Jays off-season moves panning out - so far

The 29-31 Toronto Blue Jays are probably not where they want to be, but their last place positioning in the American League East can't be blamed on their highly criticized off-season.  

In fact, if president Mark Shapiro and general manger Ross Atkins didn't make the decisions they did, the Jays just might be in a worst position than they are now. 

Moves like letting Blue Jays legend Edwin Encarnacion go to the Cleveland Indians, bringing back an aging Jose Bautista for another season and making Justin Smoak a prominent part of the starting lineup weren't met with much optimism amongst the vast majority of Toronto sports fans. 

However, despite having the worst start in franchise history, the Jays found their way in May and are right back into the playoff hunt with 102 games left in the season. And a lot of their success can be attributed to the moves Toronto's front office made - or didn't make - over the winter.

Let's take a deeper look at the Jays' off-season and how it's panning out for them now.

Letting Edwin Walk

After having the best season of his career (.263/42 HR/127 RBIs) in 2016, capping it with a walk-off homer in the wild-card game against the Baltimore Orioles, the Jays would have loved to have the crowd favourite Encarnacion back in Toronto for the duration of his career. 

They made that point known by offering the slugger a four-year, $80 million contract shortly after the World Series. After mulling over the contract for more than the Jays liking, Toronto signed Kansas City Royals designated hitter Kendrys Morales to a three-year, $33 million contract. The signing of Morales proved to be the beginning of the end for Encarnacion's return as the 34-year-old would later sign a three-year, $60 million contract with Indians as his agent was criticized for misreading the market.

A native of Cuba, Morales has had a very productive career, but that was hard for many Jays' fans to see with Encarnacion leaving while ranked third in all-time franchise home runs. 

Now two months into the season, that pill might be little easier to swallow. Neither are having tremendous years, but the Jays are getting the better end of the deal so far. Morales has a better batting average, slugging percentage, and has more home runs and runs batted in.

It's still early, and a lot can change in the coming seasons, but the Jays have to be pretty happy Encarnacion isn't lighting it up for the Tribe at the moment.   

The Emergence of Smoak

After losing the likes of Encarnacion and Canadian Michael Saunders (Philadelphia Phillies) to free agency, the Jays were forced to find replacements for their starting lineup. And one of those spots was filled from within the organization.  

Justin Smoak, 30, had arguably the worst campaign of his career in 2016, hitting .217 with 14 homers and 34 RBIs in a backup role. He also struck out 112 times in 341 plate appearances. When the Jays signed Smoak to a two-year, $8.5 million extension in July, most thought it was a decent move if the first baseman stayed in his current role. When it was determined a few months later that he would be a starter for the 2017 season, fans were obviously worried. 

That contract looks like a bargain now.

Smoak is hitting .291 with 17 home runs (tied for second) and 42 RBIs (tied for third) over 59 games and is one of the biggest surprises in baseball. He's four homers away from posting a career high and is hitting 53 points better than his best year in 2013.

"He's doing a heck of a job. Shouldn't have signed that contract. He's losing money now," Gibbons joked with the Canadian Press. "I've never seen him this good. We always envisioned it. It's in there, and it's just coming together for him."

If Smoak was not in the lineup every day, who knows where the Jays would be right now.  

Fans should be cautious of Smoak's hot start as outfielder Saunders had a similar first half in 2016. After earning a spot in his first All-Star Game with a .298 average with 16 homers and 41 RBIs, the ex-Jay's play dropped off drastically as his batting average fell 45 points and only hit eight long balls with 15 RBIs in the second half.

Speaking of Saunders, the Victoria native has yet to find his form from the early part of 2016 as he's hitting just .213 with six homers and 19 RBIs over 54 games with the Phillies.

The Jays also signed free agent Steve Pearce (two years, $12.5 million from the Orioles) in December to fill out the lineup, but the 34-year-old has struggled to start his Blue Jay career and is currently on the disabled list with a calf strain.

Other Moves

Another transaction the Jays have to be glad about is the decision to bring back a 36-year-old Jose Bautista.

Atkins and company felt they couldn't afford to lose both Edwin and Jose, so Bautista was signed to a one-year, $18.5 million contract after the veteran outfielder found it difficult to find a team that would offer him more term and money. 

After coming off a long, injury plagued season, many thought Bautista was done.

Bautista won't be winning any MVP awards this season, but has proved there's still something left in the tank and has been integral in getting the team close to the .500 mark after smoking nine home runs in May. 

With key players like Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, Devon Travis, J.A. Happ and Aaron Sanchez all seeing extended time on the DL, Bautista has surprisingly been the most durable, appearing in every game so far. His 10 homers and 28 RBIs are each good enough for third best on the team. 

Bautista has also quieted fears that his arm was dead by recording five outfield assists, third best in the MLB. 

Not a whole lot has changed for the mound from last season, but the Jays did lose starter R.A. Dickey as well as relievers Brett Cecil and Joaquin Benoit. The 42-year-old Dickey, now with the Atlanta Braves, is producing similar results as his time in Toronto while Cecil is struggling with the St. Louis Cardinals, posting a 5.66 ERA over 29 appearances. Benoit has been solid over 22 innings pitcher with the Philles.

Toronto filled out their bullpen by signing free agents J.P. Howell and Joe Smith. Lefty Howell has spent much of the season on the disabled list while Smith has been one of the Blue Jays most reliable relievers with a 2.83 ERA over 31 games.

So far the Jays have to look at their 2017 off-season as a successful one. It's fair to say the moves they made are not the reason why they're two games under the .500 mark. In fact, the decisions they made have given them a shot at making the postseason for a third consecutive season. Numerous injuries to the rotation and key position players have undoubtedly had a negative effect on their record. But with those players starting to come back healthy, we will get to see what the 2017 Jays are truly made of in the coming weeks. Time will tell if Smoak and Morales continue to outplay their departing counterparts and if the Jays can stay in contention.