TORONTO — When the Toronto Blue Jays first started planning for the 2017 trade deadline, they believed that they would be looking for the final pieces to help push them back into the postseason.
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It was a reasonable assumption given the way the previous two seasons had gone, with the Jays advancing to the ALCS in both 2015 and 2016. However, it became apparent early on that this year was not like those seasons, and with the team sporting a 49-56 record heading into the deadline, sitting a full seven games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, the Jays did something they hadn't done in half a decade.
They became sellers.
Instead of going out and grabbing one or two high-profile players that could help them compete in the playoffs, the Jays made moves that cast an obvious eye on the future.
Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano and reliever Joe Smith were dealt away, with outfielders Nori Aoki and Teoscar Hernandez and minor league prospects Thomas Pannone and Samad Taylor — hardly the big names Toronto fans have been accustomed to getting on deadline day — joining the Jays' organization.
MORE: Jays trade Liriano to Astros, Smith to Indians
"Obviously we would prefer to be buying and making a push for the pennant," Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters in a conference call on Monday. "Having said that, given the opportunity that we had today, factoring in the work that went in over the last month to understand every opportunity that was available to the organization, we feel that we were prepared to pivot at the opportunities that presented themselves to make the organization better.
"Francisco Liriano and Joe Smith were great members of the organization and certainly had significant impacts, and now we have four players with different years of control, with different upside at different positions, that we didn't have yesterday."
#DYK: @TeoscarH's first MLB hit was a home run against the person he was traded for -- Francisco Liriano.
— Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 31, 2017
We're glad he plays for us now! 😀 pic.twitter.com/s9pJQ6eVcQ
Atkins pointed to the various long-term upsides of the incoming players as something for the Jays to hang their hats on — a fundamental shift for what has been a big-spending team over the past several years.
While Aoki is a veteran that many baseball fans are familiar with, the other three newcomers range in age from 19 to 24. Their youth is an asset that Atkins said could be molded into something more given the right conditions.
"Teoscar's a guy that we've liked for a while," Atkins said of the "well-rounded" former Houston Astros' outfielder. "He's someone that we feel can make an impact in the short term and long term. If we had a need tomorrow he could fill in immediately as an everyday Major League player and certainly moving forward will be an option for us."
Pannone, 23, has pitched to a 1.96 ERA between Single-A/Double-A.
— Blue Jays (@BlueJays) July 31, 2017
Taylor, 19, has hit .300 with a .795 OPS in Short-Season A. pic.twitter.com/37t7gvqnNa
On Pannone and Taylor, both of whom Atkins is familiar with from his days with the Cleveland Indians, the Toronto GM was guardedly optimistic about their future with the Blue Jays organization.
"In regards to where they're ranked [as prospects], that's certainly is a factor and certainly is information that I wouldn't dismiss but it's more about just acquiring the talent that you feel could make an impact given the alternatives that you have," Atkins said.