A baseball organization can improve the Major League club through trades, free agents, and the promotion of players from the farm system.
In a previous article, I outlined the Shapiro-Atkins two-pronged plan.
“The Blue Jays have tried to thread the needle. Remain competitive with an older team as the organization rebuilds its farm system. The team will not materially sacrifice its future for the sake of competing now.”
Accordingly, the trade market was unlikely to produce notable, short-term improvements to the post-2015 club. Therefore, one avenue that Blue Jays management could have pursued after the 2015 season was signing prominent free agents.