The Blue Jays are at the unique crossroads where they have grown massively in attendance – but are exponentially growing in cost of payroll each year. Based on some great front office decisions on Bautista, Encarnacion and Donaldson – the club has their best chance to in a championship is right now. Push all of your chips in, sign some more players – and take on salary. You may just lead the American League in attendance if you do (just like in the early 90’s). The Jays have talked about cutting payroll in 2016. That would be a grave mistake. Right now they are at about $140 MIL in total team salary for next season.

Hunter Stokes (Chief Writer) Follow @stokes_hunter21

Follow The MLB Reports On Twitter Follow @mlbreports

The Blue Jays have $94 MIL in guaranteed contracts already in commitments for Troy Tulowitzki, Russell Martin, Jose Bautista, Marco Estrada, R.A. Dickey J.A. Happ and Edwin Encarnacion.

The club also will have about another $35 – $38 MIL in Arbitration dealing with another 10 players.

This would mean the team is hovering around the $130 MIL already before they pull the trigger on any moves this offseason.

We made it abundantly clear in our Toronto Blue Jays State Of The Union that this is no time to slow down in going for a championship.

One of the biggest things we mentioned there was the lack of an ace in the AL East.  For Toronto to win the Division they may not need a #1 guy again.  They will only need another #1 guy in the postseason. Read the rest of this entry →