How Ryu's return can be another big addition after Deadline 

TORONTO -- Hyun Jin Ryu once represented the start of something for the Blue Jays. Now, following a 13 1/2-month recovery from Tommy John surgery, he’s back to help them finish what they’ve been building towards these past four years.

As encouraging as it was to see Ryu back on the mound, a lopsided 13-3 loss to the Orioles was not a step in that direction. Ryu gave the Blue Jays five-plus innings and allowed four runs on nine hits, many of which were rockets.

After a whirlwind day, the loss leaves the Blue Jays with a 7-22 record against the AL East, and 7 1/2 games back of the Orioles. The Blue Jays still own the final Wild Card spot, but the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels and Mariners are all close behind.

“We were confident enough to get him back out there,” said manager John Schneider. “I think you just kind of hit ‘go’ and you go with him. He’s going to have a chance to have a decent amount of starts for us. We’re happy and confident he’s going to be a really, really good pitcher.”

When Ryu signed with the Blue Jays in 2019, he was the first big addition to Toronto’s young core. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette had just debuted the season prior, and while the Blue Jays went 67-95, it was the clear beginning of a new era. Like these Orioles, who are quickly looking like the new beasts of the AL East, they had nothing but time and potential in front of them.

The years since haven’t exactly gone as Ryu and the Blue Jays dreamed of. Ryu was brilliant in his first season, pitching to a 2.69 ERA and finishing third in AL Cy Young Award voting, but that was the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. In his 37 starts since, Ryu had pitched to a 4.55 ERA and undergone major surgery. Through it all, the Blue Jays have only managed to stall out in the Wild Card Series despite a run of incredibly talented rosters.

They’re trying to change that, and the Trade Deadline was the front office’s last shot at bolstering a roster that has flashed greatness, but played with a frustrating lack of consistency.

Blue Jays trade acquisitions:

• LHP Genesis Cabrera: A lefty depth piece with upside
• RHP Jordan Hicks: A high-end bullpen piece with elite velocity
• INF Paul DeJong: A strong defender with some pop… and insurance at shortstop

Hicks is the big name here for the Blue Jays, a right-handed rental who regularly touches 102-103 mph with his fastball, and they rounded out their haul by acquiring DeJong prior to Tuesday’s loss. Bichette’s injury in Monday’s loss both complicated and accelerated their approach to the Trade Deadline, leading to the acquisition of the reliable shortstop from the Cardinals.

“Any time one of your best players has an injury, it’s a disappointment,” Atkins said, “but we are encouraged by the news after the fact. When you see someone in pain, there’s obviously concern on many levels, then the more you learn, the more at peace we’ve become. It is a big hit to us, hence the acquisition.”

But why wasn’t this a bigger, bolder day then, given the room left to improve this lineup's performance?

This simply wasn’t a great market to shop in. There’s always a way if you’re willing to be more aggressive, but the Blue Jays didn’t find many of those opportunities out there.

“A lot of the teams that speculated on potentially moving players didn’t," Atkins said. "Some of the players who were rumored to be coming our way or even available didn’t seem to be as available to us. Most of the deals today that were available were smaller in nature and more about roster management.”

The improvements, then, will need to come from within. Ryu’s return can be part of this and Chad Green should soon follow after his own Tommy John recovery wraps up in Triple-A, but offensively, the Blue Jays need more across the board.

“It’s interesting. We have a really good projected offense and a good performing offense,” Atkins said. “I think it’s just not closing the gap on what its overall potential is.”

The Blue Jays will have to meet that potential if they want to make a serious run at this. The talent is all there, but this season has been a lesson in the difference between expectations and reality, and with a little help from a few new friends, the Blue Jays still have a lot of work to do internally to fulfill the World Series vision they had when they signed Ryu.