Recent Blue Jays’ hot streak puts the perception of Ross Atkins in a strange position

Anthony Santander has a .179 average, a 60 OPS+, and six home runs in the first season of a five-year, $92.5-million contract. Max Scherzer missed a large chunk of time with a thumb injury and has struggled to pitch past the fifth inning since returning, although he did hit the six-inning mark against the Athletics in his latest start. Andrés Giménez has brought his trademark Gold Glove-calibre defensive play from Cleveland, but has also spent two stints on the injured list, while posting a below-average wRC+ for the third consecutive season. Closer Jeff Hoffman has navigated an up-and-down season, looking dominant at times and disastrous at others.

Despite this mixed bag, there have been some notable wins for Atkins.

The low-cost acquisitions of Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher have helped solidify a bullpen that struggled mightily in 2024. Some of those internal improvements Atkins touted are also finally coming to fruition. Alejandro Kirk’s morphed into one of the game’s best all-around catchers and is enjoying his best offensive season in three years to make his second career All-Star Game. Addison Barger looks like the left-handed power bat the Blue Jays have been searching for, helping bring more balance to a lineup that’s been easier to attack over the past few seasons. These are developments that Atkins and the front office deserve some credit for.

It’s ultimately hard to know exactly what the future holds for Atkins. Despite the lack of postseason success, the Blue Jays have had one of their more consistent stretches of being a relevant postseason contender in franchise history since Shapiro and Atkins took control of the baseball operations.

However, the shortcomings are hard to look past.

An AL East title or at least one postseason series victory will probably be enough to allow Atkins to at least see out the last year of his contract. The biggest x-factor might be the status of Shapiro. If he decides to move on to another opportunity, it will leave Atkins without his longtime boss and biggest supporter. A potential new team president would probably take a long, hard look at hiring a new general manager to put a distinct imprint on the franchise moving forward.

With the Blue Jays firmly in the postseason mix in a watered-down American League East, Atkins will get another opportunity to be an aggressive buyer at the trade deadline to try and improve the roster to finally conquer the recent postseason demons. Time will tell if it’s his last signature moment at the helm.