Blue Jays can’t let .500 slip away this early

The Blue Jays had a much improved April from last season, but their 6-12 mark finds them two games below .500 entering Sunday’s series finale with Oakland.

By the time April of 2017 had come to a conclusion, the Blue Jays were basically out of the running for a playoff spot. Sure, they weren’t technically out of the race, and they were even close to the second Wild Card spot into the summer, but a 8-17 month put them in a hole they couldn’t dig out of. In fact, they never did eclipse the .500 mark throughout the 2017 season.

Which is why when the Jays got off to a good start in April there was such a sense of relief among the fan base. A 15-10 record brought a lot of hope, especially with Josh Donaldson missing a good chunk of the month, as well as disappointing performances from guys like Marcus Stroman, Randal Grichuk, Kendrys Morales, and several more.

Unfortunately May hasn’t brought the improvements they had hoped for, and instead things have gotten worse. Stroman hit the DL with shoulder inflammation and was joined by Jaime Garcia earlier this week. Others like Grichuk, Steve Pearce, Troy Tulowitzki, Aledmys Diaz, Curtis Granderson and Teoscar Hernandez also spent time on either the disabled list, or unavailable for games.

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Morales’ struggles have also continued, and John Gibbons is still waiting to get a real contribution out of guys like Russell Martin, and Marco Estrada, and still hope to see a more elite contribution from Aaron Sanchez, and even J.A. Happ. While there have been some pleasant surprises this year like Kevin Pillar, and Yangervis Solarte, when you look at the list of injuries and underachievement, it’s hard to believe the Blue Jays are only two games under .500 at the moment.

It’s also incredibly important that the Blue Jays keep within striking distance of that .500 mark, and hopefully get themselves back on the right side of it before the end of the month as well. While it’s still relatively early, the landscape of the big leagues has shifted quite a bit in the last few years, and there are more “haves” and “have nots” than ever before. Getting caught in the middle ground isn’t the most desirable place to be, and it can lead to some pretty quick, sweeping changes.

If the team isn’t competing by the time late June/early July roll around,  you’re going to start hearing trade whispers turn into roars. With expiring contracts for Josh Donaldson, Happ, Estrada, Steve Pearce, Curtis Granderson, and more, the Blue Jays have several desirable trade pieces. And with the future looking as bright as it is in the minor league pipeline right now, you could hardly blame the front office for shifting their focus beyond 2018.

Which is why losing sight of the .500 mark this early in the season can’t happen, at least as long as the Blue Jays hope to be in the playoff race later this season. Yes, it’s early, and you can’t win a championship or a playoff spot in April or May, but you sure can lose one. At 6-12 for the month of May, they’re in danger of letting it happen, way too soon.

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