The Jays are a luxury tax team for the first time in 2023, and without some more player development wins they'll have to stay one if they want to keep this thing going. (Plus a note on Anthony Bass).
It does look a bit grim. Seems we're largely counting on the existing pieces to kick their performance up a notch, which, sure, could and arguably even should happen, but as we've seen so far this year, may not. And even then, a lot of at-bats and defensive innings to find... somewhere.
Definitely feeling less confident than I was three months ago in this being a "sustained contender". But I guess losing a bunch of games and the team just generally playing like they've forgotten the fundamentals will do that!
This must have taken a lot of effort. Thanks for the comprehensive deep dive. This offseason will be fascinating - as they all are.
As for Bass - it takes an extreme amount of ignorance on the part of a relatively public figure to not foresee this backlash. Several years ago I was lucky enough to spend time with a journalist who used to cover the Jays for one of the major Toronto newspapers in the 90s and as a tragic fan it was like a dream come true to ask him questions about my favourite players and 'what they were really like.'. He didn't paint a pretty picture. Most were arrogant, alpha males with huge egos (not really a surprise), many of whom weren't much smarter than their bats (his words, not mine). While I'd like to think times have changed, maybe not in this case.
It does look a bit grim. Seems we're largely counting on the existing pieces to kick their performance up a notch, which, sure, could and arguably even should happen, but as we've seen so far this year, may not. And even then, a lot of at-bats and defensive innings to find... somewhere.
Definitely feeling less confident than I was three months ago in this being a "sustained contender". But I guess losing a bunch of games and the team just generally playing like they've forgotten the fundamentals will do that!
Great read. Your take on Bass is right on the mark. Time for him to go.
This must have taken a lot of effort. Thanks for the comprehensive deep dive. This offseason will be fascinating - as they all are.
As for Bass - it takes an extreme amount of ignorance on the part of a relatively public figure to not foresee this backlash. Several years ago I was lucky enough to spend time with a journalist who used to cover the Jays for one of the major Toronto newspapers in the 90s and as a tragic fan it was like a dream come true to ask him questions about my favourite players and 'what they were really like.'. He didn't paint a pretty picture. Most were arrogant, alpha males with huge egos (not really a surprise), many of whom weren't much smarter than their bats (his words, not mine). While I'd like to think times have changed, maybe not in this case.
Thanks for breaking down the tax implications. A good read!
Great read, and loved what you wrote regarding the Bass issue.