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The 2024 season was far from the kind of year the Toronto Blue Jays were hoping to experience. From Game 1 all the way to Game 162, this team became exposed for the holes they had. It had become abundantly clear that they were still far away from competing for a World Series title.
The Blue Jays entered the 2024 season with high hopes, building on years of investing into their current core and pushing for a return to the postseason. However, as the season progressed, some uncomfortable truths of the team have come to light--- realities that fans may not want to face but cannot ignore.
While the Toronto Blue Jays are undeniably talented and well-equipped to compete, a few key issues threaten to hold them back. From underwhelming performances to unprecedented scenarios, these hard truths paint a stark picture of the unacknowledged challenges that the Blue Jays are dealing with.
The struggles of the bullpen were not a fault of the FO
It's no secret that the Blue Jays' bullpen was an incredibly weak spot during the season. They ranked dead last in fWAR at -2.5 while also giving up the most home runs at 92 (10 more than 2nd place).
This was one year removed of one of the most effective Blue Jays bullpens assembled in the past decade. In 2023, the Blue Jays had a stable of effective arms to turn to.
Pitcher | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
Jordan Romano | 2.90 ERA, 59.0 IP, 36 SV | 6.59 ERA, 13.2 IP, 6.17 FIP |
Erik Swanson | 2.97 ERA, 66.2 IP, 1.09 WHIP | 5.03 ERA, 39.1 IP, 2.5 HR/9 |
Tim Mayza | 1.52 ERA, 69 G, 2.60 FIP | 8.03 ERA, 36 G, 1.94 WHIP |
What was considered the Blue Jays lethal top 3 bullpen arms in 2023 had completely cratered in the following season. The bullpen had essentially been dismantled, without a single replacement. Relievers are the most inconsistent part of baseball swaying from year to year, but the dropoff in quality was beyond any reasonable expectation. With the Blue Jays essentially losing all their previous key relievers in one fell swoop, it sank their bullpens competitiveness for the whole season.
The FO certainly has some work to do, in order to ensure that next years bullpen has some added firepower to be more competitive. However over the course of a season, having a core strength of a team turn into the biggest liability is hard to see coming, for any front office.