The Toronto Blue Jays should follow the 2015 blueprint
By Brad Vos
The Toronto Blue Jays should follow the 2015 blueprint in pushing for the playoffs. Excitement is at a fever pitch for a team loaded with young stars and the core is owed every opportunity to compete for a World Series in 2021.
The Blue Jays have four straight wins after sweeping Texas over the weekend to improve to 48-42 on the season. The team bullied the Rangers to the tune of 25-2 in the three-game set.
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Toronto also boasts a 54-36 Pythagorean winning percentage as of games played July 18th.
Pythagorean winning percentage is an estimate of a team’s winning percentage given their runs scored and runs allowed. If anything, their record should be better but a 6-10 mark in one-run games is the most likely culprit.
The team is moving back to Toronto on July 30th for a real home-field advantage for the first time this season, with 15,000 fans being permitted to cheer them on.
The Blue Jays are rich in star power and already making noise in the American League. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been otherworldly and was named the MVP of the All-Star Game last week.
Off-season signing Marcus Semien is having his best season as a pro and was joined at the All-Star Game by Guerrero, Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez.
Toronto’s playoff odds are 67.0% with a 13.3% chance of winning the American League East Division. The time is now to add to the team for the stretch run, and the best place to do so would be in the pitching staff.
The Toronto Blue Jays should follow the 2015 blueprint and add more talent
This all brings us to a parallel squad in franchise history who were rife with talent but needed a push to become elite. The 2015 Blue Jays were 45-45 after 90 games, but management believed in the core led by Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson. They also had veteran arms in Mark Buehrle and R.A. Dickey
By late July, management started making big moves to bolster the team for the pennant race. Over four days, General Manager Alex Anthopolous swung four deals that reshaped the 2015 Jays into one of the most beloved teams in franchise history. He made the following moves for a team that hovered around the .500 mark:
July 28 – Traded Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, Jose Reyes and Jesus Tinoco to the Colorado Rockies. Received LaTroy Hawkins and Troy Tulowitzki.
July 30 – Traded Matthew Boyd, Jairo Labourt and Daniel Norris to the Detroit Tigers. Received David Price.
July 31 – Traded Nick Wells (minors), Jake Brentz and Rob Rasmussen to the Seattle Mariners. Received Mark Lowe.
July 31 – Traded Alberto Tirado (minors) and Jimmy Cordero to the Philadelphia Phillies. Received Ben Revere.
Hoffman, Boyd and Norris were considered some of the Blue Jays’ best prospects but the team was pushing all-in and it paid off. The squad finished 93-69, winning the AL East and advancing to the American League Championship Series, where they lost in six games to the Kansas City Royals,
The 2021 version of the Blue Jays is every bit as talented, albeit younger, than the 2015 team. Toronto has a much better farm system now with which to entice teams in trade.
The Toronto Blue Jays should follow the 2015 blueprint in pushing for the playoffs. The players, coaches and fans of the team deserve an unforgettable pennant race in 2021.
Do you think the Toronto Blue Jays should follow the 2015 blueprint? Who would you like to see the team acquire? Let us know in the comments below.