Another ESPN insider joins Jeff Passan in ripping Blue Jays for "disaster" offseason

The Toronto Blue Jays and their largely stagnant winter is reaching a point of no return. While much of North America is freezing under the chill of Arctic air, baseball teams are laying the groundwork for a productive spring and summer. Might this difficult period for the Blue Jays lead the club to consider a franchise-altering pivot in their contention strategy?

Noted ESPN baseball insider Buster Olney sounded the alarms on a winter that has been disappointing for Toronto fans. In no uncertain terms, Olney categorized Toronto's inactivity in the bluntest possible manner.

"It's been a total disaster," Olney said to "First Up" on TSN1050 radio about a Blue Jays organization whose two-year, $15M pact with pitcher Yimi Garcia was the extent of their overall spending on major league free agent deals at the time of the comment. Would the Jeff Hoffman contract have moved the needle far enough to change the "disaster" appraisal to something more positive? The jury's still out.

Of course, one cannot forget about the Andres Gimenez trade and a handful of other maneuvers. But the main point still stands. This level of inactivity is leading baseball observers to wonder whether a rebuild or retool is the smartest way to approach the rest of the winter.

"In this moment, what makes the most sense for them is preparing to turn over the roster, whether it's this offseason or during this season, and not take on other contracts," Olney continued.

Buster Olney did not mince words when discussing the Blue Jays' offseason

There will be a point in which Toronto runs out of runway to realistically compete. The optimal outcome involves the organization making that determination sooner rather than later. The front office must be 100% certain that this team can contend in 2025. The New York Yankees have loaded up for another run at the American League pennant. The Boston Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles have made solid if unspectacular maneuvers. The same could be said for a lot of teams in the league. It feels like Toronto has fallen behind everyone.

The front office loves using projection systems on all matter of items ranging from player acquisitions to contention strategy. The Blue Jays need to figure out what the projection systems are telling them about the outlook for this upcoming season and how they can implement the proper adjustments.

Sometimes, the club inflicts more harm on itself when it rigidly adheres to the numbers. Look at the Juan Soto bidding and their reported queasiness surrounding it. How many times has management insisted a turnaround was around the corner only for the team to end up in a worse spot? Going forward, the organization must use the information in deciding how aggressively to lean into a retool/rebuild.

Olney noted that now is the time to trade position players because they have the most value. The Blue Jays will face a conundrum there with shortstop Bo Bichette's value at an all-time low, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s pending free agency should dominate the headlines in the weeks to come. Pitching, on the other hand, is more valuable during the season when teams are strapped for arms that can toe the rubber. Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios may all be gone after the 2026 season.

Even if Blue Jays fans dislike the job Atkins and Shapiro have been doing, it's important to remember that the organization needs this duo to be careful stewards of their franchise while they are still employed. There is still a mountain of work that needs to get done and the consequences of that work will have enormous ramifications in the years to come.

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