The Blue Jays 1-9 start is their worst in the history of the franchise. Team president and CEO Mark Shapiro says, though, that he isn’t planning significant changes at this time, as Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi writes.
“Less than 10 games in, this is not the time to start looking at external help,” says Shapiro, issuing the standard line executives (mostly correctly) use when their teams struggle in April. “There may be a time and a place when you start to think about that, but you’re not going to replace five hitters.”
Indeed, teams are rarely willing to make big trades in April, either as buyers or sellers, and teams’ early-season problems can be misdiagnosed due to sample-size issues. The Blue Jays have scored just 2.8 runs per game thus far, and Devon Travis, Russell Martin, Jose Bautista and Steve Pearce in particular have struggled. With what would appear to be a good veteran lineup, though, that could change in time. Shapiro says the team is now focused on making the most of the talent it has.
“When it goes collectively as badly as it does right now with our offence, a lot of what we’re dealing with is we need to get to a point where guys stop trying to do too much and stop trying to take responsibility for it individually,” says Shapiro.
And as Shapiro also notes, the team’s pitching has been capable. The team has gotten good performances thus far from Marcus Stroman and relievers Joe Biagini, Joe Smith, Ryan Tepera and Aaron Loup in particular, and J.A. Happ currently has 17 strikeouts and no walks despite posting a 5.40 ERA in the early going.
“Not everything is wrong,” says Shapiro. “We’re pitching well, dominant at times, there are a lot of good things going on both in the rotation and in our bullpen and we’re playing good defense. We’re not looking at overhauling the entire team.”
The Blue Jays do have their share of both short- and long-term issues — they recently had to place superstar Josh Donaldson on the DL with a calf injury, and the team’s somewhat unwieldy reliance on veterans (including Donaldson, Martin, Bautista, Pearce, Kendrys Morales, Troy Tulowitzki, Marco Estrada, Francisco Liriano, Happ and Jason Grilli) creates pressure on the team to succeed now. It might be unwise, however, for the Jays to overreact to the ten-game slump that has started their season.
jdgoat
Just ride it out, and hope by the time the bats come around the hole isn’t astronomical. The rotations good enough that even an average offense would be enough to get by, but it’s honestly getting pathetically bad. Just please don’t give up the future in a desperation move.
nationals2017
pitching without it hitting won’t get you anywhere.
glassml
As the amazing Joey Bats goes so go the Jays. He will get crazy hot late this summer and with one good leg will take the boys into the playoffs where we will knock off the Odorless stRangers and the overrated lAstros and carry Jays into the Series against the overconfident Cubbies. Mark it….
ReverieDays
lol
StillMadAboutGame6
What a joke
thegreatcerealfamine
You should get your own Comedy Central show!
joshb600
Wouldn’t happen under Shapiro. Would (and did) happen under AA.
Because of AA there isn’t much of a farm system to give up for the now, anyways.
They’d be smart by the deadline if they’re way out of it to regroup and rebuild
jimmertee
The Jays hitting will improve, but not nearly to the levels when Edwin was in the lineup. This is not a playoff team. See my note below.
lesterdnightfly
You back? I thought you told us you’d quit for the season. Did today’s win revive your hopes?
lesterdnightfly
They’ll inch their way back if they get healthy and and stop pressing. No one is going to run away with the AL East, and the Wild Card is still achievable. 152 games to go.
chesteraarthur
Well, if they do somehow make the playoffs, according to al lieter they will be the first 1-9 team to ever do it
You’re looking at a team that now needs to go ~ 84-68. So either you think they’re just going to get lucky, or for some reason you think they are now ~ a 90 win true talent team.
It’s too early to panic, but I think they certainly need to consider what they will do at the deadline if they are out of it.
sufferforsnakes
So glad he’s ruining your team now. He did enough damage to the Tribe.
Stro-Show
That’s why he either drafted and developed or traded and developed all the talent on the Indians roster except for last years trades and the last free agency period
Mattimeo09
Ignore him. He makes all Indians fans look bad
jdgoat
Hasn’t ruined the team what so ever.
nationals2017
pitching with no hitting won’t get you very far.
Jockstrapper
No team in MLB history has started 1-9 and qualified for the postseason.
terrymesmer
> No team in MLB history has started 1-9 and qualified for the postseason.
Can you show a necessary relationship between the data and the result? I cannot see it. Otherwise, merely observing that something has not happened yet does NOT mean it cannot happen in the future.
Remember, this is baseball — anything CAN happen, and sometimes does happen. For instance…
The 1987 Milwaukee Brewers started 13-0…and failed to make the playoffs.
The 2001 Oakland A’s started 8-17 in April but secured a wild card with a 102-60 record.
The 2006 St. Louis Cardinals were 34-19 (.642 WP) in April-May, then had a losing record the rest of the regular season (.450 WP), finishing with a pathetic 83 wins. And…they won the World Series!
The 2012 LA Dodgers started 12-4…and failed to make the playoffs.
The 2015 Texas Rangers were 7-14 in April, tied for worst record in the AL, and won the AL West.
The 2016 Chicago White Sox went 17-8 in April, best in the AL, and finished 11 games out of a wild card spot.
I’m not saying the Jays will make the playoffs, I’m just saying it’s too early to say anything definite.
QED
66TheNumberOfTheBest
“Don’t trust anyone over 30”.
Baseball execs would be well served to heed the old counter culture warning.
Without PED’s, baseball is a young man’s game again. Big deals to all but the most exceptional players over 30 should be avoided. You can’t have 30 year olds in virtually every key spot, as Toronto does.
joshb600
Let’s be real. You’re likely very naive if you think that PED’s are largely out of the sport now.
jd396
You’re very paranoid if you think PED use is what it was before the mid 00s
joshb600
I don’t have any reason to believe there’s any less ratio of players taking them now than there was back then. It’s not that difficult to get past one of these tests. Also I believe they are given notice for tests too.
66TheNumberOfTheBest
Or maybe the young guys do them now, too.
Regardless, the results are the issue. Players are less effective in their 30’s than they were 15 years ago.
PedroM
The best thing Shapiro can do is replace himself and take Atkins with him. They failed to address the team’s weaknesses in the offseason and only made things worse.
jdgoat
That’s what a lot of teams do. And they hardly made things worse. Did you predict Martin and Pearce to fall off such a deep cliff?
ronan
Still lots of time for Martin to have a typical Martin season. I thought it was foolish for anyone have a big hopes for Pearce as hes a 34 year old who has never had a 400 AB season in MLB.
Robertowannabe
Well, It took Happ a year but he fell back to pre Pirates days. Not horrible but gives up a few HR balls to ruin his starts. Liriano is starting out like he did with the Pirates a year ago. Wonder how many Pirates fans still are complaining about these 2 guys are not on the roster any more in Pittsburgh.
jdgoat
Wait, you’re saying Happs back to his mediocre days off of two starts? And liriano has had one awful start and one amazing start. Even if they were both bombing, you can’t make a decision off such a small sample size
jimmertee
I’d have to agree with gozurman1 but not based on the small sample size. I know from my scouting background, you can look at a player in one game or 20 games and see where that player is going to be. I have been saying Happ will regress significantly from last year, even before spring training started. How can I see that? That is part of a scouting gift that I have been granted – call it intuition vs science or fantasy analysis. I don’t know why gozurman1 is calling it, but I think the call is probably correct on Happ. As for Liriano. my scouting/intutive read on him is not as clear, if he can win 9 games, era of 5.5 or so, I’d be happy. I still say trade him or Estrada[back issues?] and prospects for a #1.
lesterdnightfly
Gosh, didn’t know you were a scout. That explains a lot.
Boy or Eagle?
jimmertee
Bahahaha, how about MLB bird dog? Yup. Had players that I submitted drafted in various years, by the Yankees, Jays, etc etc.
jdgoat
Stop
jimmertee
?
terrymesmer
> It took Happ a year but he fell back to pre Pirates days.
Happ has 0 BB and 20 K this season. What do you make of that?
Wolf Hoffmann
Oy Vey. It is too early to panic.
User 4245925809
Ortiz got off to a brutal start in his either age 36, or 37 season. Can’t remember which off hand. Do remember he didn’t turn it around until like June and then it was super ortiz until the end of his career. How many Ortiz like players there are is questionable. Just saying shouldn’t write off Bautista quite yet. 50AB’s isn’t the season. Still time to fix the year by a long way.
jimmertee
Like I have been saying repeatedly, this team is not a playoff calibre team. The fill-in pieces that the Jay’s Brass, put in place, [smoak, goins, pearce, howell, smith] are just pieces and mostly need upgrading. Just release Howell, he won’t be getting many Al East hitters out. Morales is very good and a smart signing. Bautista will be fine but it may take him 1/2 the year to figure it out. Travis is NOT a lead off guy and I doubt will ever be. Bautista is the only one that can successfully lead off in this batting order. If anyone recalls, I have been shouting to the heavens that this team needs another #1 starter and an elite setup guy. Why?. Because this team, like it or not, accept it or not, is not going to hit like they have in the past without Edwin, so in order to win they need to [massively] upgrade the pitching. My personal opinion is that Mark Shapiro is an excellent boss even though he may emphasize process and number and research over a good baseball gut. I hope he ushers in the command to retool this roster and organization at the trade deadline day. As I have said before, I feel this is a 3rd place team, 10 games out at trade deadline. j -former MLB bird dog scout.
jdgoat
I get most of what you’re saying, but why do you think they need a top of the rotation pitcher? If you think the Jays do, that means every other team in the MLB also does. They had the best rotation in the AL last year and lost their worst starter. The only I’d want a reliever is if they narrowed the gap. No way I’d give up a big package for someone like Nate Jones only to miss the playoffs
jimmertee
The Jays 2017 hitting is not going to carry them to the playoffs like in the past, which means they have got to pitch over and above everyone else to win, both in the rotation and at the backend. I don’t like Liriano, Stroman is Stroman, Sanchez is still learning as evidenced by his last start, Happ is not nearly what he was last year – he has lost fastball command a few mph’s off his fastball on occasion. And Estrada is a great pitcher, but I still am hearing that his back is putty and barely holding it’s own. This rotation is not nearly what it was last year and it will not come close to repeating last year’s results. If they want to win this year, I suggest trading Liriano [or Estrada] and a boatload of prospects [which they have and others teams want] for a #1, if available. As well we have seen exposure in the bullpen. Grilli cannot close, even in a pinch. Asuna is money, Smith will be okay, Grilli and Biangini okay in their roles, but then it gets dicey. Loup – meh, Howell-awful, Tepara-okay and Leone-spare part. It is not a championship bullpen either. Solution: a healthy Brett Cecil type regardless of the prospect or financial cost. Otherwise 3rd place or lower, 10 games or more out of the playoffs at trade deadline day..
lesterdnightfly
I thought you were done for the season. And hoped that if you did come back, it would be with some new material.
I was wrong on both counts, alas……
jimmertee
How about we keep this blog professional and focussed on the team and it’s issues rather than lowering ourselves to insulting commenters?
lesterdnightfly
You stated clearly that you were done a few days ago.
OK, you’re back. No surprise. Fair game to tease you about that.
But it’s with the same old broken record stuff. We heard you the first 1000 times about how the Jays need to do things your way. Guess what, it’s not going to happen that way.
jimmertee
When I said I was done, I didn’t mean that I was done with the blog, what I meant was I was done with hoping the Jays could win anything this year. Sorry for the confusion. As for my way or the highway, there are many ways to achieve the same thing in baseball – that is winning. I would love to have them shed all the spart parts players like Smoak, Goins, Salty, Pearce, Howell, Travis, Carriera, etc etc, but that isn’t likely to happen so the shortest and easiest route that I can see is a #1 starter and elite setup guy to contribute to holding the oppsition teams in games to less runs.. Record just keeps on spinning. lol.
lesterdnightfly
Well, even a broken record deserves a good sharp needle….
baseball365
Incredibly, not a single person has pointed out that the Jays looked awful in Spring training too. They finished dead last and were somewhat dreadful minus a couple good pitching outings. Sorry to say, I think this is in fact, very representative of what to expect of this team.
baseball365
Edit: Atlanta was dead last in Spring training. Yea!
lesterdnightfly
Spring Training records are meaningless. The Cardinals had a great Spring Training record and they’ve got one more win than the Jays. There goes your theory.
padresfan
1-9?
Dang
They normally heat up by mid season anyways .
pierre1003
This team will not make the playoffs. They need to get younger, faster. Keeping Gibbons in place will please the fans for now. But his many shortcomings will be exposed in the very near future as the fans realize that the Jays are going nowhere near a playoff chase.
joshb600
Were they even ever forecasted to make the playoffs this year?
canajay12
Give them until the deadline to turn it around. They have the talent to at least challenge for a wildcard.
Essentially everyone but Sanchez, Stroman and Osuna become available if they’re not a serious contender, I would even say Donaldson could go if someone offered what you wanted in high end prospects (unlikely).
If you could flip a couple out of Happ, Estrada, Liriano, Morales and whoever else is having a solid season that would go a long way in retooling. I use re-tooling because they don’t need a full on rebuild they need to round out their roster with a little young talent.
jimmertee
I don’t think that the Jays turn it around without major moves now. If they wait until the deadline, I think it will be too late. It will just be a passive slide into mediocrity and then the deadline firesale can begin. If they wanna a chance to win this year, the Jays gotta pay some big prospect capital for elite [pitching] players in the next few weeks.
xabial
Should’ve kept AA..
Baffling how anyone could run out, a well respected, executive who was just starting to turn the franchise around out of town for this Mark Shapiro.
Yes, Yes, Shapiro is also well respected but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
jdgoat
The love for AA I think needs to end. Sure he made some moves, but look where it’s got them. He overpaid for a declining Tulo and Martin. I’ll agree that both were needed, but the same fans who complain about Shapiro are the ones who complain about those players. He gave a lot up in the Miami deal and I’ll say the Donaldson/Syndergaard trades are a wash. He did a good job getting them back to the playoffs, but the love for him is to much imo
ronan
@JDGoat
How did he overpay for Tulo? He gave up Jose Reyes (released by Rockies), Miguel Castro (released by Rockies) and Hoffman who has done nothing in MLB. And who would have been catching if Martin had not been signed? Would you have preferred A.J. Jiminez?
hhankdillon
Real scouts don’t use wins and ERA to value players. Nor do they go by 2 starts at the beginning of the season to make determinations. Also, someone connected to the MLB would know full well that no team is trading anything of value for the next couple of months. Scouts are always very particular about getting players’ names right, because their jobs depend on it. Nice try.
George
10 games in, and the staff has thrown 6 games allowing 3 runs or less, and another 4 run game.. They have only lost 2 games by 3 runs or more. The type of bats The Jays have usually take a bit to get going, but when that happens, and the pitching stays solid, it’s easy to run off an 8 or 10 game streak and they are back in it.