NEW YORK The Toronto Blue Jays have had a straightforward objective for the final two months of the season for the past four years: win as many games as you can to guarantee a postseason berth.
Naturally, Toronto is not in the running for the postseason this year, so even though Blue Jays manager John Schneider has made it clear that the team still goes to the ballpark every day in the hopes of winning, the stakes for victories and defeats are far lower than in years past because the team is already planning for how they can return to the postseason in 2025.
As such, throughout their remaining 52 games of the season, there are, let us call, other goals at play.
Let the kids play (and have the veterans show them the way)
With the Blue Jays having sold away about a third of their 26-man roster during the trade deadline, Toronto’s young players will have little trouble getting plenty of playing time in the final stretch. In order to assess how they could fit into the scene for the upcoming season, the Blue Jays staff will be closely monitoring both their play and their business practices.
Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jimenez, Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider, and rookie Joey Loperfido are among the position players participating in a quasi-audition for 2025. Loperfido went 2-for-5 with a triple in Friday’s 8-5 victory over the New York Yankees as he continues to get used to his new squad. Additional players, such as the recently acquired Will Wagner and Jonatan Clase, who are both playing for Triple-A Buffalo, may also be called up.
“You want to see them continue to make strides in what they’re working on, whether it’s Spencer at second or Barger at third, I think the work really has to go into it and performance ultimately matters,” the Blue Jays manager said.
Regarding pitching, Yariel Rodríguez should continue to acclimate to the routine of a major-league starter, according to the Blue Jays. The right-hander’s first appearance since he was unable to finish the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles on July 29 and got into a terrifying situation when he hit catcher James McCann in the face with a fastball is slated for this Sunday against the Yankees.
Bowden Francis might get some playing time as a starter in the interim. Francis, who has alternated between starting and long relief throwing and has a 5.68 ERA in 44 1/3 innings, has had an inconsistent season. Francis has a four-seamer with a great ride and average velocity, two respectable but slow breaking balls, and a new splitter that Stuff+ adores and has not allowed an extra-base hit on yet, according to Eno Sarris of The Athletic. Francis, a 28-year-old right-hander, has everything it takes to succeed, according to John Schneider, but he needs to execute consistently.
“It’s how to pair your pitches when you’re going multiple times through an order and really it just comes down to location for him,” the manager said. “I’ve said that a lot with him. He’s got the stuff, but not taking any pitches off, not being lazy with a curveball, not just throwing a heater in the middle, really working the edge of the plate.”
The Blue Jays’ veterans are supposed to be teaching the younger players what it takes to thrive in the major leagues, while the former are aiming to leave a lasting impression in the hopes of joining the team for the upcoming season and beyond.
The team’s veterans met with Schneider and his staff following the trade deadline to discuss any unanswered questions regarding the team’s direction, check in with them following the roster-altering period, and remind them that they will be expected to “compete, prepare and show the way a little bit.”
“The young guys, they’re going to go, they’re going to play, but making sure that they’re doing the right things, day after day right now with their work, how they’re handling each game situation,” Schneider said. “It’s up to us as coaches to really bear down on some of those guys and make sure that they’re learning along the way and it’s up to the veteran guys to make sure that they’re getting acclimated the way they should.”
Audition for next year’s bullpen
A contributing factor to Toronto’s dismal season was the collapse of their bullpen. Just two of the eight relievers that were with the team at the beginning of the season—Chad Green and Génesis Cabrera—are currently in the bullpen.
However, the Blue Jays have an eye toward the upcoming campaign, so the relievers in their bullpen right now are essentially competing for a position in that one. The Blue Jays are keeping a careful eye on pitchers like Erik Swanson, who is still working to recover from his turbulent season, and Ryan Burr.
With 13 strikeouts in 12 innings, Burr has a 4.50 ERA; Little has 24 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings and a 4.05 ERA; and Swanson is still working to get his 7.64 ERA down. Now that Cabrera is well, all three of them will have more chances to pitch with impact, and Schneider and his coaching staff will be focusing on certain areas.
“It happens every year where one year you’re kind of a middle-of-the-road guy (then) you turn into a later-inning guy, how do they handle that? How do they adjust to it? And again, looking for Chad to anchor that group a little bit. And there’s definitely going to be some innings that guys aren’t used to, and they’re going to have to respond to it.”
The Blue Jays will have a chance to see if anyone develops internally over the next two months before turning to free agency and trades to rebuild their bullpen for 2025.
Embrace the role of spoiler
Even if the Blue Jays are not one of the teams competing for a postseason position, they still have a chance to influence the playoff races that are anticipated to be close. The Blue Jays are not where they intended to be at this point in the season, but with a mindset that demands victory every night, they may still play spoiler in a few series against postseason contenders yet to play.
The Yankees and Orioles, who are locked in a close race for the American League East, will be their opponents for the next six games. The Blue Jays can still be in the running for one of the three American League wild-card positions since they still have six games left against the Boston Red Sox and a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins.
Regarding the National League wild-card race, which features an even more packed field, the Blue Jays still have series against the Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and St. Louis Cardinals in September. The Blue Jays will have a great chance to influence those four clubs, who will most likely be competing for their playoff lives.
(Top photo of Spencer Horwitz: Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
