Quote:
Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
I know it's always easy to blame the GM or FO when thigs go badly, but I don't blame Atkins or Shapiro for this mess.
It's all on Vlad IMO. He was supposed to be Pujols or Miggy Cabrera and be the MVP bat that drives this offese, but he's flamed out spectacularly and there isn't much you can do to prepare for a disaster like that happening.
I mean yeah, it'd be nice if they developed more homegrown talent but they traded a lot of it to surround Vlad/Bo/Kirk/Springer with talent to win now, but then Vlad/Bo/Kirk/Springer all died on the vine at the same time.
Anyone who says they saw that coming is lying to themselves and living in a hindsight ruled world IMO
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The issue with Vlad is it doesn't look like he's mentally ready to handle the increased expectations of being a star, nor the changes that the roster and team culture changed that occured the last years. He doesn't look as happy, therefore as comfortable.
That change being losing all his Dominican friends, no HR jacket, and am sure other things behind the scenes changing in the last couple seasons.
That is what the organization could've done better. Stay in tune with players, especially stars , and not let things get to this point. Recognizing and identifying things to make your players, especially ones your tagging as critical star players, tick properly. Not that you have to bend over for any player and give them everything they want, but at the same time if you're in the same breath also now counting on him to be the superstar you need, you probably have to go above and beyond a normal situation a little bit to make sure he's in a good spot off the field.
There was talk of bring Teoscar, his close friend from when he was here, back at the deadline last year. That had legs until it didn't. Same about having him come as a FA. Would they have helped, sure? What that have screwed up the Jays outfield? (ie no Kiermier) maybe?
Anyways, the Vlad problem is a mental thing and I think the assumption was they he was trending up, so they left him on a island and assumed he was fine, and then the changes the organization made around him, affected him significantly more than they thought.
The organization still have the ability to make it right, but now you have Vlad with even more pressure on him to get back to a baseline, nevermind exceed and become a bigger star...and if he wasn't ready for the pressure and change which put him in this spot, it might be tough for him to pull out of being behind the 8 ball, even with whatever he needs to fee comfortable.