Here's why the Blue Jays are so frustrating to watch this year

John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023 Toronto Blue Jays are built different. Unlike their 2022 and 2021 counterparts, they focus on pitching and defence, not offence. Despite its similar cast of characters, the Blue Jays are no longer the run-producing juggernaut they once were.

Statistically, the Blue Jays are a top-10 team offensively in baseball this season. Heading into Wednesday’s contest in Cleveland, they own the fifth-best team batting average and fifth-best on base percentage.

They have no trouble getting players in base, but their perils with runners in scoring position are well documented this season. Hitting a paltry .244 with RISP, the Blue Jays rank 24th in MLB.

While no one could’ve foreseen Toronto being this inefficient at delivering a clutch hit, in retrospect, they had this coming all along when the front office augmented the roster this offseason.

They’re a frustrating team to watch because they were expected to out-slug their opponents, but they’ve out-pitched and out-gloved their competition instead. The way the Blue Jays arrived at their 65-51 record is much different than how they were advertised to get here.

On paper, the Blue Jays have a stacked lineup capable of scoring five-plus runs every game. A proven regular season and playoff performer in George Springer. The American League leader in hits for two consecutive seasons in Bo Bichette. 2021 AL MVP runner-up Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

That alone should’ve given the Blue Jays’ starting lineup an edge against their opponents, but it’s never that simple.

Behind the scenes, GM Ross Atkins went to work this winter, making this a much more defensive-minded team. They acquired Gold Glover Kevin Kiermaier and defensive stalwart Daulton Varsho, and traded away Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

With those moves alone, the club knew they were sacrificing offence for defence, but did they consider just how much offence they were sacrificing? This happens when three key players on your roster — Kiermaier, Varsho and Matt Chapman — are known primarily for their glove, not their bat.

Vladdy won a Gold Glove last year, and Danny Jansen and Alejandro Kirk are great receivers and catchers behind the dish, so this team has plenty of above average fielders. That explains why this team is now regarded for its defence, as they lead the American League in defensive runs saved.

If Kiermaier, Varsho and Chapman are defence-first players, then who in the lineup is being relied upon to produce runs? That’s the top of the order, including Springer, Bichette and Guerrero. Bichette has pulled his weight, but the other two? Not so much.

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When two of your biggest offensive contributors underperform, it’s no wonder the Blue Jays are where they are in the standings. Despite his best efforts, Bichette cannot do it all on his own, and his recent injury underscored a problem that’s plagued this team all season long.

It’s a shame so many of these stellar outings have gone to waste because the Blue Jays’ starting pitchers and relievers have held up their end of the bargain this season. They have the best ERA in MLB, their starting rotation ranks fourth, and the bullpen ranks seventh.

Most nights, their pitching staff gives the team a decent chance to win, but you can’t win if you don’t score any, or very few runs. Even with the comeback campaigns by Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi, and the extreme lack of run support for Kevin Gausman, the Blue Jays walk the tightrope far too often.

This offseason, the Blue Jays emphasized run prevention, and they transformed two-thirds of their outfield, they beefed up the bullpen by acquiring Erik Swanson, and signed Chris Bassitt to be a middle-of-the-rotation arm. While the front office deserves praise for those moves, they underestimated the importance of reinforcing the lineup, both during the offseason and at the trade deadline.

The asking prices on position players were likely astronomical, so the Blue Jays leaned into their run prevention mantra by acquiring two more relievers (Genesis Cabrera and Jordan Hicks), and a plus defender and infield insurance with Paul DeJong. At the deadline, the team doubled down on pitching and defence yet again.

As currently constructed, this Blue Jays squad would be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs. They play tight defence, they pitch well, and they have the horses in the bullpen to stifle tough lineups. But they have to reach the playoffs first.

Considering how few runs they’ve scored as of late, you’d think the Blue Jays lineup was facing elite playoff-calibre pitching night after night, but they’re still entrenched in the dog days of summer.

In 2022, the Blue Jays scored the fourth most runs per game, and in 2021 they scored the third-most runs per game. Even during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign, they scored the seventh-most runs per game. In 2023, they rank 16th in runs per game.

Even though many of the same players from a few years ago are still on this roster, this is not the same Blue Jays team anymore. And part of that is managing expectations, too. Not that the front office should’ve gotten out ahead of this and told fans: “Hey, we may not score a ton of runs this year and we’ll play a lot of tight ballgames,” but it’s shocking how stark of a contrast this lineup compares to the Blue Jays of the recent past.

Despite having sluggers in the lineup, there are too many inconsistent hitters in this batting order to make the Blue Jays an offensive threat in the AL East. When you have players like Bichette, Springer and Guerrero, you’re expected to tear the cover off the ball. Unfortunately, injuries, regression and bad luck often rear their ugly heads, and all three have haunted the Blue Jays this year.

At this point in the season, they are who they are. It’s presumptuous to assume everyone who’s underperforming will turn it around down the stretch, but someone in the lineup needs to step up if the Blue Jays want a shot at winning a playoff game this year, let alone making the postseason.