Atkins has proven he can make the trades and FA signing to keep the product on the field competitive. However the current snap shot of the farm system has got to be in the lower half of the league talent wise.
This whole sustainable winning and constant flow of young talent he has talked about seems to be a mirage. At this rate I have no doubt we will regress into a .500 and worse teams by 2025, 26, 27. You just cannot sustain a playoff team by FA signings and trades, unless you are the Yankees, but even they have a decent farm.
The best teams in the league have great farm systems that are constantly being replenished with new young talent. I truly believe if Atkins gets s*** canned and someone is hired who can take the farm to a good-elite level our little 5 year window can be extended drastically.
Which raises an interesting question. If we are fighting for a 3rd wildcard spot all season something that didn't even exist a couple years ago, would you rather miss and have Atkins fired, or make it and likely keep him around for another season or two.