Atkins Hints Blue Jays Holdovers Could See Reduced Roles
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Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins has been doing end-of-season media rounds, addressing questions on the team's disappointing follow-up to their 2025 World Series campaign and the struggles of franchise star Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
In a Wednesday radio interview on TSN Overdrive, Atkins was his typical cagey self, acknowledging the failures of the season while refusing to lay individual blame and continuing to support Guerrero Jr. However, he also offered an interesting suggestion that some Blue Jays might see their role reduced moving forward.
Addressing the 2025 World Series holdovers who experienced a down year in 2026, Atkins said: "You might have been a World Series player in the everyday lineup [...], but you might be in a decreased role moving forward because we've made our roster that much better and we are healthy."
Reading Between the Lines of Atkins' Message
Atkins' comments would seem to fit Guerrero Jr., who certainly qualifies as a holdover from Toronto's World Series run who under-performed in 2026. However, the club has invested heavily in the 27-year-old as he heads into the second year of his 14-year, $500 million contract and it's inconceivable that any consideration will be given for anything other than an everyday, heart-of-the-order role.
If you look elsewhere, though, there are plenty of players who Atkins and the front office may want to keep around in a lesser role.
One player who Atkins is almost certainly referring to is Ernie Clement. Clement remains among the most popular Blue Jays and helped produce elite infield defense alongside Andres Gimenez. On the other hand, it's difficult to lock the 30-year-old in as an everyday player when he can't hit for power (nine home runs) or get on base regularly (.285 OBP, the worst of any Toronto player with at least 100 plate appearances).
That doesn't mean Clement's time with the Blue Jays is up, but it could signal the addition of another middle infielder to share time with the Rochester, NY, native. And he isn't the only Toronto player who could face greater competition for a regular role in 2027.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Addison Barger was penciled in as the starting right fielder. Now, it's hard to know what to expect from the 26-year-old after elbow surgery (and, to a lesser extent, an early-season ankle sprain) limited him to just nine games all year. Toronto will need a plan (Seiya Suzuki, perhaps?) beyond assuming that Barger will be healthy and productive throughout 2027. The same holds for the potential return of Anthony Santander.
Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw are both likely to return next season, but probably can't be counted on to form two-thirds of the Blue Jays' starting outfield on an everyday basis. A full season of Brett Bateman and possibly Josh Smith should help, but there remains the possibility of adding more help from outside the organization.
Fans listening to the Atkins interview may not have been thrilled to hear the GM say that their approach with Guerrero Jr. has been to "wrap their arms around" and "support" the player earning $500 million. Yet, they were probably pleased to hear that the status quo is unacceptable and changes are coming that could see underperforming players shift into lesser roles.
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Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.