NEW YORK — For the last four seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays’ goal in the last two months of the season has been simple: win as many games as possible to secure a playoff berth.
This year, of course, Toronto is not in the playoff hunt, so while Blue Jays manager John Schneider has made a point of saying that the Blue Jays are still coming to the ballpark every day to win, the stakes of those wins and losses are far lower than in previous years with the club already looking ahead to how they can compete again in 2025.
As such, there are, let’s call them alternate goals at play during their final 52 games of the season.
Let the kids play (and have the veterans show them the way)
After the Blue Jays traded away about one-third of their 26-man roster at the trade deadline, the path is clear for Toronto’s young players to get plenty of playing time down the stretch. The Blue Jays staff will be paying close attention to their performance as well as how they go about their business to consider how they could fit into the landscape next season.
Those position players in a quasi-audition for 2025 include Spencer Horwitz, Leo Jimenez, Addison Barger, Ernie Clement, Davis Schneider and newcomer Joey Loperfido, who went 2-for-5 with a triple in Friday’s 8-5 win against the New York Yankees as he continues to acclimatize to his new team. More players could be recalled, too, including the recent acquisitions of Jonatan Clase and Will Wagner, who are both playing with Triple-A Buffalo.
“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.
On the pitching front, the Blue Jays want to see Yariel Rodríguez continue to get comfortable with a major-league starter’s routine. The right-hander is scheduled to pitch on Sunday against the Yankees, his first outing since he couldn’t get out of the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles on July 29 and was involved in a scary incident when he hit catcher James McCann in the face with a pitch.
Meanwhile, Bowden Francis may get some runway as a starter. The season has been uneven for Francis, who has toggled between starting and pitching in long relief and has a 5.68 ERA in 44 1/3 innings. The Athletic’s Eno Sarris recently noted that Francis has a four-seamer with plus ride and average velocity, two decent, if slow, breaking balls and a new splitter that Stuff+ loves and hasn’t surrendered an extra-base hit on yet. John Schneider noted that Francis has the stuff to be successful, but it comes down to consistent execution for the 28-year-old right-hander.
“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.”
While the young players are trying to make a strong impression in the hopes of being a part of the team next season and beyond, the veterans on the Blue Jays are meant to be showing them what it takes to succeed in the majors.
John Schneider noted that Bowden Francis has the stuff to be successful. (Photo of Bowden Francis: Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
After the trade deadline, Schneider and his staff met with the team’s veterans to check in with them after the roster-altering period, answer any lingering questions they had about the direction of the team and remind them that they’ll be looked toward 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
The crumbling of Toronto’s bullpen contributed to their disappointing season. Of the eight relievers who started the season with the club, only two are in the bullpen now — Chad Green and Génesis Cabrera.
But the Blue Jays are looking ahead to next season, which means that the relievers currently in their bullpen are essentially pitching for a chance at a job next season. Among the pitchers the Blue Jays are eyeing closely are Ryan Burr, Brendon Little and Erik Swanson, who continues to try to get back on track after his tumultuous season.
Burr has a 4.50 ERA with 13 strikeouts in 12 innings; Little has a 4.05 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 26 2/3 innings and Swanson is still trying to lower his 7.64 ERA. Now all three, as well as Cabrera, will have opportunities to pitch in higher leverage and there will be things Schneider and his coaching staff will be keying in on.
“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 need to turn to free agency and trades to rebuild their bullpen for 2025, but in these next two months, they’ll have a chance to see if anyone emerges internally.
Embrace the role of spoiler
The Blue Jays are not among the teams vying for a postseason spot, but that doesn’t mean the club can’t have an impact on what’s expected to be down-to-the-wire playoff races. This isn’t where the Blue Jays wanted to be at this time of the season, but with the attitude that they want to win every night, regardless, the team can still embrace the role of spoiler with several series against teams in the playoff race down the stretch.
Their next six games are against the Yankees and Orioles, who are in a tight battle to win the American League East. The Blue Jays also have six games remaining against the Boston Red Sox and a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins, meaning they can have a hand in the race to claim one of the three American League wild-card spots.
As for the National League wild-card race — an even more crowded field — the Blue Jays have series remaining the Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves, New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals in September. That’s four teams that will, in all likelihood, be playing for their playoff lives and the Blue Jays will have a prime opportunity to impact them.
(Top photo of Spencer Horwitz: Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
