3 second-half goals for the Blue Jays

This story was excerpted from Keegan Matheson’s Blue Jays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

With 93 games down and 69 to go, it’s time for the Blue Jays to begin their final push to the postseason.

Toronto’s 50-43 start has the club in a playoff spot, but that picture is far more cluttered than it was a few weeks ago, back before an ugly skid cost the Blue Jays some cushion and manager Charlie Montoyo his job.

With the Rays and Mariners occupying the first two Wild Card spots in the American League, the Blue Jays have a two-game lead over the Red Sox for the third and final spot. The Guardians, Orioles and White Sox are all within 3 1/2 games, too, so there’s nothing comfortable about this race.

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Riding a 5-1 homestand into the break, though, the Blue Jays welcomed the down time and approach the second “half” with optimism.

“We believe in each other,” José Berríos said through a club interpreter. “We have the ability and group to compete and do a lot of good things out there, but life is tough. Day to day, baseball is also tough. We have to battle each day. As a group, as players, people and teammates, we’ve been working all together to get through this. Lately, we’ve started to play better. That’s how life works. We know that we have to keep building on what we’ve done this week in the second half.”

Let the fun begin. Here’s what needs to happen for the Blue Jays to reach the postseason as a legitimate World Series threat, which was the expectation entering the season …

Add, add, add …
The Aug. 2 Trade Deadline is right around the corner, and the Blue Jays need to be buyers. A major deal doesn’t seem as likely, but a series of depth moves with a legitimate bullpen upgrade could stabilize this team quickly.

On the pitching side, think back to 2020. That’s when the Blue Jays added Taijuan Walker, Robbie Ray and Ross Stripling, all at reasonable prices to effectively shore up the rotation. A similar addition would secure the Blue Jays’ rotation depth, both in ’22 and beyond, as was the case with Ray and Stripling. The bullpen is where you could see a bigger upgrade, though. One Jordan Romano is great, but World Series teams have two or three.

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The Blue Jays are in the sweet spot that all rebuilding teams hope to reach. A young core has been supplemented with star-caliber free-agent signings and trade additions, and there’s still room to add. This is further than many organizations get in their grand rebuilding plans, and when a team gets to this point, the only move is to continue pushing in aggressively.

Incremental offensive gains
The Blue Jays rank ninth in the Majors in runs scored and third in team OPS this season. It’s a fine place to be, but this group can be better.

Stretching back to May, the Blue Jays’ hitters have gotten hot one by one. First was Alejandro Kirk, who shook off a slow April to become the star of the season. Teoscar Hernández and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have since taken their turns. Cavan Biggio has quietly turned a corner, too, re-emerging as a very valuable piece of this roster.

The Blue Jays need more. Bo Bichette is better than a .257 average, which has kept his on-base percentage at .302. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is better than his .830 OPS. Matt Chapman is better than his .728 OPS, and he looks like he’s about to show just that. There are no black holes or nightmarish seasons sinking this lineup -- not close -- but if two or three more hitters elevate their game, there will be a win or two stolen down the stretch.

Optimize the bench
Entering the break, the Blue Jays had Bradley Zimmer on the bench as a fifth outfielder, primarily being used as a late-game defensive replacement. Zack Collins remains on the roster as a third catcher, too, but he has played sparingly.

The Blue Jays' starters have been healthy, and the presence of Biggio and Santiago Espinal allows them to cycle off-days without reaching too deep on the bench, but there’s room to add to that group. A lefty bat has long made sense for this righty-heavy lineup, or a platoon bench bat that can be used late in games. Speed doesn’t hurt, either.

Last year’s painful ending was a lesson: One game could determine this whole thing, and when the margins get thinner, the Blue Jays need to have the advantage beyond their starting nine.