It’s been a few years now since the Toronto Blue Jays set the world on fire with the emergence of three sons of former big-league players in the minor leagues. Now that those players, plus the rest of Toronto’s core are established major leaguers, it’s about time for a gut check in the Jays’ organization. Expected to be a perennial powerhouse, the Toronto Blue Jays haven’t quite lived up to the lofty expectations set for them.
The good:
The pitching. This was a surprise on multiple levels. Toronto’s bats are usually expected to pace the team and take some pressure off of the arms, but this was even more of a shock because of the big-name non-factor in the Jays’ rotation. Coming off 2022 which contained an All-Star game appearance and a third-place Cy Young finish, young righty Alek Manoah was expected to be the ace of Toronto’s pitching staff for years to come. Instead, Manoah imploded. He started the year so poorly that he was optioned to the Florida Complex League to get right, and even struggled there. Manoah finished 2023 with a 5.87 ERA, and his future is up in the air. The rest of the rotation, however, did not share that problem. Five other starters averaged out at a 3.54 ERA, headlined by veteran Kevin Gausman. Gausman led the AL— and finished second in the majors—with 237 strikeouts. Combine that with a 12-9 record and a 3.16 ERA, and you’ve got a staff ace. Other contributors were free-agent addition Chris Bassitt (3.60 ERA) and Jose Berrios (3.65). Not to be overlooked in the surprise of Toronto’s above-average rotation is their bullpen. Closer Jordan Romano tallied 36 saves in 59 appearances, offseason trade acquisition Erik Swanson pitched 69 games to the tune of a 2.97 ERA and left-hander Tim Mayza surrendered just two home runs in 69 appearances this season. A good bullpen is instrumental for a good team, so the support that Toronto’s starters got was monumental.
The bad:
Lack of growth from the bats. Aside from shortstop Bo Bichette (.306/20 homers/73 RBIs), there wasn’t an outstanding hitter in Toronto’s lineup. First baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.264/26/94) has regressed significantly since his MVP runner-up season in 2021, featuring nearly a 50-point drop in batting average and 22 fewer home runs. Offseason trade pickup Daulton Varsho (.220/20/61), who came over from Arizona in December also fell off since last season, dropping his average by 15 points and hitting seven fewer homers, while the pieces the Diamondbacks got in return—Lourdes Gurriel and Gabriel Moreno—are both having impact seasons for the Diamondbacks, who are in the NLCS at the time of this writing. Toronto lost an instrumental member of their outfield this offseason in the form of Teoscar Hernandez, who connected on 129 home runs in parts of six seasons with the Jays. Hernandez was shipped to the Seattle Mariners in the trade that sent Swanson to Toronto, which makes the deal look like a win for both sides. Aside from Bichette’s standout season, utility man Whit Merrifield supplied the second-highest average on the team at .272 while also stealing 26 bags.
MVP:
Bo Bichette. The fifth-year shortstop continues to be the most consistent producer in Toronto’s lineup. Bichette was the best hitter on the team in ’23, with an OPS+ of 123, hitting .306 and connecting on 20 homers. While an argument could be made for Kevin Gausman, the rest of the Jays’ rotation held it down enough for Bichette to be of more use.
One word:
Tick-tock. Time is running out for the Blue Jays and their young core to put together a playoff run. As the stars’ first contracts expire, a push needs to be made in order for Toronto to make the most of their youth movement.
