As an older fan I tend to compare this team to the 87-93 Jays, the Expos 1981, 1994 and the 2014-2016 teams:
2020 – Weird covid season - blown out in the playoffs. The team and season had few expectations.
2021 – Most likable exciting team with Semien, Ray CY season and Vlad/Teo raking. Manoah comes up and shoves creating excitement. The Pen cost us the season early. The FO went for it on Berrios at the deadline, but Brad Hand offset that. The hole was too deep to climb out of. Lots of post season rationalizations about how if we just played at RC all year we would have made it into playoffs, and how this experience would help the young core giving them "vetrin presents" for a real run. Montoyo universally lauded for handling the team so well with Dunedin, Buffalo and RC transitions.
2022 – Kirk emerges. Gausman delivers, Berrios & Kooch struggle. Manoah shoves. Ross pulls the get out of jail free card and fires Buntoyo. We take the top wildcard and blow it in epic painful fashion.
2023 – 5 FA signings rotation produces. Manoah craters. Teo/LGJ out Varhso in. Pen much improved and performing. Team struggles to score runs and key players under perform most projections offensively, so far. OF D improved. KK and Belt produce. TBD what happens. This is the set of series coming up that might determine it all. They certainly have the talent.
2024 – Chappy & Ryu likely gone. KK, Whit, Belt uncertain. Springer, Bassit another yr older. Arb years and another year closer to FA for Vlad/Bo.
There is a lot of randomness and luck in baseball and perception can be reality. A deep(er) run in the playoffs creates an identity that changes perceptions, but this window of a 90 +/- 2 win team is frustrating, with its big payroll and being the 11th oldest team in baseball.
Having said all that we could be the Mets, Padres, Rockies Angels and any other number of teams much worse off, so there is that, to keep perspective.