3 Toronto Blue Jays most to blame for AL Wild Card disasterclass

There's plenty of blame to go around for a Toronto Blue Jays team which doubles as World Series champions on paper, but fails to get the job done when it really matters. The Jays have plenty of questions to answer this offseason, and that will all start with front office executive Ross Atkins, who will surely have to make some unpopular decisions.

The Jays finished their 2023 campaign with 89 wins, good for third place in the AL East. It will only get tougher from here, as the Orioles and Rays are on the come up, while the Red Sox and Yankees will surely spend to improve. Toronto could find itself on the outside looking in come next year if they don't make the right changes.

First, however, the Jays must take the time to reflect. What exactly went wrong in this series? Well, it's not too difficult to find out.

Toronto Blue Jays most to blame: Manager John Schneider

Starting pitcher Jose Berrios played his heart out in Game 2, much to the surprise of Blue Jays fans who have grown accustomed to him coming up short. Berrios, who is a former Twin himself, was taken out of Game 2 surprisingly early from Schneider. FanSided's Kristen Wong wrote about this confusing choice on Wednesday afternoon:

"Berrios was pulled after only 47 pitches and hadn't given up a run at that point. He allowed three hits and a walk and recorded five total strikeouts. As Blue Jays fans marveled at Berrios' efficient form, their happiness turned to horror when they saw what was unfolding...Berrios was replaced by southpaw Yusei Kusuchi during the fourth inning. The main reasoning behind the change was that three of the next four Twins batters were lefties. For Blue Jays fans, the analytics in that reasoning just didn't fly."

As creative as Schneider was trying to be, the decision backfired as the Twins scored two runs. Toronto never fully recovered, and it's worth wondering just how many more mistakes the Blue Jays front office will let Schneider get away with moving forward.