The Blue Jays “Sing the Blues” in May
BY GREG BUCHANAN for The Bean
The Toronto Blue Jays entered this season expecting to contend for an American League East title while featuring a vastly different style compared to many of the teams that came before. A one-dimensional offence added left-handed bats to balance the order. The outfield was overhauled to improve athleticism and limit extra-base hits. Speed and versatility were behind every transaction beyond designated hitter.
The off-season strategy was to upgrade the pitching and defence to complement an everyday lineup designed to beat teams in a variety of ways. This group wasn’t going to sit back and wait for a homer, it intended on applying pressure by hitting balls to the gaps, moving runners over and taking extra bases. The refresh was a success through much of April. The Jays opened with an 18-10 record while Kevin Kiermaier made dazzling plays in centre, reliever Erik Swanson put up zeroes and Chris Bassitt proved his worth as a reliable mid-rotation piece. For a few weeks, the only thing standing between the Jays and first place was a historic start by the Tampa Bay Rays.
May was not kind. The Jays have struggled for much of May. The bats often were cold and the starting pitching was inconsistent. After a recent homestand started with a sweep of the Atlanta Braves, the Jays have dropped nine of 12 games while falling into last place, 10 1/2 games back of the Rays. There has been a recurring theme of a non-competitive start from Alek Manoah. A finalist for the Cy Young Award last year. Much like José Berríos in 2022, Manoah has transitioned from ace to liability, seemingly overnight. His 5.54 ERA is the fifth-worst in the majors among qualified starters and nobody has allowed more baserunners than his 1.79 per inning. Manoah’s season- long struggles have stopped the Jays from getting on a roll and held back an otherwise satisfactory rotation that ranks 10th with a 4.03 ERA.
The Jays’ decision to not upgrade their bench during the off-season was questionable before and it’s more questionable now, even without any major injuries. Pinch-hitting for a guy with a .563 on-base-plus-slugging percentage against left-handers shouldn’t be controversial, it should be automatic. It’s the lack of alternatives, which speak to the bigger issue.
Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the two players traded for Varsho — have made the optics look worse. While Varsho struggles, the two former Jays are thriving in Arizona. Moreno is batting .304 while throwing out 52 per cent of baserunners in his first full season. Gurriel is off to the best start of his career with a .928 OPS that would lead all Jays. The Jays could live with that if Varsho was producing, but he’s not. Beyond his Gold Glove defence, he was acquired to make the lineup more dynamic. Instead, his .639 OPS, the league average is .739 for outfielders, has made it less potent. Varsho’s struggles and George Springer’s slow start have left Kiermaier’s resurgence as the only positive in the outfield where the Jays rank 21st with a .393 slugging percentage.
The story for the season is a familiar one. Some of the faces are different, but the script has been the same. That will have to change soon, otherwise last year’s movie is destined to become the sequel nobody wanted.