What a difference a couple of years make in Toronto sports.
Two years ago, the Toronto Maple Leafs had finished last overall in the National Hockey League, won the draft lottery and selected franchise centre Auston Matthews. Since then, they have set a handful of regular season franchise records, have made the playoffs in both years, and are trending upward.
That same year, 2016, the Toronto Raptors made it all the way to the NBA’s Eastern Conference Final, and while they have questions to answer this off-season (ie: who’s going to coach this team?), the Raps are coming off a team record 59-win campaign.
Toronto FC lost the 2016 MLS Cup on penalties to Seattle but avenged that defeat a year later, and this season, they navigated the tricky road of the CONCACAF Champions League before ultimately losing to Guadalajara in the final.
The Toronto Argonauts were a last-place unit in 2016 but they shocked the Canadian Football League last season by winning the Grey Cup.
Two years ago, the Toronto Blue Jays were on their way to making another long playoff run that took them all the way to the ALCS in back-to-back years. However, since then, the Jays have come crashing down to Earth.
The Jays struggled to a fourth-place finish last season in the AL East and are in the same spot through the first 50 games of 2018 after losing nine of their last 11 games, including a 1-6 homestand against the L.A. Angels and Oakland Athletics. Toronto has lost its last seven series and are 12-16 at home. Brutal!
This franchise is pointing in the wrong direction right now and some serious questions have to be asked.
Are president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins the right men for the job? Is their vision of building perennial winners in Toronto achievable?
Third-baseman Josh Donaldson’s trade value is diminishing by the day, and while Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is the future, is it worth rushing the 19-year-old slugger to the big leagues now?
The Jays’ rotation has grossly underachieved and all-star closer Roberto Osuna is on administrative leave as he deals with an assault charge against him.
Blue Jays fans would love to flip the calendar back two years. Sadly, they’ll have to endure some very rough waters ahead.
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