Toronto Blue Jays: Ross Atkins Focused on Winning this Year
By Paul Taylor
With the trade deadline upon us, general manager Ross Atkins advises the Toronto Blue Jays will do whatever they can to win it all this year.
You can make a convincing case for this being the most important year in Toronto Blue Jays‘s history, since their last World Series win in 1993. Certainly, they appear well-placed to make a run at another championship.
There is also a sense of urgency surrounding the roster, with the likes of Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, R.A. Dickey and Michael Saunders set to become unrestricted free agents after the season. The chances are that not everyone will return in 2017, adding to the intrigue and significance of the current campaign.
As such, with the August 1st non-waiver trade deadline nearly here, Ross Atkins is looking at every conceivable scenario, to improve the Blue Jays for their postseason push. The general manager discussed his plan of attack with Postmedia Network‘s Ken Fidlin.
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Atkins said: “We’re considering (deals) and talking with teams on both of those fronts. There’s always an acquisition cost to be factored.
“Typically, you pay for control, so that would mean giving up more prospect level in that type of deal. Everything is in balance.”
Despite this precarious balancing act, make no mistake about the fact the 42-year old is focused on winning now: “”We’ll keep both of those approaches at the forefront but we, 100 percent, recognize the opportunity we have in front of us with a very good team that is playing very well.”
To get an idea of how good the Blue Jays are, consider they reached 50 wins before the All-Star break for the first time since 1992. For what it’s worth, after 95 games, they are five victories ahead of where they were at the same point last season.
Atkins said: “Hopefully we’ll be peaking at a very good time. We’re going to be looking to complement the team every day when we wake up.”
One of the main areas the Blue Jays ideally want to strengthen is the rotation, especially if they stick to their original plan to limit Aaron Sanchez‘s innings. In this respect, you know they paid attention to the Boston Red Sox’ recent acquisition of Drew Pomeranz.
Unfortunately for Toronto, they won’t be able to rely on a David Price-type trade again. Further, there is a dearth of quality starting pitchers available, hence why the demand and price will be high.
Atkins said: “(The price Boston paid) is more indicative of the alternatives, or lack thereof. There just aren’t a lot of them.
“There are more buyers than there are sellers for that position. It wasn’t surprising that that’s what it took to get something moving.”
Overall, the Greensboro, North Carolina native appreciates what impact a quality starting pitcher could have, while also being cognizant of how tough it will be to find one: “We recognize that it can be an incredible jolt of energy into a clubhouse.
“(However), our challenge remains that because of our off-season starting pitching acquisitions, the overachievement of some players like Darwin Barney and Ezequiel Carrera, the fact we have Jose Bautista coming back soon, the season that Michael Saunders is having, we’re finding it difficult to look into the market place and find obvious ways to make the team better.”
No one denies the obstacles Atkins and the front office face. Regardless – with apologies to the Argonauts and Rock – the Blue Jays may never have a better opportunity to bring Toronto its first major sporting championship in more than two decades.
Next: Will Edwin Encarnacion end up in Boston?
Let’s have some fun with this one. What moves do you predict the Blue Jays will make between now and the non-waiver trade deadline? Further, what do you think their chances are of winning their first World Series since 1993?. Let us know in the comments section below.