Entering the offseason, Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro had a lot of work to do, especially if they wanted to see the Blue Jays return to the playoffs as they did in 2015 and 2016. While the bulk of the roster continues to be under contract control, there were also a few difficult decisions that had to be made.
First and foremost, the front office decided that they wouldn’t be bringing back Jose Bautista for another year, which didn’t come as a surprise to many after the year he had last season. While the majority understood the move, there was always going to be a section of the fan base that wanted him back, and that remains even now despite the fact that the outfield has more than enough capable bodies.