For the second year in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays made it to the American League Championship Series. And for the second year in a row, the Blue Jays came up short, this time losing to the Cleveland Indians in five games.
With a number of players eligible for free agency, most notably Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, what the team’s roster will look like in 2017 isn’t clear.
What is clear, however, is that John Gibbons will be back as manager, a job he’s now held for a decade. Team president Mark Shapiro told Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi after the team’s Game 5 loss:
There’s a level of consistency with him in approach that is unflappable and I think that translates into toughness. …
There’s no panic. He believes in the talent, he believes in his players, he believes in the process and he believes in all the work that’s been done to date. That gives us confidence, that gives the players confidence and the belief to hold true to the bigger picture. That’s a separator.
What follows is an overview of some of the other decisions the team will have to make—and some of the players it may look to—as the Jays try and get over the hump in 2017 and reach the World Series for the first time in more than 20 years.