The baseball season is a non-fiction book with many chapters that take dramatic twist and turns. There is emotion. There are celebrations and disappointments. There are mental and physical challenges to the characters in the story.
It is unpredictable.
There are 30 stories being written that are similar in some ways, but very different in others. And only one of the 30 stories has a happy ending. Last year, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers whose story ended joyfully.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ story is being written now and the chapter ending on April 30 includes tales of injuries and frustration. But it sets the stage for a more positive month ahead.
The Jays have won six of their last 10 and are starting to get healthy.
They started the season without starting pitchers Trey Yesavage (right shoulder impingement), Shane Beiber (elbow) or Jose Berrios (elbow) on the active roster.
Also, outfielder/designated hitter Anthony Santander is lost until late in the season to shoulder surgery.
Since Opening Day, they have lost Max Scherzer (ankle/forearm) and Cody Ponce (torn ACL) on the pitching side. They have also placed catcher Alejandro Kirk (broken/dislocated thumb), Addison Barger (ankle sprain), and Nathan Lukes (hamstring) on the injured list. Outfielder/DH George Springer, spent time on the injured list with a broken toe, but was reactivated on Wednesday.
The first chapter might as well be a soap opera taking place in a doctor’s office.
On the field, the Jays have played mediocre baseball. (14-17). They rank 23rd in runs/game offensively. They are ranked 17th in ERA at this point. Some of this can be explained by the injuries, but there has been some underperformance as well.
Obviously, teams improve when they are at full-strength. Better players should lead to better results. Offence and pitching feed off of each other in both directions. When one component of the game improves or suffers, so too, do the others.
Pitching staffs can improve when the offense improves. When a team doesn’t score, the pitchers try to be perfect. When pitchers try to nibble off the corners and miss bats because of that, they tend to fall behind in the count and put themselves in a position to have to throw the ball over the plate in hitters’ counts where they can drive the ball. When the pitchers have some margin for error, they feel more convicted on being aggressive in the zone which makes them more successful.
When a few hitters in a lineup improve, it helps the rest of the lineup. It puts traffic on the bases, and therefore more pressure on the opposition to have to pitch in the zone. Recently, the Jays have had improved offensive contributions from Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Jesus Sanchez, Kazuma Okamoto, Andres Gimenez, Yohendrick Pinango, and Brandon Valenzuela.
Teams can’t win a division in April, which means that the Yankees haven’t clinched anything. Teams can lose a division in April, but the Jays have not lost the AL East by any means. They are currently six games out of first place. Last season, the Jays were 27-28 on May 28 and eight games behind the Yankees. There is more time left in this season with less of a hole to dig out of than in 2025. And the Jays have already started their climb back in the race, with reinforcements on the way.
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One of the other key moves the Jays have made over the last week was the transition of Jeff Hoffman out of the closer’s role and Louis Varland into it.
I like Jeff Hoffman and there is a place for him in a good bullpen, just not the ninth inning. Last season he had a 9-7 record, and no closer should have 16 decisions next to his name.
I was surprised that the Blue Jays did not aggressively address the closer’s role in the offseason. There were reports that they were pursuing Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez and Pete Fairbanks, but nothing came to fruition. It seemed like they were interested only if they didn’t get the starter or big bat that they wanted.
They were in on Kyle Tucker until he chose to go to the Dodgers. Not only did they not get Tucker, but waiting for him cost them the upgrade to a closer because they all signed before Tucker. Not getting an upgrade for the ninth inning was the biggest whiff of the offseason for Toronto.
Moving Hoffman out of the closer role was overdue. I do appreciate the patience of John Schneider and his unwavering confidence in Hoffman, but it was time. I like Hoffman as a pitcher and firmly believe there is a spot for him in the Jays bullpen, even in high-leverage moments. But the sixth and seventh inning are where he should be implemented. If he has a bobble there or gives up a run, there is more time for the offence to bounce back and answer. There is no margin for error generally in the ninth inning.
The trade deadline always creates a pool of available relievers and sometimes even closers. The Jays should be shopping early to upgrade the end of the game. I like Varland in the role, but an upgrade over him would create an even deeper pool of options for John Schneider and allow him to shorten the game for the starting staff.
The Jays feel like they are starting to get their act together and improving on the health side as well. They need to focus on winning series now. They don’t have to make up all the ground immediately. Slow and steady progress with a hot streak somewhere along the way will do the job.
