Two years ago, when the Blue Jays finished last in the American League East after back-to-back playoff appearances, there was sombre reflection from president Mark Shapiro at his end-of-season post-mortem with the media and a promise that the baseball operations department would improve.
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department → finish → media
“Ross has to be better,” Shapiro said at the time about his hand-picked general manager, Ross Atkins, now going into his 12th season at the helm.
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Shapiro → have → helm
This time around, after another season in the basement (albeit bookended by a World Series appearance), Shapiro again spoke of disappointment but noted that although the season ended with three meaningless games at home against the cellar-dwelling Cincinnati Reds, sellout crowds at the Rogers Centre made it feel otherwise.
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it → bookende → Centre
“The level of appreciation and engagement between the fans and our players was clear,” said Shapiro.
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Shapiro → say → fans
“It was palpable, you could feel it.
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you → feel → it
And if you were to drop in on those games with no context ... you would have thought we were playing for a playoff spot down to the last out.”
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we → drop → out
He said he needs to work with “determination, commitment and a sense of urgency” to make sure “we hold up our end of that covenant with the fans, our end of our commitment to them, that we play championship-calibre baseball and we play into October.”
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we → say → October
Ernie Clement had a rougher time as the season progressed.
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season → have → time
The Jays fan favourite and first-time all-star hit .208 in August with only three extra-base hits, then dipped further to .150 in September with a horrific .386 OPS.
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favourite → hit → OPS
The contact skills never left, though.
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skills → leave → ?
The 30-year-old infielder struck out just five times in 80 September at-bats.
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infielder → strike → bats
Atkins was asked about Clement’s role for next season, when he could make around $7 million (U.S.) after salary arbitration.
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he → ask → arbitration
Why Clement’s high school coach and teammates think the Jays all-star could have had a career on the ice.
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star → think → ice
Why Clement’s high school coach and teammates think the Jays all-star could have had a career on the ice.
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star → think → ice
“He’s such a good player,” Atkins said about Clement.
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Atkins → ’ → Clement
“Every time he comes to the plate, I feel like he’s going to do something special, and I think so does he.
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he → come → something
His aggressiveness and that early contact became very dependent upon line drives hitting gaps ...
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drives → become → gaps
We don’t ever expect Ernie to be an elite on-base or elite ... base-on-balls player, but I think in time he’s going to learn how he’s being attacked ...
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he → expect → time
Some players will take opportunities to take a chance to drive a ball, and I think he’s going to learn to take chances to be more disciplined.”
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he → take → chances
Atkins added that he expects Clement to be a “very good regular,” but backed off later when asked directly if he would be the everyday second baseman in 2027.
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he → add → 2027
“He’s got to earn every bit of that,” said Atkins.
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Atkins → get → that
“It’s not (that we can) just write down ‘OK, we’re covered,’ but he always has.
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he → ’ → ?
When he’s been given an opportunity, he’s run with it.
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he → give → it
He can also be a player who plays (100) games and plays at a really high level, and because we’re such a good team he isn’t the guy that’s being pencilled in every day.
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that → play → level
Atkins talks regrets
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Atkins → talk → ?
Atkins didn’t specifically address the fact that two of the top three finishers in the National League batting race, catcher Gabriel Moreno and infielder Otto López, are young former Jays who could have helped baseball’s worst offence, but he did touch on the toll of two last-place finishes in three years.
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he → address → years
How did the Jays go from a team that was two outs from a World Series title to finishing the following season with a losing record?
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that → go → record
How did the Jays go from a team that was two outs from a World Series title to finishing the following season with a losing record?
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that → go → record
“So much disappointment in myself,” Atkins said when asked about how he’ll remember this year.
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he → say → year
“I just focus and fixate on decisions I made ... the ones that I regret, conversations I had or didn’t have, opportunities that I missed.
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I → focus → that
That’s what I think about and can’t sleep.
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I → ’ → what
Even when I do fall asleep, somehow I’m dreaming about (that).
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I → fall → that
Moreno, traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks along with Lourdes Gurriel for Daulton Varsho before the 2023 season, won the NL batting title.
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Moreno → trade → title
López, sold to the San Francisco Giants before the 2024 season, hit .305 for the Miami Marlins.
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López → sell → Marlins
It should be noted that had the Jays kept López, they probably wouldn’t have kept Clement.
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they → note → Clement
The Aporia
