How the Champion Toronto Blue Jays were built
Nov 11, 2020 23:12:41 GMT -5
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Post by Commissioner Erick on Nov 11, 2020 23:12:41 GMT -5
It's instructive to look at championship teams and take note of how they were assembled. Discovering patterns can help us all find the magic formula to success, revealing a genius transaction can breed inspiration into us all, and finding some moves succeeded simply due to dumb luck reminds us how capricious the baseball gods are.
The fun part about examining the roster construction of title teams is how different those teams tend to be. Washington inherited a talented core and flexed financial muscle to claim the 2022 title, while Arizona patiently traded for young major leaguers that grew into a title team in 2023. Minnesota won small deals at the margins everywhere before seizing a window and trading for a pair of stars.
Toronto went down a road different to all of them. They had a talented major league team last decade and in roughly one season traded away all that team’s stars for top prospects. Those trades all hit and the team was able to build a nucleus of talented players. With the club holding on to several players inherited from the beginning of the league and nailing its draft picks, Toronto was able to build a team worthy of claiming a championship.
Players
Defaulted Into
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
T.J. Zeuch
Danny Barnes
Geremy Jimenez
Cavan Biggio
Roberto Osuna (Signed to Contract Extension beginning 2020: 5 Years, $65 Million)
Toronto was defaulted into two strong prospects, one of whom has become an All-Star. Guerrero Jr. was a Top 15 Prospect early in his professional career, but actually regressed to #74 in 2020. Zeuch, meanwhile, was the #76 prospect in 2018. Neither looked like superstars, but with them in the system, it made it easier for Toronto to trade their veterans for prospects and continue building up a strong prospect base.
As Toronto focused on development, Zeuch developed into a frontline arm and a leader of the Blue Jays’ ascent to the top of the AL East. Guerrero meanwhile, had a tough start to his career, but began to tap into his prodigious power in 2022. Guerrero had an absolutely gigantic postseason run where he won MVP of all three playoff rounds. Toronto doesn’t wear a ring if not for him.
Aside from Zeuch and Guerrero, Danny Barnes has pitched for the Blue Jays since 2017 as an underwhelming relief arm., but one who eats innings for only $1 million. Geremy Jimenez was defaulted into as a middling reliever, and has had two seasons with the Blue Jays. He has been terrible both years, but as another reliever, there’s only so much damage he can do.
Cavan Biggio has been a Blue Jay since 2019, though 2024 saw his smallest role, as his power dissipated and his range disintegrated. He’s still a solid backup with a steady glove and a decent average.
Roberto Osuna had a miniscule role for the club, as injuries robbed his season. Despite taking up $15 million to work 5.2 innings, Toronto’s best players were cheap enough where they could absorb the dead money.
Draft
Dakota Robbins (2017 7th Round Pick – 204 Overall)
Taylor Walls (2018 1st Rounder — 30 Overall)
Cadyn Greiner (2018 6th Round Pick – 198 Overall)
Loeck Roenhorst (2019 1st Round Pick – 15 Overall)
T.J. Collett (2019 2nd Round Pick – 53 Overall)
Toronto missed on their 2017 draft, but their first rounders in 2018 and 2019 both made an impact. Walls has been sensational for three years now as one of the best two-way Shortstops in the league. He’s wonderfully patient, has great bat-to-ball skills, can steal a base, and has a great glove. Toronto’s ascent has coincided with him being named a full-time starter in 2022.
Meanwhile, while Roenhorst is incredibly wild, he had a strong ALCS out of the bullpen that propelled Toronto past Kansas City and into the World Series. With how awful a draft class 2019 was, finding someone that could be useful in the playoffs was a nice find.
Dakota Robbins went through a slow burn through the minors, settling in as a backup to Reese McGuire for a couple of years before starting roughly half Toronto’s games this year. He was adequate and cheap, forming a nice platoon with T.J. Collett. For his part, Collett had a strong rookie year. He doesn’t have the best eye, but showed good power and had a huge postseason. For a seventh-round pick and a second rounder in an awful draft, Toronto spent just over a million dollars on a productive Catching tandem, which is great resource management.
Cadyn Griner didn’t play much as a fourth middle infielder, but was a capable fifth infielder who came cheap as a sixth-round pick.
International Amateurs
Darge Gakere (1-25-19)
Toronto would not win a title without Darge Gakere’s Cinderella Postseason. He was discovered in Cameroon as a 16-year-old, started professional ball as an 18-year-old, and dominated A-Ball Lansing over parts of last year and this year. He wasn’t too highly regarded though, not until making the back of the Top 100 prospects list after his work in Lansing. He wasn’t great in Triple-A, but he struck out everyone earning a spot on Leitao’s playoff roster despite minimal time with the big club. He made his postseason debut in Game 1 of the ALDS when their starter Thomas Szapucki, and long man Luiz Gohara, both went down with injuries. Gakere worked 3.1 innings and earned the Win. That set the stage for a 3-0 postseason with a 0.96 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. Gakere was a huge reason for Toronto’s title and is a huge win for Toronto’s Player Development system.
Trades
Luis Alexander Basabe (2-12-18 – Traded from the Indians along with Triston McKenzie for Kevin Pillar)
Raul Beracierta
Thomas Szapucki (7-23-18 - Traded from the Mets along with Anthony Kay for Daniel Coulombe)
D’Mond LaFond
Jake Burger
Yusniel Diaz
Kole Enright (12-2-18) Traded from the Mariners along with Luis Liberato, Adrian Rondon, and Alex Speas for Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, and Dalton Pompey)
Michael Kopech (1-9-19 – Traded from the Red Sox along with Hanley Ramirez for Collin Wiles)
Luiz Gohara
Estevan Floriel (1-9-19 – Traded from the Braves for Jose Bautista)
Eduardo Paredes
Logan Warmoth
Jahmai Jones (1-16-19 – Traded from the Angels in exchange for Marco Estrada and Kelvin Herrera)
Eric Drouet (7-29-19 – Traded from the Cubs in exchange for Damian Mendoza, Billy McKay, Adley Rutschman and a First Round Pick [Jamie Ison] for Josh Donaldson)
Tristan Casas
German Marquez (7-22-24- Traded from the Brewers for Matt Aceto)
A huge chunk of Toronto’s talent came from five trades made from the 2018 trade deadline through the 2019 trade deadline. Looking up the entirety of the four trades, Toronto traded away veterans Marco Estrada, Kelvin Herrera, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Marcus Stroman, Dalton Pompey, Daniel Coulombe, and Aaron Sanchez.
That’s a huge amount of talent sent outwards, but Toronto was able to obtain two-thirds of its 2024 lineup, a key backup, its ace, Game 2 of the World Series’ winning pitcher, and Toronto’s regular season Closer. Instead of sending out talent just to start a rebuild, the Blue Jays identified talent that could form the core of a team with a great future.
Looking at all the trades in chronological order, Luis Alexander Basabe was acquired for Kevin Pillar prior to 2018. Pillar was blocking Anthony Alford, and his defense was valued by a talented Indians club. Basabe has rarely been more than a bit player for Toronto, but he’s generally played a great corner outfield, stolen bases, and golfed homers.
Szapucki and Beracierta were acquired from the Mets, along with replacement player Anthony Kay for Daniel Coulombe. Beracierta is a 26th man, but Szapucki is one of the PBA’s best postseason pitchers, and the 2023 Wins and ERA leader. He was acquired for a guy who turned out to be nothing more than a decent reliever. The trade set back the Mets, and propelled Toronto to two World Series.
Toronto then announced its decision to rebuild with a mega trade. Marcus Stroman was sent out at the peak of his powers, along with injured Aaron Sanchez and a young major leaguer in Dalton Pompey. To acquire the trio, Seattle sent seven players to Toronto. Jake Burger was the main principal, an inconstant slugger whose hot streaks have carried Toronto to strong seasons and heroic playoff moments. Toronto also got Yusniel Diaz and Kole Enright, with both players having strong seasons with plus combinations of power, defense, and speed.
D'Mond LaFond was a Top 100 prospect a few years ago. He debuted this year and had a strong postseason, especially in a Game 2 World Series win. Alex Speas was left off the playoff roster, but has been an effective reliever in seasons past. Even with Adrian Rondon and Luis Liberato not panning out, it’s an amazing haul, as a solid portion of Toronto’s lineup was acquired in the deal, though they had to give out a future Hall of Famer to acquire it.
A month after that megadeal, Toronto picked up Michael Kopech from Boston for Collin Wiles and the cost of taking on Hanley Ramirez’ dead salary. Kopech had an inconsistent run as a back-end starter, but was instrumental in sealing the ninth inning as Toronto’s playoff closer. Collin Wiles was eventually cut by Boston and resigned by Toronto, meaning the Blue Jays essentially acquired their Championship closer for $22 million dollars in a year they were shedding salary.
That same day, Toronto acquired Kopech, they also acquired Estevan Floriel and Luiz Gohara for Jose Bautista. Bautista fell apart the following season, while Floriel essentially just finished his rookie year and has promise as a fourth outfielder at worst. Injuries have turned Gohara into a replacement-level arm, but Toronto got significant long-term value out of a player at the end of the line.
A week later, Toronto continued its purge of talented major leaguers, shipping Marco Estrada and Kelvin Herrera to the Angels for Jahmai Jones, Logan Warmoth, and Eduardo Paredes. While perhaps not as significant as the haul for Stroman, this trade was impressive for how one-sided it was. Estrada declined after leaving Toronto, while Herrera was nothing more than a solid relief arm. Jones has turned into a 6-WAR Player, Warmoth’s patience and doubles power has racked up 14 career WAR, and Paredes has been a solid arm his entire Jays career. This was another example of Toronto identifying key prospects with bright futures and making the right deal to acquire them.
Toronto completed its overhaul that summer, trading away its final major piece in Josh Donaldson in a blockbuster with Chicago. Toronto got four players and a first round pick it didn’t sign. Damian Mednoza was lost in the Rule 5 Draft, but looks like a tremendous arm for Seattle. Billy McKay is stuck on the shuttle between Toronto and Buffalo. Adley Rutschman looks like a Triple-A Catcher. Nonetheless, Eric Drouet’s wonderfully lithe bat with his immense speed make him one of the game’s most exciting prospects. He hit .351 during Toronto’s Postseason run as a 22-year-old. Toronto got a star for Donaldson, essentially making him the final piece of their 2024 playoff lineup.
Those moves were made by inaugural Blue Jays GM Joe Mazzola. The one move World Series title GM Mike Leitao made was to bolster the Toronto rotation. All the prior moves involved trading veterans for prospects. Leitao picked up veteran German Marquez and prospect Triston Casas for slugging prospect Matt Aceto. Aceto was blocked with Toronto’s depth of infield talent and they needed the arm more. Marquez was homer-prone, but useful during Toronto’s run to the title. With a long extension given to him, Marquez and Casas will continue to be prominent Blue Jays for years to come.
Free Agency
Collin Wiles (12-12-19 Minor League Free Agent)
Mike Nikorak: (2-15-24 Minor League Free Agent)
Toronto traded Wiles away to Boston prior to 2019 only for Boston to cut him in the offseason. Wiles was snapped up to a minor league contract by Toronto soon after. Wiles tore his labrum late in 2023 and fell off a cliff as a result, but was a 4-WAR pitcher as recently as 2022. Credit Toronto for keeping tabs on players they knew a lot about and getting free talent as a result.
Nikorak spent years pitching well in Colorado’s low minors before struggling in 2022 and becoming a minor league free agent. He spent a year in Sacramento working for the Giants’ Triple-A bullpen and signed a minor league deal with Toronto this offseason. He walked 33 batters in 36 innings for the Blue Jays, proving Colorado’s fears that he was too wild to be a successful pitcher, but he still earned a ring for his trouble.
Staff
Assistant GM: Ken Griffey Jr
Scouting Director: Scott Pleis
It’s hard to know much about Pleis’ impact on the team as he was only signed this season after being a part of some terrible Tigers teams last decade. Pleis seemed to undervalue Command in his pitchers, but he identified some of the young arms that made their debuts this season. He deserves credit for Gakere and LaFond being properly analyzed as potentially strong pitchers.
After working in Cuba for his previous stops, Toronto signed Ken Griffey Jr. to be their Assistant GM this offseason. Toronto didn’t make too many moves and didn’t need to use his services that much, and Toronto brought in the most Revenue in their history.
Bench Coach: Rob Leary
Pitching Coach: Luis Meza
Hitting Coach: Kleininger Teran
Leary, Meza, and Teran all came aboard before the 2020 season and have been with the team as it’s grown into one of the AL’s elite. Meza was only 30-years-old when he signed, and he had a preference for teaching power arms. With all the young, wild prospects that made their way to Toronto this year, he was able to mold them into a fantastic unit. Gakere really credited Meza with his playoff performance.
Teran was also incredibly young when he signed, only 31. He’s a power-focused coach and he’s been able to help craft the swings of the Blue Jays sluggers, especially Guerrero. There aren’t a lot of power hitters on the team, but the ones that do hit the long ball really hit the long ball.
Finally, Leary was a coach who was pretty balanced, which helped with a balanced roster. He let the sluggers slug, the runners run, and the patient players draw walks. His reputation as a players’ manager also helped over his tenure with Toronto’s depth. Numerous players felt they deserved more playing time, but he was always able to keep players seeing the big picture.
Team Trainer: Josh DiCenso
Dicenso was the Toronto trainer since 2018. He oversaw a lot of injuries, especially arm injuries, but was able to get his key guys back on the mound. Thomas Szapucki, for example, suffered back problems to begin the playoffs. However, he was back out in Game 4 of the ALDS, just days later, allowing a single run over 7 innings.
Summary: Toronto decided to play for the future a half-decade ago, and when that future arrived, it led to the brightest of presents. It was a bold plan, but it was coherent and well-executed. All the stars that could be traded were traded, and the returns identified were some of the best prospects in the game. The Blue Jays then poured money into development to make sure those players maximized their potential. Toronto is a lesson that it may be better to tear down too early rather than too late, and that bullpens really are the least important part of a roster. As the team has just entered its prime, they'll likely be challenging for even more titles for seasons to come.
The fun part about examining the roster construction of title teams is how different those teams tend to be. Washington inherited a talented core and flexed financial muscle to claim the 2022 title, while Arizona patiently traded for young major leaguers that grew into a title team in 2023. Minnesota won small deals at the margins everywhere before seizing a window and trading for a pair of stars.
Toronto went down a road different to all of them. They had a talented major league team last decade and in roughly one season traded away all that team’s stars for top prospects. Those trades all hit and the team was able to build a nucleus of talented players. With the club holding on to several players inherited from the beginning of the league and nailing its draft picks, Toronto was able to build a team worthy of claiming a championship.
Players
Defaulted Into
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
T.J. Zeuch
Danny Barnes
Geremy Jimenez
Cavan Biggio
Roberto Osuna (Signed to Contract Extension beginning 2020: 5 Years, $65 Million)
Toronto was defaulted into two strong prospects, one of whom has become an All-Star. Guerrero Jr. was a Top 15 Prospect early in his professional career, but actually regressed to #74 in 2020. Zeuch, meanwhile, was the #76 prospect in 2018. Neither looked like superstars, but with them in the system, it made it easier for Toronto to trade their veterans for prospects and continue building up a strong prospect base.
As Toronto focused on development, Zeuch developed into a frontline arm and a leader of the Blue Jays’ ascent to the top of the AL East. Guerrero meanwhile, had a tough start to his career, but began to tap into his prodigious power in 2022. Guerrero had an absolutely gigantic postseason run where he won MVP of all three playoff rounds. Toronto doesn’t wear a ring if not for him.
Aside from Zeuch and Guerrero, Danny Barnes has pitched for the Blue Jays since 2017 as an underwhelming relief arm., but one who eats innings for only $1 million. Geremy Jimenez was defaulted into as a middling reliever, and has had two seasons with the Blue Jays. He has been terrible both years, but as another reliever, there’s only so much damage he can do.
Cavan Biggio has been a Blue Jay since 2019, though 2024 saw his smallest role, as his power dissipated and his range disintegrated. He’s still a solid backup with a steady glove and a decent average.
Roberto Osuna had a miniscule role for the club, as injuries robbed his season. Despite taking up $15 million to work 5.2 innings, Toronto’s best players were cheap enough where they could absorb the dead money.
Draft
Dakota Robbins (2017 7th Round Pick – 204 Overall)
Taylor Walls (2018 1st Rounder — 30 Overall)
Cadyn Greiner (2018 6th Round Pick – 198 Overall)
Loeck Roenhorst (2019 1st Round Pick – 15 Overall)
T.J. Collett (2019 2nd Round Pick – 53 Overall)
Toronto missed on their 2017 draft, but their first rounders in 2018 and 2019 both made an impact. Walls has been sensational for three years now as one of the best two-way Shortstops in the league. He’s wonderfully patient, has great bat-to-ball skills, can steal a base, and has a great glove. Toronto’s ascent has coincided with him being named a full-time starter in 2022.
Meanwhile, while Roenhorst is incredibly wild, he had a strong ALCS out of the bullpen that propelled Toronto past Kansas City and into the World Series. With how awful a draft class 2019 was, finding someone that could be useful in the playoffs was a nice find.
Dakota Robbins went through a slow burn through the minors, settling in as a backup to Reese McGuire for a couple of years before starting roughly half Toronto’s games this year. He was adequate and cheap, forming a nice platoon with T.J. Collett. For his part, Collett had a strong rookie year. He doesn’t have the best eye, but showed good power and had a huge postseason. For a seventh-round pick and a second rounder in an awful draft, Toronto spent just over a million dollars on a productive Catching tandem, which is great resource management.
Cadyn Griner didn’t play much as a fourth middle infielder, but was a capable fifth infielder who came cheap as a sixth-round pick.
International Amateurs
Darge Gakere (1-25-19)
Toronto would not win a title without Darge Gakere’s Cinderella Postseason. He was discovered in Cameroon as a 16-year-old, started professional ball as an 18-year-old, and dominated A-Ball Lansing over parts of last year and this year. He wasn’t too highly regarded though, not until making the back of the Top 100 prospects list after his work in Lansing. He wasn’t great in Triple-A, but he struck out everyone earning a spot on Leitao’s playoff roster despite minimal time with the big club. He made his postseason debut in Game 1 of the ALDS when their starter Thomas Szapucki, and long man Luiz Gohara, both went down with injuries. Gakere worked 3.1 innings and earned the Win. That set the stage for a 3-0 postseason with a 0.96 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 25 strikeouts in 18.2 innings. Gakere was a huge reason for Toronto’s title and is a huge win for Toronto’s Player Development system.
Trades
Luis Alexander Basabe (2-12-18 – Traded from the Indians along with Triston McKenzie for Kevin Pillar)
Raul Beracierta
Thomas Szapucki (7-23-18 - Traded from the Mets along with Anthony Kay for Daniel Coulombe)
D’Mond LaFond
Jake Burger
Yusniel Diaz
Kole Enright (12-2-18) Traded from the Mariners along with Luis Liberato, Adrian Rondon, and Alex Speas for Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, and Dalton Pompey)
Michael Kopech (1-9-19 – Traded from the Red Sox along with Hanley Ramirez for Collin Wiles)
Luiz Gohara
Estevan Floriel (1-9-19 – Traded from the Braves for Jose Bautista)
Eduardo Paredes
Logan Warmoth
Jahmai Jones (1-16-19 – Traded from the Angels in exchange for Marco Estrada and Kelvin Herrera)
Eric Drouet (7-29-19 – Traded from the Cubs in exchange for Damian Mendoza, Billy McKay, Adley Rutschman and a First Round Pick [Jamie Ison] for Josh Donaldson)
Tristan Casas
German Marquez (7-22-24- Traded from the Brewers for Matt Aceto)
A huge chunk of Toronto’s talent came from five trades made from the 2018 trade deadline through the 2019 trade deadline. Looking up the entirety of the four trades, Toronto traded away veterans Marco Estrada, Kelvin Herrera, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, Marcus Stroman, Dalton Pompey, Daniel Coulombe, and Aaron Sanchez.
That’s a huge amount of talent sent outwards, but Toronto was able to obtain two-thirds of its 2024 lineup, a key backup, its ace, Game 2 of the World Series’ winning pitcher, and Toronto’s regular season Closer. Instead of sending out talent just to start a rebuild, the Blue Jays identified talent that could form the core of a team with a great future.
Looking at all the trades in chronological order, Luis Alexander Basabe was acquired for Kevin Pillar prior to 2018. Pillar was blocking Anthony Alford, and his defense was valued by a talented Indians club. Basabe has rarely been more than a bit player for Toronto, but he’s generally played a great corner outfield, stolen bases, and golfed homers.
Szapucki and Beracierta were acquired from the Mets, along with replacement player Anthony Kay for Daniel Coulombe. Beracierta is a 26th man, but Szapucki is one of the PBA’s best postseason pitchers, and the 2023 Wins and ERA leader. He was acquired for a guy who turned out to be nothing more than a decent reliever. The trade set back the Mets, and propelled Toronto to two World Series.
Toronto then announced its decision to rebuild with a mega trade. Marcus Stroman was sent out at the peak of his powers, along with injured Aaron Sanchez and a young major leaguer in Dalton Pompey. To acquire the trio, Seattle sent seven players to Toronto. Jake Burger was the main principal, an inconstant slugger whose hot streaks have carried Toronto to strong seasons and heroic playoff moments. Toronto also got Yusniel Diaz and Kole Enright, with both players having strong seasons with plus combinations of power, defense, and speed.
D'Mond LaFond was a Top 100 prospect a few years ago. He debuted this year and had a strong postseason, especially in a Game 2 World Series win. Alex Speas was left off the playoff roster, but has been an effective reliever in seasons past. Even with Adrian Rondon and Luis Liberato not panning out, it’s an amazing haul, as a solid portion of Toronto’s lineup was acquired in the deal, though they had to give out a future Hall of Famer to acquire it.
A month after that megadeal, Toronto picked up Michael Kopech from Boston for Collin Wiles and the cost of taking on Hanley Ramirez’ dead salary. Kopech had an inconsistent run as a back-end starter, but was instrumental in sealing the ninth inning as Toronto’s playoff closer. Collin Wiles was eventually cut by Boston and resigned by Toronto, meaning the Blue Jays essentially acquired their Championship closer for $22 million dollars in a year they were shedding salary.
That same day, Toronto acquired Kopech, they also acquired Estevan Floriel and Luiz Gohara for Jose Bautista. Bautista fell apart the following season, while Floriel essentially just finished his rookie year and has promise as a fourth outfielder at worst. Injuries have turned Gohara into a replacement-level arm, but Toronto got significant long-term value out of a player at the end of the line.
A week later, Toronto continued its purge of talented major leaguers, shipping Marco Estrada and Kelvin Herrera to the Angels for Jahmai Jones, Logan Warmoth, and Eduardo Paredes. While perhaps not as significant as the haul for Stroman, this trade was impressive for how one-sided it was. Estrada declined after leaving Toronto, while Herrera was nothing more than a solid relief arm. Jones has turned into a 6-WAR Player, Warmoth’s patience and doubles power has racked up 14 career WAR, and Paredes has been a solid arm his entire Jays career. This was another example of Toronto identifying key prospects with bright futures and making the right deal to acquire them.
Toronto completed its overhaul that summer, trading away its final major piece in Josh Donaldson in a blockbuster with Chicago. Toronto got four players and a first round pick it didn’t sign. Damian Mednoza was lost in the Rule 5 Draft, but looks like a tremendous arm for Seattle. Billy McKay is stuck on the shuttle between Toronto and Buffalo. Adley Rutschman looks like a Triple-A Catcher. Nonetheless, Eric Drouet’s wonderfully lithe bat with his immense speed make him one of the game’s most exciting prospects. He hit .351 during Toronto’s Postseason run as a 22-year-old. Toronto got a star for Donaldson, essentially making him the final piece of their 2024 playoff lineup.
Those moves were made by inaugural Blue Jays GM Joe Mazzola. The one move World Series title GM Mike Leitao made was to bolster the Toronto rotation. All the prior moves involved trading veterans for prospects. Leitao picked up veteran German Marquez and prospect Triston Casas for slugging prospect Matt Aceto. Aceto was blocked with Toronto’s depth of infield talent and they needed the arm more. Marquez was homer-prone, but useful during Toronto’s run to the title. With a long extension given to him, Marquez and Casas will continue to be prominent Blue Jays for years to come.
Free Agency
Collin Wiles (12-12-19 Minor League Free Agent)
Mike Nikorak: (2-15-24 Minor League Free Agent)
Toronto traded Wiles away to Boston prior to 2019 only for Boston to cut him in the offseason. Wiles was snapped up to a minor league contract by Toronto soon after. Wiles tore his labrum late in 2023 and fell off a cliff as a result, but was a 4-WAR pitcher as recently as 2022. Credit Toronto for keeping tabs on players they knew a lot about and getting free talent as a result.
Nikorak spent years pitching well in Colorado’s low minors before struggling in 2022 and becoming a minor league free agent. He spent a year in Sacramento working for the Giants’ Triple-A bullpen and signed a minor league deal with Toronto this offseason. He walked 33 batters in 36 innings for the Blue Jays, proving Colorado’s fears that he was too wild to be a successful pitcher, but he still earned a ring for his trouble.
Staff
Assistant GM: Ken Griffey Jr
Scouting Director: Scott Pleis
It’s hard to know much about Pleis’ impact on the team as he was only signed this season after being a part of some terrible Tigers teams last decade. Pleis seemed to undervalue Command in his pitchers, but he identified some of the young arms that made their debuts this season. He deserves credit for Gakere and LaFond being properly analyzed as potentially strong pitchers.
After working in Cuba for his previous stops, Toronto signed Ken Griffey Jr. to be their Assistant GM this offseason. Toronto didn’t make too many moves and didn’t need to use his services that much, and Toronto brought in the most Revenue in their history.
Bench Coach: Rob Leary
Pitching Coach: Luis Meza
Hitting Coach: Kleininger Teran
Leary, Meza, and Teran all came aboard before the 2020 season and have been with the team as it’s grown into one of the AL’s elite. Meza was only 30-years-old when he signed, and he had a preference for teaching power arms. With all the young, wild prospects that made their way to Toronto this year, he was able to mold them into a fantastic unit. Gakere really credited Meza with his playoff performance.
Teran was also incredibly young when he signed, only 31. He’s a power-focused coach and he’s been able to help craft the swings of the Blue Jays sluggers, especially Guerrero. There aren’t a lot of power hitters on the team, but the ones that do hit the long ball really hit the long ball.
Finally, Leary was a coach who was pretty balanced, which helped with a balanced roster. He let the sluggers slug, the runners run, and the patient players draw walks. His reputation as a players’ manager also helped over his tenure with Toronto’s depth. Numerous players felt they deserved more playing time, but he was always able to keep players seeing the big picture.
Team Trainer: Josh DiCenso
Dicenso was the Toronto trainer since 2018. He oversaw a lot of injuries, especially arm injuries, but was able to get his key guys back on the mound. Thomas Szapucki, for example, suffered back problems to begin the playoffs. However, he was back out in Game 4 of the ALDS, just days later, allowing a single run over 7 innings.
Summary: Toronto decided to play for the future a half-decade ago, and when that future arrived, it led to the brightest of presents. It was a bold plan, but it was coherent and well-executed. All the stars that could be traded were traded, and the returns identified were some of the best prospects in the game. The Blue Jays then poured money into development to make sure those players maximized their potential. Toronto is a lesson that it may be better to tear down too early rather than too late, and that bullpens really are the least important part of a roster. As the team has just entered its prime, they'll likely be challenging for even more titles for seasons to come.