with another trade or two as well. And speaking of trades, I wouldn’t rule out an upgrade to the rotation (and utilizing the remaining budget) with another trade either.

The front office has shown that they think creatively, and so far I have to give them a lot of credit the checkboxes they’ve ticked off this winter, and how they’ve gone about it. However, as I’ve mentioned it’s still an incomplete task, which means the work that’s been done could be viewed in a variety of ways depending on how the rest of the dominoes fall.

Next: Devon Travis could be the difference maker in 2018

If Atkins and Shapiro can wrap the bow on this offseason by solidifying the starting staff, I genuinely believe that most Blue Jays fans should be very pleased, and even willing to celebrate the work of the current front office. Anthopoulos left town a bit of a rockstar after the 2015 season, but the more I see from Atkins and Shapiro, the more I believe that soon they’ll be respected in a similar fashion around Blue Jays’ circles. After the work they’ve already done, the rotation upgrade they need should be affordable, and hopefully that’s the final big piece of the puzzle.