The eyes of the average Canadian sports fan were likely tuned into TSN, awaiting news regarding the National Hockey League. It was the commencement of free agency on Wednesday at noon, and the action was fast and furious as each team looked to build their squad for the next season.
However, it was MLB news that took a lot of sports fans in Canada and the US by surprise on Wednesday. The Toronto Blue Jays fired manager Charlie Montoyo following a disappointing 46-42 start to the season.
A New Voice
Reports from the struggling clubhouse have indicated it was time for a change. Montoyo is highly regarded as a person by all within the Blue Jays organization, but a change was needed and thus was made.
"When you're 1-9, you're looking for someone to come in and either kick you in the ass or pump you up, just something, some guidance," one player told The Athletic anonymously. "And you could have it as players, for sure, and we did, but you really do need it coming from the top, and that just wasn't happening."
Held In High Regard
Blue Jays pitcher Ross Stripling spoke with the media ahead of the team's game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday. And he reiterated that Montoyo is held in high regard by all within the organization.
"I don't think any of us would have any bad thing to ever say about Charlie, ever," Stripling said on Wednesday. "I don't think anyone would ever think that he doesn't want us to have success individually or as a team, the whole Blue Jays organization. He always had our backs and wanted us to win baseball games.
"And it's a shame — he's been here since 2019, when this kind of young core got going — that he's not going to be there to see a lot of their success and where they go and where we go as a team. But I think everyone would say thank you to him and the effort that he gave us for the years that he did and that we love him and wish him well."
A Look In The Mirror
The Jays won on Wednesday, bringing them to 2-9 in their last 11 games. And Montoyo certainly isn't to blame for all of that. The players are the ones on the diamond day in and day out. It seems as if the clubhouse knows they need to look at themselves in the mirror.
"You have to look at yourself as players, too," the player who was granted anonymity told The Athletic. "If we were playing better, this wouldn't have been as much of an issue, but we weren't, so you're looking for leadership, and a lot of us felt like it wasn't really there."
The Locker Room
Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke with the media following Montoyo's dismissal. He assured the media that his former manager didn't lose the locker room. There was just a need for a new voice at this point in time.
"I believe in him still as a baseball leader," Atkins said of Montoyo. "But felt this change was necessary."
]]>The Inquisitr
