Blue Jays GM Atkins says 'everything needs to be assessed' after last-place finish

Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said "everything needs to be assessed" in the wake of the team's performance this past season.

Speaking at a season-ending media availability on Wednesday at Rogers Centre, he added that the club plans to "drill down in every area."

Team president Mark Shapiro was scheduled to hold his own media session later in the day.

The Blue Jays reached the World Series last fall but missed the playoffs this year, finishing last in the American League East Division standings at 79-83.

Toronto capped its disappointing campaign last Sunday with a 5-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

Underperformance and injuries were big factors in the team's tumble from first to worst in the division.

Team chemistry didn't seem quite the same as a year earlier. There were some notable departures as homegrown shortstop Bo Bichette, veteran starter Chris Bassitt and bench coach Don Mattingly moved on in the last off-season.

That positive feel-good energy is of course easier to generate when the results are there. But Toronto struggled to gain traction from last April onward and never looked like the team that came achingly close to a World Series crown less than 12 months earlier.

The Blue Jays did seem rejuvenated after the trade deadline and briefly held the final wild-card spot a few weeks ago. A run of seven losses in nine games down the stretch sealed their fate.

The biggest question mark this year was the performance of first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. A key offensive linchpin throughout his career, he hit just nine home runs and never found his rhythm at the plate.

Injuries to several starting pitchers stretched the rotation thin and heavily taxed the bullpen - one of the team's few strong points -