When it came to fixing the back-end of the Toronto Blue Jays roster, it's looking like Ross Atkins nailed it. Both Jeff Hoffman and Yimi Garcia, relievers the GM signed in free agency, have been dominant late in games for Toronto. But despite that major Atkins fix, the Blue Jays enter Friday's action with a 15-16 record. A big reason that the Jays are under .500 has to do with how Atkins handeld the rest of his offseason.
Again, it cannot be ignored how dominant Hoffman and Garcia have been. Without them, the Jays would probably be one of the worst teams in the American League.
However, the reason why the Jays are under .500 even with a lockdown late-game duo is because of other mistakes that Atkins has made.
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Blue Jays roster still isn't good enough even with revamped back-end of bullpen
The back-end of the bullpen looks much better, but their bullpen as a whole still has a 3.82 ERA, good for 16th in the majors. Atkins did a good job revamping what wound up being a historically bad bullpen in 2024, but judging by ERA, that unit is still average, and that's not what you want from a contender.
While the bullpen could use some work, it's far from the biggest issue on this team. Both the lineup and rotation bring bigger concerns.
Starting with the latter, it's a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, the Jays have gotten great work for the most part from their veteran trio of Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt. Even Bowden Francis has been fine, despite what his ERA would suggest. On the other hand, Max Scherzer has thrown just three innings. That's where the major problem lies.
This Jays team lacks starting pitching depth. Easton Lucas, after a couple of strong outings, proved he wasn't the answer. Guys like Yariel Rodriguez, Eric Lauer and Paxton Schultz are uninspiring. Starting pitching depth was an issue for Toronto last season, and it's baffling that they didn't add more options, especially when considering Scherzer's injury history. Scherzer's nagging thumb problem has forced the Jays into trotting a less-than-ideal option every fifth day for who knows how long, and if another pitcher gets hurt, Toronto will be in even more trouble.
As concerning as the depth in the rotation is, though, it pales in comparison to their lineup. Somehow, this Jays team has only gotten worse on that end.
One season after ranking 23rd in runs scored, 26th in home runs and tied for 17th in OPS, the Jays rank 27th, 29th and 25th in those categories, respectively. They've gone from a subpar offensive team to downright putrid at the plate.
Some of their struggles have to do with their best players, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, getting off to iffy starts at best. Some of their struggles also have to do with Daulton Varsho missing time. The biggest issue, though, has come from players they brought in this offseason.
Anthony Santander, their biggest offseason signing, has a .572 OPS and has hit just four home runs in over a month of action. It's hard to blame Atkins for this, given Santander's lengthy track record as a premier slugger, but it doesn't look good nonetheless.
One player Atkins does deserve blame for, though, is Andres Gimenez. After it looked like he might have rediscovered his All-Star form in the first week of the season, Gimenez has really struggled at the plate, much like he had over the previous two seasons in Cleveland. Yes, he's an excellent defender, but the Jays were already an elite defensive team. They needed more offensive firepower, and choosing to acquire Gimenez, who happens to also be on a pretty brutal long-term contract, could easily backfire.
What's most depressing about this lineup is that the Jays are among the worst offensive teams in the league despite George Springer and Myles Straw swinging the bat much better than anyone could've expected. Imagine how poor this lineup will be when they inevitably slump — Springer has already hit a two-week skid after his torrid start.
Even a great version of Santander wasn't enough by himself to get this Jays lineup where it needed to be. Combining his struggles with those of Guerrero Jr. and Bichette, and the underwhelming addition that Gimenez was always going to be, and you have a brutal offense on your hands. Eventually, Guerrero Jr., Bichette, and Santander figure to turn it on, but those are only three hitters in a nine-man lineup.
When the Blue Jays have late leads, there's reason to believe Garcia and Hoffman can lock down wins. However, getting those late leads with a rotation that lacks depth, a bullpen that is thin and a lineup that is subpar might not happen enough to get this Blue Jays team to the postseason, which is, of course, the ultimate goal.