Ross Atkins is actually very good at his job
Photo credit: SportsNet
Being the General Manager of Major League baseball team is not an easy job. There's roster construction, player signings, who to keep, who to cut etc. Plus, there is dealing with (usually) disgruntled fanbases as well.
Ross Atkins knows this all too well. The Blue Jays supposed lack of success in the Vladdy and Bo era of the franchise hasn't exactly endeared Atkins to fans. Many are calling him the worst GM in franchise history
Upon closer examination though, Atkins may not be as bad as the critics say he is.
Just from a statistical standpoint, in the years since Atkins and President Mark Shapiro took over the club, the Blue Jays have had five seasons with a record above 500 and four playoff appearances. The latter number is the most under any Blue Jays GM since Pat Gillick.
While Atkins doesn't have the personality of Gillick or former GM Alex Anthopoulos, he's also not J.P. Ricciardi.
Atkins was criticized for his pursuits of Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. still remains un-signed, and many fans still dislike the Daulton Varsho for Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. trade. At the time, many fans called it the worst trade in Blue Jays history.
Gord Ash, General Manager from 1994-2001 arguably made worse trades. One was trading popular first baseman JJohn Olerud for pitcher Robert Person (though former manager Cito Gaston is also partially to blame for that one). Person had 2.5 disastrous seasons before being shipped to Philadelphia.
And yes, while the Jays haven't won a playoff game since 2016, Atkins first year on the job, with a team largely built by Anthopolous, he also didn't sell the farm for short term gains like AA did. That's part of the reason why the Jays were dreadful between 2017-2019. They had to re-build an aging team.
He's also kept up with the times and doled the largest contact in team history, the six year $150MM deal currently occupied by George Springer. And while many fans aren't thrilled with the contract, especially given Springer's struggles last season, it was nowhere near as bad as the one Ricciardi gave to B.J. Ryan. Ryan was ultimately released with the Jays still owing him $15MM.
Then there's Vlad. While many are aghast that an extension still hasn't been worked out, Vlad has said that Atkins and company have been very open and straightforward with him. At least Ross Atkins tells the truth and doesn't start feuds with random major leaguers.. (See: J.P. Ricciardi)
So while Pat Gillick obviously stands alone, atop the mountain as the greatest GM in Franchise history, Ross Atkins easily comes in second or third. He's on the podium.
There have been seven General Managers in Toronto's history.. Atkins has been better than most.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 24 | 368 ANSWERS Ross Atkins is actually very good at his job Is Ross Atkins the worst GM in Blue Jays history? | ||
| Yes | 245 | 66.6 % |
| No | 123 | 33.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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