DUNEDIN, Fla. — Under the covered mounds at the Toronto Blue Jays’ sprawling player development complex on Thursday, a select few pitchers threw their first bullpens of the new year. That group included a svelter-looking Alek Manoah, whose comeback attempt after last year’s rough 2023 season is among the leading storylines as the Blue Jays opened camp on Thursday.
“You get your butt kicked, you always just want to start a new year, fresh slate and just super excited for the boys this year,” Manoah said as he walked back to the clubhouse after his throwing session alongside fellow starters Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi. “Super excited to get after it and super excited to help this year.”
Indeed, it’s a fresh slate for Manoah and the Blue Jays, but that doesn’t mean last year’s underwhelming season, and especially disappointing exit from the postseason, doesn’t still serve as a source of motivation in the minds of the players and staff — especially since many around the club believe they should have been better than they were.
“Our defence and pitching was incredible,” said starter Kevin Gausman. “We could probably have used being a little bit more timely hitting-wise. I felt like the games we won, we really won, but we had a lot of close games that we can look back at and we probably should have had at least 10 more wins.”
In case you wiped last season from your memory, the Blue Jays ground to an 89-win finish and despite — as Gausman pointed out — a top-three rotation, an effective bullpen and an elite defence, the Blue Jays never really got on the type of roll they wanted to, namely because the offence struggled to score runs consistently.
After they were swept by the Twins in the Wild Card Series, Gausman said it took him until the final game of the World Series to fully get over his team’s disheartening exit.
“The guys who have been here the last few years, we’re definitely upset, being 0-4 in the last two (years) in the postseason,” the 33-year-old starter said. “The goal is always to get that first win and then go from there. But obviously, it starts today and it starts in spring training.”
“I think that having a very similar group is actually a good thing. Because we’ve all kind of been through those things together,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider added. “Mindset is just more excitement — excitement for guys to get back to their norms a little bit offensively. Excitement for the pitching staff to continue to do what they’ve done and find out ways to get better.
“I get the narrative over the last couple of years, it’s been disappointing finishes, whether it’s quick exits in the playoffs, not making it in 2021. That part of it, that catches up to guys a little bit and guys talk about it,” the manager continued. “But we’re focused on the guys that we have that are returning and that we’ve added just getting better, and we feel really strongly if they do, we’re going be a lot better than we were last year.”
It felt as though all last season, the Blue Jays were waiting for that moment when all aspects of their team clicked at once. But that moment never arrived and ultimately, their inability to score runs was their undoing in the postseason.
This season, they’re aiming to take a more proactive approach.
“Instead of waiting around and saying, ‘OK, this is going to turn,’ it’s how you’re going to make it turn and how can we be part of that process with the players?” Schneider said. “How can we help impact them to speed that process up if things are stalling a little bit?”
Baseball is a difficult sport, where out-muscling a team isn’t effective. But the Blue Jays have identified areas where they fell short last year in terms of relaying information to players and have tried to rectify that. Part of that process has been introducing some hierarchical changes to the coaching staff, namely putting offensive coordinator Don Mattingly in charge of both the hitting strategy and fundamentals. In the past, those duties had been split between hitting coaches Guillermo Martinez and Dave Hudgens, the latter of whom has been reassigned from the major-league staff to a player development role.
“Having that all running through Donnie is really exciting in our ability that we feel to give a lot more conviction and confidence to our players and how that message will be delivered and how it will be received,” general manager Ross Atkins said.
Meanwhile, over the offseason, Schneider, who is entering his second full season as Toronto’s skipper, also identified communication as a key area where he could improve.
“Just really being brutally honest,” Schneider said. “Being as upfront as we can, bringing in a guy like DeMarlo (Hale) to help with that messaging, I think is key. And, I think myself, just understanding the ins and outs of every day, after a year on the job, and what our players need and what our players want. You always think that you’re ready for something and you’re prepared, and not that we weren’t prepared by any means, but there are always ways that you can fine-tune some things.”
Speaking of, in terms of what the team needs to do better this year, Schneider cited the need to “tighten everything up” as a focus. It’s a familiar message to the “details matter” mantra that permeated through camp last season, but that the team didn’t necessarily always follow through on throughout the season, especially on the offensive end.
“Where we can definitely tighten up is on the bases, not giving away outs, and tightening up on an offensive approach one through nine,” Schneider said. “Last year, when we weren’t scoring, we were trying to force the issue on the bases and were running into outs, so then it was a snowball effect of trying to do a little bit too much.”
Only pitchers and catchers were required to report this week — newcomer Yariel Rodríguez is still working through visa issues, but is expected to arrive soon — but as has become typical in recent years, most of Toronto’s position player core were in camp on Thursday ahead of next week’s first full team workout. The whole team is expected on Monday, but will more, perhaps, unexpected players be filing in later than that?
There are a handful of free agents available, including Cody Bellinger and former Blue Jays third baseman Matt Chapman, who are both represented by Scott Boras and thus are believed to be seeking a high asking price. Asked about whether the team is still discussing further additions to the roster, Atkins said that while they continue to explore options and are having regular discussions with agents, “At this point, additions that would be of significance would mean some level of subtraction,” the GM said.
“We feel good about the team that we have,” Atkins said. “Feel good about the work that’s been done over the last five offseasons, the last four trade deadlines and now coming into another trade deadline, we’ll have another opportunity, I hope, that we’re in a strong position to add to that team (and) I know that we will.”
Whether Atkins was being sincere with that statement or engaging in some public negotiating remains to be seen. Until then, though, the Blue Jays are betting on their guys to do what they haven’t been able to and finally take a step forward in the postseason.
“We’re a very close-knit group,” Gausman said. “We have a lot of guys that we have a great relationship with each other. There’s not one guy in there that I don’t feel like I can go up and talk to you about anything and so that’s why it’s going to be even more special when we do and when we can win.”
(Photo of Kevin Gausman gripping a ball while José Berríos looks on: Frank Gunn / The Canadian Press via Associated Press)
