These are interesting times to be in Toronto, root-root-rooting for the home teams.
Now, if you were in Chicago, where the Cubs are World Series winners and the Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups in recent times, the GTA sports scene might still look a little lean.
But in relative terms, it’s pretty good here in the 416/647/905.
We’ve hosted a World Cup, Grey Cup, world juniors and NHL outdoor game in recent months, plus an MLS championship game in which Toronto FC didn’t allow a shot but still lost. The Blue Jays have been in the post-season the last two falls, the Raptors appear likely to make it to the playoffs for a fourth straight season and the Leafs, well, the NHL’s worst team last year has an honest-to-goodness chance of playing hockey past mid-April.
Those are the results. What’s really making these interesting times, however, is the fact that there is ongoing, lively chatter about the Jays, Raps and Leafs, in particular, every day. We are at the time of year when the Jays are preparing to go to spring training, while the local NBA and NHL squads are past the midpoints of their seasons as the trade deadlines in each sport approach.
What this means is the question on everybody’s mind regarding all three is the same: What do they need?
Now, let’s be clear. The question of need is different for all three.
For the Jays, it is, “What do they need to follow up on the successes of the last two years after losing slugger Edwin Encarnacion to Cleveland?
For the Raptors, it’s, “What do they need to compete with the likes of Cleveland, San Antonio and Golden State?”
With the Leafs, there are two questions asked simultaneously: “What do they need to make the playoffs?” and “What do they need to keep this rebuilding program on track?”
Not surprisingly, all three situations are generating lots of interesting chatter, very different from, say, 2011, when all three seemed rather hopeless.
At least we’re talking about what is needed to fuel more success, not which team needs to fire its coach or GM, or which team is worse.
Let’s start with the Leafs.
In October, there was some debate over whether the club and its newest star, Auston Matthews, might contend for a playoff berth. Well, it’s February, and they are in contention, despite three straight losses and two dreadful performances in Dallas and St. Louis this week.
There are needs everywhere, and the team is terribly inexperienced, perhaps one of the reasons the club came out of the all-star break so flat. The sense seems to be, however, that GM Lou Lamoriello won’t be making any move that would subtract a young player the club is still trying to evaluate for his NHL suitability or cost any significant draft picks.
That limits what can be done. The guess is low-cost moves, like picking up backup goalie Curtis McElhinney off waivers, are what you’re going to see before the March 1 trade deadline. But with veteran wingers like Shane Doan and Jarome Iginla out there, and with defencemen like Kevin Shattenkirk available, there will be other options if the Leafs get ambitious.
With the Raps, Dwane Casey’s team is in freefall, at least partially because of a recent ankle injury to DeMar DeRozan. It’s very difficult to make trades in the NBA because of the rules surrounding such transactions, and the Feb. 23 deadline means there’s not a lot of time.
The likelihood is this is pretty much the roster Casey will have to work with, although we’ve seen the start of some player movement in the Eastern Conference in the last couple of days. The Raptors are a little stuck between developing young players to let this team grow together, and maximizing the value of the 27-year-old DeRozan and 30-year-old Kyle Lowry. Right now, another scorer seems to be the greatest need despite Casey’s emphasis on defence, defence and more defence.
My Star colleague Doug Smith suggested on radio this week that it might be worth at least placing a call to New Orleans to see if the Pelicans would listen to offers on Anthony Davis. They might just hang up, but you never know. That would be a massive move, more likely in the off-season, one would think.
Then there’s the Blue Jays.
It has been an underwhelming off-season, to be sure. Then again, so was last winter, and that turned out okay. Re-signing Jose Bautista was the biggest move. Andrew McCutchen, Dexter Fowler and other big names didn’t come, and Encarnacion didn’t come back.
At the same time, top prospects like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Rowdy Tellez haven’t been moved for immediate help, while the roster has been rounded out by players like J.P. Howell, Steve Pearce, Kendrys Morales, Lucas Harrell, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and others signed to minor-league deals, including returnee Gavin Floyd.
Needs? The rotation is strong, Roberto Osuna will close, third and short are set, Russell Martin will catch. We’ll see how the outfield turns out, second has been a question for two years and the bullpen is a work in progress, particularly with the possibility Joe Biagini will get stretched out this spring.
The sense is that Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins are buying time to allow prospects within the organization to develop over the course of the next two years. If the rotation is healthy, you’d think this club can stay in the conversation this season.
So the Leafs, Raps and Jays are in decidedly different situations facing different needs. The Leafs may be trending up, the Jays could be trending down and the Raps, we’re a little confused about at the moment.
In all three cases, there’s no sense a superstar is coming to town via free agency or the trade route to fix everything. In Toronto in 2017, regardless of the sport, times are relatively good, but there are no quick fixes available for any team.
So a sports town that has had to be patient will need to be patient some more. And it’s easier to be patient about needs when you’re at least winning a few games, right?
Damien Cox is the co-host of Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. He spent nearly 30 years covering a variety of sports for The Star. Follow him @DamoSpin. His column appears Tuesday and Saturday.
Damien Cox is the co-host of Prime Time Sports on Sportsnet 590 The FAN. He spent nearly 30 years covering a variety of sports for The Star. Follow him @DamoSpin. His column appears Tuesday and Saturday.
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