jaysblue

Why hasn't Atkins done anything to improve the lineup? What is he waiting for?

Needed some more punch in this lineup. Can't believe it's been 1.5 seasons and nothing still has been done to address the issue.

A lot of the Atkins cult only show themselves when the Blue Jays beat up on the White Sox or Tigers.

Darvish at least wasn't like Dice K, who came with way more hype IMO at the time. I think Darvish could pitch until he's 40 or even a couple years more if he wanted to. Should easily reach 40 WAR.

I was thinking of driving down to Pittsburgh this weekend, since he might pitch on Saturday most likely.

Yeah perfectly said. Nothing wrong with this criticism at all. Given the offensive struggles dating back from the beginning of 2023, they should have targeted more offensive minded players in LF and at DH. Otherwise, overall Atkins has made a lot of fantastic FA signings in the past and I don't think anyone on here is questioning that. Just question the strategy they took this previous offseason to address a significant issue that was evident during all of the 2023 season. Some FA bats would have helped more than KK and Turner.

I don't think anyone complained about short term FA signings or are s***ing on Atkins on a couple of FA misses. No GM is ever perfect when it comes to FA signings or trades. Atkins has been very rock solid when it comes to FA signings for the most part. However, given the issue dating back from the beginning of last season, they should have targeted FA's or trades that would have helped the lineup, rather than doubling down on defensive first players like KK or targeting a 40-year-old DH. Should have been 4 for 4 indeed and we should be talking about 5 for 5. It's unfortunate Atkins hasn't been able to take advantage of this window.

You remain in a state of blissful ignorance when it comes to Atkins and this front office. Keep taking the blue pill!

Yeah same here. Will be interesting to see what kind of contract he gets as a free agent. He's definitely a Top 10 player in the game.

A couple more wins means Jays are above .500 and likely holding the WC3 spot. Definitely a lot better position to be in. As well, if Vladdy, Bo and Springer started to turn the corner, they would be in a way better position with a bat like Teo and/or JDM already in the fold. A couple more wins could be the difference of making the Postseason and not making the Postseason.

Yes Atkins should have looked at ways to improve the offense last offseason. Ohtani or Soto weren't the only bats needed to fix this offense. Yes ideally they were the top elite bats available; however, there were upgrades available via free agency or trade even if they struck out on both Ohtani and Soto. Again, you keep saying Atkins couldn't have done anything to fix the offense last offseason which is a bunch of BS! Just stop man!

So wouldn't a bat like Teo or JDM this offseason have made a difference?

Reed Johnson and Frank Catalanotto were an awesome LF platoon. Both of them put together some nice years here and were fun to watch!

What other players would be forced off the team if Teo signed? Nobody here would be missing KK or Turner at all lol.

Yeah agree Blue Jays should explore all options when it comes to Bo and/or Vladdy. Difference is Kyle Tucker is actually playing at an elite level - so far 3.2 fWAR with a 176 wRC+ this season.

Kyle Tucker has one more year of control and is arb eligible before he becomes a FA in 2026. Wonder with the Astros struggles this season, do you think they shop him at the deadline or in the offseason if they can't sign him to an extension?

I wonder if there is a challenge trade that could be made, but doubt it.

Nothing wrong with baseball discussion on a baseball forum. BTS actually responded very rationally and was respectful, unlike you who always blows a gasket when someone criticizes Atkins and then reverts to low level insults calling posters "tampons."

Yeah it was impossible signing those guys. There was nothing Atkins could do!

Yeah there are more problems around the roster this season other than just the lineup. If the lineup was somewhat addressed in the offseason, then they could have focused on adding to other areas like the bullpen or maybe making an upgrade on Springer. Bullpens are always volatile and its tough to expect the same results from a bullpen year-to-year. Romano isn't as reliable, Green hasn't been that dominant of a reliever we expected him to be, Mayza has been awful and Swanson's season is a complete write-off. Garcia has been a blessing this season, and Richards/Pearson have been meh but decent. It would have been nice if Yariel moved to the pen after he returns from the IL, though he's likely needed in the rotation. Gotta hope Pearson takes his game to another level in the second half, Green can stay healthy and Romano isn't as bad moving forward. Add another arm or two via trade before the deadline would definitely help. LF could have been addressed in the offseason. Someone with some pop like Teo, Pederson, O'Neill, Pham, Profar, Winker or someone via trade could have been had. Hoskins or JDM would have been better options as a DH over Turner. They didn't need a stud like Ohtani or Soto. Would have been nice, but wasn't the end of the world. After they lost out on Ohtani, focus should have been adding pop at LF/DH, and moving Varsho to CF. Springer isn't getting fixed. I even said during the offseason he likely is an albatross given his age, injury history and contract. I think Bo should turn things around. He's not this bad offensively, but the Jays and Bo need to figure things out before it's too late. They need Bo's bat to return. Overall, let's say in a perfect world they signed bats like Hoskins/JDM to DH and Teo or Pederson for LF during the offseason, they likely are holding down WC3 even with these other issues plaguing the roster. Now their attention before the deadline could be adding two-late inning relievers, and looking to make an upgrade on Springer. Would have been less to do.

What's so frustrating is if this team just had a decent lineup, they likely are a couple games over .500 and holding WC3. It wasn't that difficult to improve the offense last offseason. If Atkins and the FO couldn't, then I don't think they belong in baseball.

Should have bet Florida last night at more than even money damn. Looks like the Stanley Cup Playoffs only going 4 or 5 games. Gary Bettman probably pissed.

Would rather have been the Braves since 2021. Having a World Series Title and a couple of seasons of leading the NL East. Don't understand why some of the Atkins cult (Brownie19) love to compare AA's record with Atkins all the time. It's like comparing a bottle of Dom Perignon with a bottle you find at a 7 Eleven. Braves lost Acuna, Soroka, and Ozuna in 2021, snuck into the Postseason and won a ring, but only one, so AA sucks. Braves lost Freeman and Swanson as two big FA's and they still won 100 games the following season. Though AA sucks. Braves lost Acuna again, Strider, Murphy, and all their major bats have sucked this season, but still sit at 36-30 with a +27 run differential, leading the NL Wildcard. But AA sucks. A lot of these members of the Atkins cult really need to chill out and stop comparing AA with Atkins. It's not even close. It's like comparing a bottle of The Macallan Double Cask 18 Year Old with a bottle of Crown Royale.

Did you discover any new evidence if the Orioles have been cheating this season? Detective Stangstag on the case! How about dem Yankees as well? Judge is on a heater and has to be cheating!

The Atkins cult even a couple of weeks ago was saying AA built a fragile rotation this season with an aging Sale and targeting an arm like Lopez who was used as a reliever over the last couple of seasons. Haven't heard them give props to those moves at all. If Atkins was the one who signed Lopez, they would be dancing on the streets saying Lopez was for real and that Atkins and company discovered some hidden secret etc. Since it was AA, it's been crickets and criticisms that Lopez has just been lucky so far.