Blue Jays: Ross Atkins: “It will only be a matter of time”

During the third inning of Sunday’s game against the Miami Marlins, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke with Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler of Sportsnet about recent organizational transactions, the PTBNL acquired in the Donaldson deal, and more.

There seems to be a decent amount of unrest in the Blue Jays fanbase. Following the Josh Donaldson deal on Friday, many folks were looking to the front office for answers. Ross Atkins, the man partially responsible for that very deal, sought to answer them Sunday when he appeared on the Sportsnet broadcast during the third inning of the final game in Miami, which his team eventually would win.

First, Atkins addressed upcoming September call-ups, bluntly noting that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. won’t be called up this month. While he has, in Atkins’ words, “certainly earned the right”, the roster spot he would occupy is of great importance to the front office. The GM said that Vladdy, extremely understanding in nature, is excited to join the Arizona Fall League with his fellow minor league teammates.

When asked whether or not he was surprised by Vladdy’s stupendous 2018 season, Atkins replied that while his on-field success is of no shock to the organization, the professionalism with which he has gone about his business is “exceptional”. 

Atkins not only praised the current status of the Blue Jays’ minor league system but spoke to its future, confidently saying that the organization will “continue to acquire talent” at the minor league level. “We’re starting to feel what winning is like in the minor leagues,” said the GM, “and we’re confident it’s going to translate to wins here”. 

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Emphasizing the importance of building and maintaining a top farm system, Atkins told Buck and Pat bluntly: “If you are able to maintain a top three system, you will win, that is fact. It’s going to happen. It’ll only be a matter of time”.

Finally, Atkins briefly spoke about the recent departure of Josh Donaldson, assuredly mentioning that there was “a lot of competition for [Donaldson]”, and that the organization feels “fortunate that [they] have a deal that [they are] excited about”.

When asked whether or not Donaldson’s injury affected the club’s decision to trade him, the general manager said that “had Josh not been hurt, we probably would’ve had a very different team”. 

All quotes are sourced from Sportsnet’s Sunday afternoon Blue Jays broadcast.