The dead of winter is normally the time when many Canadians gaze longingly forward to the summer with baseball on their minds and the Toronto Blue Jays in their hearts.
Not this year.
The silence has been deafening.
Fans have been left to ponder newspaper headlines saying things like “Blue Jays need a new plan of attack” (Toronto Star) and “Off-season strategy mystifies the Toronto faithful” (Globe and Mail).
This has not been a pleasant off-season (at least so far).
While American League East rivals Boston and New York have been reloading, the Blue Jays, it would appear, are downloading.
Gone are their long-time sluggers Edwin Encarnicion and Jose Bautista (though he might still come back). New arrivals include Kendrys Morales, a somewhat pale immitation of Encarnicion, and journeyman utility man Steve Pearce.
Still missing is a reliable left-hander for the bullpen and a solid backup catcher to give the aging Russell Martin a break behind the plate.
The team played under new management last season, making the playoffs but coming up short in the American League Championship Series as they did in 2015.
What that new management–CEO Mark Shipiro and General Manager Ross Atkins–has it mind for the future, specifially this coming season, remains a mystery.
Richard Griffin is the baseball columnist for the Toronto Star. He joined us by phone from his home in Toronto to offer his take on the current state of affairs.
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