It’s kind of crazy how fast this whole time thing carries us on its conveyer belt to wherever we’re all going. The baseball season is officially over and it’s November already. Soon Torontonians will be trading in their Pumpkin Spiced Lattes for Gingerbread Chocolate Mochas. Joy to the world.

It’s only a matter of time before some people start putting up Christmas trees, or getting ready for festivus, or whatever it is that they celebrate during the holidays. Clark Griswold and rum and eggnog season is fast approaching. And the MLB ‘hot stove’ is already here – fun times.

Unfortunately for Jays fans, we already know that the organization isn’t going to make any big splash on any tier-1 free agents. We already know that the Jays aren’t going to make any major trades. We already know that the Jays are going to add some fillers to the 2019 roster. We already know that Vlad won’t get called up until the middle of April. And we already know that his jersey will be the new it item next season that brings Rogers all the cash-rules-everything-around-corporate CREAM.

So the Shapiro and Atkins long game might not be too exciting this offseason, but it’s the right approach minus the Vlad not being on the damn Opening Day roster thing because that is not the right approach and that is a rant that many of us have all raved about many times over and it’s complete bullshit and a Collective Bargaining rule that is going to have to be changed once the CBA expires on December 1, 2021, or there will probably be a strike in 2022 for that and other simmering issues…Anywho. We don’t want to get into all of that fun stuff, so…

…I digress. Now, of course, the Jays front office could surprise us all by moving Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez this winter, but that is unlikely considering 2018 wasn’t a good time for either of them. What the organization decides to do with players like Stroman, Sanchez, Travis, Smoak, and Pillar is something that a few more tomorrows will tell. But, those tomorrows are still a few moons away. Maybe the Jays move Kevin Pillar this winter. Maybe they don’t. Maybe they trade Stroman at the trade deadline in July. Maybe they don’t. Maybe they re-sign Sanchez. Maybe they don’t. Maybe they make Devon Travis the new team mascot. Maybe they don’t.

Besides the future Jays that people will gush over next season, fans should still be interested in how certain 2021 free-agents-to-be like Stroman and Sanchez perform. Whether or not either of these two will be a part of the future is a question that no one has the answer for even though many of us have an idea.

I think that it’s clear that Devon Travis could end up being the new Domer, or BJ Birdy, or Ace or whatever the mascot is called. And it’s safe to say that Kevin Pillar’s cape isn’t going to be flying around in any part of the Jays’ future. Although I’m not sure the same can be said about Justin Smoak, who could be a good 1B/DH veteran platoon moving forward. But, these are just random thoughts – so whatever.

Ross Atkins said that he expects this team to be competitive in 2021, and so do many of us fans. 2021 is a pile of tomorrows away, so the time to add fillers until then is now. So, there is no reason to howl away when the Jays don’t sign Bryce Harper or Manny Machado (even though it would be cooler if they did). There is no reason to howl away when they dumpster dive to add arms to their bullpen. There is no reason to howl away at whatever tier-2 starting pitcher they sign. There is no reason to howl at all.

The long game might not bring in the most exciting headlines this offseason. Those sorts of deals might belong to the dumb Yankees and other organizations that know they have a realistic shot at winning the World Series. Maybe it’s Philadelphia’s year to push hard this offseason and go all Milwaukee-like in. But, it isn’t the Jays’ time quite yet. So start sipping those rum and eggnogs now folks because we’re in for a long winter.