Blue Jays: Atkins goal of building roster depth is very close to complete

The Toronto Blue Jays have a boatload of talent going into the 2022 regular season if something goes wrong but there is a little work to do for the Jays GM.

One goal for General Manager Ross Atkins was to build organizational depth when he was appointed to his current position on December 3rd, 2015. Where has the time gone right? After many years of veterans departing the organization and trying to figure out who will play where through internal competitions in Spring Training, the 2022 Toronto Blue Jays appear to have it all figured out. For the first time in as long as I can remember, Blue Jays fans have a good idea of who their starting nine will be on April 8th against the Texas Rangers. Sorry fans, Jose Ramirez will not be in starting nine at this time, however, I’d be more than happy to be wrong on that though.

Atkins for the first time in his managerial career has set out his starting rotation and again, I don’t recall this team having a complete starting five going into the regular season. How many times have we as Blue Jays fans seen two are three “Quad A” pitchers compete for the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation, only to be removed from the rotation due to poor performance or traded away at the deadline?

Remember when the Blue Jays had some issues finishing games last year with their bullpen? Then Ross Atkins went out and made some very savvy deals. Adam Cimber, Trevor Richards, and the reemergence of Tim Mayza have solidified the bridge to closer Jordan Romano who was outstanding as the role last year, replacing Ken Giles. Let’s sprinkle in the addition of Yimi Garcia and David Phelps (who is back on a MiLB deal) and you really solidify the foundation of that bullpen. Ross Stripling will be the swingman this season, a role he is very familiar with throughout his career, and the Jays can look at keeping lefties Ryan Borucki or Taylor Saucedo to round out their bullpen or they could run with Julian Merryweather. The Blue Jays also brought back Joe Biagini.  The bottom line is the Blue Jays have options in this bullpen and that is super exciting.

So, what happens if things go wrong?

The Blue Jays could and should stretch out Nate Pearson in Buffalo and keep an eye on his progress. If he is having success and they need someone to make some starts then bring him up if there is a need for him. If the Blue Jays decide Pearson is more suitable to be a back-end bullpen piece and there is an opening then bring him up and put him in the pen. The Blue Jays also have Anthony Kay, Trent Thornton, Nick Allgeyer, Bowden Francis, and Andrew Vasquez to support the big club with pitching if needed, whether it be in the rotation or bullpen.

The Toronto Blue Jays have a boatload of talent going into the 2022 regular season if something goes wrong but there is a little work to do for the Jays GM.

I went into detail about the pitching so let’s move on to the infielders.

If the Jays need an infielder to come up and produce if something goes wrong then I would expect to see players like Otto Lopez, Gosuke Katoah, and Greg Bird. Some people believe Bird has an outside shot at making the club, I don’t see it yet due to the acquisition of outfielder Ramiel Tapia from Colorado. Lopez is a versatile defender that can play across the diamond and in the outfield. He has good contact and has demonstrated he can hit for average. Katoah is a switch hitter that has a ton of experience, we’ve seen him at second for the majority of his time in spring. Groshans is still developing but some believe if he stays healthy and gets his bat going he could be a valuable player in the coming years, but he is currently expected to miss the next few weeks with an oblique injury.

Lastly, the outfield depth is where Atkins may have to address if things go South. The Jays have the ability to move Cavan Biggio to the outfield if something happens and it would not completely affect the offence. Josh Palacios and Mallex Smith are outfielders 6 and 7 if the Jays need to bring up outfield help from Buffalo. Palacios spent some time with the big club and had his struggles both defensively and offensively last year. Smith provides a ton of speed but has shown issues defensively this spring. Chavez Young is still a year or two away from being a big leaguer. Non-roster invitee Nathan Lukes could be of assistance. Only time can tell on that.

In closing, Ross and his team have done a great job assembling this team of players. He is very close to completing his goal of having solid organizational depth to support this Blue Jays club. It’s a great time to be a Blue Jays fan.