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LONGLEY: Near miss not enough as Blue Jays plan for bullish off-season of improvement

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Ross Atkins stated he watched each pitch of Tuesday’s wild-card playoff recreation between division rivals Boston Pink Sox and New York Yankees and, in fact, he thought of what may need been for his group.

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But when something, the Blue Jays common supervisor stated on Wednesday that frustration over the close to miss was trumped by resolve to seek out the items to make sure the same destiny is averted 12 months from now.

As excruciating as the ultimate end result was, the Jays discover themselves with a rare alternative forward of them. How they deal with it between now and when pitchers and catchers report back to Dunedin in mid-February can be vital in capitalizing on the expertise already in place.

“The need to be there and what we are able to do to make sure it doesn’t occur once more,” Atkins stated on a season-ending Zoom name when requested for his feelings whereas watching the Pink Sox wild-card win. “I’ll spend all of my time and vitality pondering of how we are able to put ourselves in place to be in these video games subsequent 12 months.”

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Simply how the Jays baseball operations group can do this can be arguably the most important problem the present regime has confronted. It’s one factor to strip down a veteran lineup and rebuild with prospects, which has been a quantifiable success. However with superstars akin to Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and George Springer already in place, the subsequent step is the massive one.

A 91-win season was unquestionably an enormous leap ahead for the clearly enhancing Jays and Atkins stated he’ll discover all choices to slim the hole between the American League East-winning Tampa Bay Rays.

Which means every thing is on the desk: From exploring re-signing Marcus Semien and Robbie Ray, to being large free-agent patrons for a 3rd consecutive low season, to being extra aggressive within the commerce market than in current winters.

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“I feel we’re as proficient and that we are able to definitely compete with them,” Atkins stated of a Rays group that’s favoured over the Pink Sox in an ALDS collection that will get beneath manner Thursday. “I don’t see a big hole. They’ve finished an distinctive job through the years of stopping runs, we have now much more energy.

“Individually we had some unimaginable performances (in 2021) and these guys got here collectively as a gaggle. After we get some consistency we’ll be proper there with them, however we have now try to get above them.”

With out entering into specifics, Atkins stated the Jays definitely can be energetic in seeking to enhance a group many round baseball admire as one of many extra proficient teams within the recreation.

To disappoint the irrational fire-the-manager crowd, nonetheless, Atkins stated his supervisor, Charlie Montoyo, can be again for his possibility 12 months along with his total teaching employees invited to return.

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“It’s a testomony to Charlie’s management,” Atkins stated. “They’ve put our gamers in positions to enhance.”

The opposite flash level, would be the pursuit of second baseman Semien and starter Ray, who every had profession years and every can be in excessive demand on the free agent market.

With Ray, given the anticipated price ticket, the Jays must consider whether or not they suppose the lefty can pitch again to his 2021 kind for a number of seasons or whether or not his seemingly Cy Younger Award season was a type of a one-off.

And with Semien, the lure of the West Coast — particularly California-based groups — is predicted to be sturdy.

“That dialogue can be fixed,” Atkins stated. “We can be speaking about our curiosity and their curiosity and hope that they’re aligned.”

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After every of the previous two seasons, the Jays entrance workplace has been bullish in regards to the future with the warning that every winter and every in-season commerce deadline is only one step to parlaying promise into final, sustained success.

“Clearly we aren’t the place we wish to be but,” Atkins stated. “We have to be taking part in deep into the playoffs to take the subsequent step however we do really feel we’re in a greater place than we had been a 12 months in the past as we go into the off season.

“It simply retains getting a bit extra thrilling for us. The sentiment is optimistic about the place this group is headed and enthusiastic about this low season and the potential to proceed to construct upon the progress that has been made.”

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It’s nearly sure that he doesn’t have an low season price range — particularly with CBA talks looming — however Atkins believes proprietor Rogers Communications will proceed to offer monetary assets much like what was obtainable the previous two winters. The Jays had been definitely blockbuster gamers in touchdown Hyun-Jin Ryu ($80 million US over 4 years) and George Springer ($150 million US over six).

“That’s our want and our understanding that as we sit immediately we really feel we may have the help,” Atkins stated. “We’ve all the time had it. (Crew president Mark Shapiro) has finished an unimaginable job sharing our imaginative and prescient and given rationale for why try to do the issues we wish to do.

“(Financially) we’re in an excellent place.”

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