The Toronto Blue Jays are having a season to forget. After reaching the World Series last year, expectations were sky-high – not just to get back, but to win it all this time around.
Instead, they’re sitting at 54-61 and drowning in injuries that have plagued them nearly all season long.
At this point, some folks are wondering if the Blue Jays should just embrace the tank. With their record putting them in lottery territory for next year’s draft, there’s a case to be made for losing more games to improve their odds at a top pick.
That’s exactly what CBS writer Mike Axisa is suggesting.
“The Blue Jays and Mets currently have the 24th- and 25th-best records in baseball, respectively. That would give them 3.03% and 4.54% odds for the No. 1 pick, again respectively, using last year’s lottery odds. There is more to it than just the No. 1 pick, too. The worse your record, the better your odds for the Nos. 2-6 picks as well.”
The comparison to the New York Mets is telling. Both teams have been major disappointments this year, though the Blue Jays have a better excuse given their injury troubles. The Mets? They’ve just been bad.
But here’s where I disagree with the tanking logic.
The Blue Jays just made some significant moves at the trade deadline, which tells you everything about the organization’s mindset. They’re not waving the white flag.
And honestly, they shouldn’t be. Banking on hitting with a draft pick – even a high one – instead of pushing for a playoff spot doesn’t make much sense when you’ve got the talent Toronto has.
Sure, the injuries have been brutal and the record is disappointing. But there’s still time left in this season, and stranger things have happened than a team getting healthy at the right moment and making a run.
That’s got to be more appealing than hoping a 19-year-old prospect pans out three years from now.
