17-19 was pretty lean for the Jays. Steve Pearce come from behind grand slams etc we clung to. Crowds were mid.
I think the net net difference for the Jays vs O's is the excitement around Bo/Vlad coming up and we were "competitive" in 20 and 21, 2 years earlier only than the O's.
As a fan in the dark years from 1994 to 2014 I'm a believer this fan base would put up with any well developed and communicated FO plan that made us a perennial upper echelon team. No matter what the course to get there. Before anyone jumps down my throat saying we are already, the next 2/3 years are getting a bit hazy for this window facing some major decisions, and the back end of some FA deals.