3 big questions facing the Blue Jays this offseason

While the memory of the Wild Card meltdown is still seared into Blue Jays fans’ brains, the front office at 1 Blue Jays Way has already started looking ahead into next year.

There will undoubtedly be an audit of what went wrong with this team in 2022, but they’ll use that intel to come back next year and hopefully improve on their 91-win regular season and very short postseason run.

As the Blue Jays fade into the background for the next little while, there are still some big questions surrounding this team. The moves they make (or don’t make) could set them up to succeed and surpass expectations in 2023.

1. Which roster additions/subtractions could happen?

Can the Blue Jays run it back next year with most of the same cast of characters and expect to advance beyond the Wild Card series? That’s the multi-million dollar question facing the front office right now. Can they stand pat and succeed, or are sweeping changes required to shake things up on the roster?

Over the last three offseasons, the Blue Jays signed several top line free agents to contracts. Hyun-Jin Ryu, George Springer, and Kevin Gausman, along with the contract extension for Jose Berrios.

With their payroll approaching the $180 million mark for next year already, the team may not have enough financial wiggle room to pull over another big money free agent contract this offseason, which means they’ll have to get busy on the trade market.

The only impending free agent who could snag a new deal with the Blue Jays is Ross Stripling, but he’ll be looking for a multi-year contract on the open market this offseason. The team already has three $15 million plus starting pitchers on the roster for 2022.

The Blue Jays might be aggressive and package one of their star players like Bo Bichette in a deal for another position player or some pitching, but Atkins squashed the notion of a big shakeup coming this winter.

Asked about the possibility of a core-shifting off-season trade, Ross Atkins says "no," he doesn't think that's needed (i.e. #BlueJays will be open-minded but not forcing the issue)

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 11, 2022

These will be smaller moves, but expect Raimel Tapia and Bradley Zimmer to be non-tendered. Jackie Bradley Jr. is also a free agent, so the Blue Jays will need to fill at least three bench spots for next season.

Second base and centre field are the two biggest opportunities for improvement on the roster in 2023 for the Blue Jays. After the team revealed George Springer was dealing with a bone spur this year, his days in centre field could be numbered.

Toronto rotated through Santiago Espinal, Cavan Biggio, and Whit Merrifield at second base through the 2022 campaign. Neither really stood out as a full-time option, but Merrifield has the inside track on the job as it stands.

But a free agent second baseman like Adam Frazier checks a lot of the boxes (he’s left-handed, too). If the Blue Jays wanted to go the trade route, Tony Kemp of the Oakland Athletics is another intriguing option.

2. Will ‘interim’ manager tag be dropped for Schneider?

For a while there, one of the organization’s worst-kept secrets was that they were grooming John Schneider to replace Charlie Montoyo as the team’s manager. After a brutal west coast road trip earlier this year, the team pulled the plug on Montoyo and slid Schneider into the manager’s chair.

Technically, Schneider is still the “interim” manager of the Blue Jays, but all indications point towards the team bringing him back as the full-time manager for the 2023 season and beyond.

“It would be difficult for us to find better than John Schneider,” the Blue Jays GM said. That’s about as positive of an endorsement a general manager can give. And while they may kick their tires on a few people, it’s all but certain that Schneider will be back next season to finish what he started in 2022.

And if he comes back, does Schneider have any say in the personnel that surround him in the dugout? Typically new managers have a little say in the coaches they bring along for the ride, so there may be some changes on the coaching staff this winter if Schneider sticks around.

3. Will the team lock up any of their superstars to long-term deals?

It may be hard to believe, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette enter their fifth seasons with the Blue Jays next year. They’re under team control for the next three years, but they’re closer to free agency than not.

Both Vlad and Bo will also get very expensive for the Blue Jays in the coming years as they hit salary arbitration. It’s clear as day these two players are franchise figureheads, so why no long-term contract extensions for either?

The Atlanta Braves locked up practically half their core players this season, but there’s been barely a word about a big contract for either Bichette or Guerrero. Could that change this offseason?

During his end of season press conference on Tuesday, Atkins told reporters the club has already spoken to some of their core players about long-term deals to keep them in Toronto for the foreseeable future.

Ross Atkins said #BlueJays have laid some groundwork for contract extensions with a few core players & that Jays plan to continue those talks this off-season.

Jays don't provide specifics, but from outside looking in seems likely Vlad Jr., Bo Bichette & Manoah are in that group

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) October 11, 2022

Bichette, Guerrero, and Alek Manoah aren’t going anywhere soon, but it would be nice for the team to get some roster certainty for the years ahead.

It takes two to tango in these situations, and while the Blue Jays will certainly offer deals to Bichette, Guerrero, Manoah, and perhaps others, those deals have to be enticing enough for the players to sign on the dotted line.

Earlier this year, Guerrero told MLB reporter Hector Gomez that he was “open to signing a long-term deal with the Blue Jays,” and that he hoped a deal could be hammered out this offseason.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. on a possible contract extension: “Im open to signing a long term deal with the #BlueJays. I feel really happy playing here. I hope something can be done about it this offseason.”@z101digital @ZDeportes pic.twitter.com/ISJQt4Db9E

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) September 15, 2022

Maybe that was a PR tactic by Guerrero’s camp, but at least he’s openly expressed he’s willing to stick around with the Blue Jays. Now the hard part comes in working out a deal that works for all parties.

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