Blue Jays: What’s left on Ross Atkins’ offseason checklist?

The Blue Jays have already made some notable additions and subtractions from their roster, but what’s left for Ross Atkins and the front office before Opening Day?

Now that the calendar has flipped to 2019, it won’t be long before we’ll have more to talk about than free agency, the trade market, and the future. For now though, that’s still the focus for anyone who is paying attention to baseball circles, and I’m sure it’s what has been occupying nearly all of Ross Atkins’ time lately, the GM in Toronto.

They have quietly taken care of a few items of the offseason checklist, such as adding a couple starting pitchers in Matt Shoemaker and Clayton Richard, as well as utility infielder Eric Sogard. They’ve also made room on the roster by trading Aledmys Diaz to Houston, and releasing both Troy Tulowitzki and Yangervis Solarte in different scenarios.

Other than knowing that Atkins and the front office are focused on the bigger picture with most of their roster decisions, it’s hard to say what they have planned for the rest of the offseason. If I were to venture a guess, I would assume they’re a little more than halfway through their checklist, and I’m guessing there are a few items that they’ll want to take care of before Opening Day on March 28th, when they open the season at home against the Tigers.

It’s clear that the 2019 season will be a rebuilding year in Toronto, but that doesn’t mean that they can just start the season with whatever they’ve got and hope for the best. There are a few areas that need to be addressed, and a few more that I’m sure Atkins and Mark Shapiro would like to see taken care of, even if it might not happen until later this year.

What do they have left to take care? Here’s my best guess.