Latest Blue Jays trade rumor proves yet again Ross Atkins is completely directionless

The Toronto Blue Jays entered the 2024 offseason with a lot to prove. Not only did they miss out on Shohei Ohtani the offseason prior, but they won just 74 games in the 2024 season, finishing in last place in the AL East and missing the playoffs.

Given how poorly the last calendar year went for Toronto, there was reason to believe Ross Atkins and Co. would be ultra-aggressive to try and build a winner, especially since both Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are set to enter their final year of club control. Early returns have not been promising, however.

The Jays were in on both Juan Soto and Max Fried but missed out on both players. They appear to be in on guys like Corbin Burnes and Teoscar Hernandez, but who knows how likely it is that they get either of those players?

All Ross Atkins has done thus far is replace Jordan Romano with Yimi Garcia and replace Spencer Horwitz with Andres Gimenez in a trade. If they have improved at all, they haven't done so by much at all, and it's almost Christmas. This has Blue Jays fans up in arms wondering what exactly Atkins has up his sleeve.

The latest Blue Jays trade rumor would confirm that Atkins has absolutely no idea what he's doing right now.

"St. Louis has received interest from the Blue Jays and D-backs in trading for All-Star closer Ryan Helsley, a source said."

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Ryan Helsley trade would be Ross Atkins' latest mistake

Ryan Helsley is one of the best closers in all of baseball. This past season, he posted a 2.09 ERA in 65 appearances, led the league with 49 saves, was an All-Star, finished ninth in the NL Cy Young balloting, and was the NL Reliever of the Year. Adding him to what was arguably the worst bullpen in the majors last season would obviously make the Jays a whole lot better.

The question here, though, is how much better? The bullpen was a mess last season, but so was the lineup - yet the Jays replaced one of their best hitters with a below-average bat. Their rotation could use another arm as well, yet the Jays have added nothing in that regard either. They'd have a good chance of winning games that they lead after eight innings, but how many save opportunities would Helsley have?

Additionally, the right-hander, like Guerrero and Bichette, is set to hit free agency after the year. What are the chances that they're going to keep him around past the 2025 season? Would Atkins really be willing to trade the few valuable prospects that this organization has for a rental reliever? Are the Jays really in a position to make that kind of move?

As great of a player as Helsley is, this makes little sense. If the St. Louis Cardinals were willing to sell low on Helsley then by all means, go for it, but they have no reason to do so. Failing to add a big-name free agent and resorting to trading valuable prospect capital for a rental reliever would be the latest in a long line of Atkins blunders.