The Blue Jays’ front office has been taking a lot of heat this off-season about its body of work. While the Yankees and Orioles improved significantly, the team up north has remained relatively the same.
Centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier and reliever Chad Green were brought back, and designated hitter Justin Turner recently signed a one-year deal. A four-year contract for swingman Yariel Rodriguez is expected to be made official in the coming days.
Those moves pale in comparison to what happened elsewhere. The Yankees might be banking on internal improvement from an underperforming lineup but that didn’t stop them from acquiring star slugger Juan Soto and outfielder Alex Verdugo. Former Jay Marcus Stroman was added to upgrade the rotation. The Orioles filled a big hole by trading for ace Corbin Burnes.
The Blue Jays’ front office has been taking a lot of heat this off-season about its body of work. While the Yankees and Orioles improved significantly, the team up north has remained relatively the same.
Centre-fielder Kevin Kiermaier and reliever Chad Green were brought back, and designated hitter Justin Turner recently signed a one-year deal. A four-year contract for swingman Yariel Rodriguez is expected to be made official in the coming days.
Those moves pale in comparison to what happened elsewhere. The Yankees might be banking on internal improvement from an underperforming lineup but that didn’t stop them from acquiring star slugger Juan Soto and outfielder Alex Verdugo. Former Jay Marcus Stroman was added to upgrade the rotation. The Orioles filled a big hole by trading for ace Corbin Burnes.
The Jays have struggled to come up with a big move of their own. They remain a favourite to make the playoffs but, come March, few experts will pick them to win the division. That has led to complaints from fans and columnists — such as yours truly — that what the Jays have done to date isn’t nearly enough.
Yet it’s possible to criticize the strategy without discrediting each of the moves. Kiermaier, while limited offensively, brings elite value with his glove. Green is a proven high-leverage reliever and teams never have enough of those. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, well, at least he’s better than Santiago Espinal.
Turner is the easiest one of all to understand. While his signing would have been better received if it was paired with another big bat, the skill set remains appealing regardless of what else general manager Ross Atkins has up his sleeve.
The Jays struggled to drive in runs last season and Turner is at his best with men in scoring position. His lifetime .893 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in those spots is well above his career mark of .829. He also comes with the reputation of being a proven post-season performer with a .270 average and 33 extra-base hits in 86 games.
Turner is 39 and he’s not Shohei Ohtani, but the 15-year veteran is still a nice asset to have for a lineup that hasn’t lived up to expectations since 2021. Criticize the Jays’ off-season strategy if you want, I certainly have, just don’t knock the player who has such an accomplished resumé.
