Just one day into their off-season, the Toronto Blue Jays made a change to their big-league coaching staff. According to Scott Mitchell of TSN, the team has parted ways with hitting coach Guillermo Martinez.

The Blue Jays finished 23rd in baseball with 4.14 runs per game, down from the 4.60 they scored during what was viewed as a disappointing season offensively in 2023. The team finished fifth in the American League East standings with a 74-88 record in 2024, their worst result since 2019.

Martinez was part of a group of hitting coaches that Toronto used last season, which included offensive coordinator Don Mattingly and assistant coaches Hunter Mense and Matt Hague. There’s no word yet on whether the other three will return in 2025 or if it’s just Martinez who’s been let go.

The Blue Jays are the only organization that Martinez has worked for in his Major League coaching career. He was selected in the 15th round of the 2006 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins, played three seasons in their minor-league system, and then played three seasons of independent league ball before retiring in 2012.

Following his playing career, Martinez was hired by the Blue Jays as a minor-league hitting and infield coach. Martinez spent a few seasons as a minor-league hitting coach in the Chicago Cubs organization and was brought back by the Blue Jays in 2018 as the minor-league hitting coordinator. The following season, he was promoted to Major League hitting coach, replacing Brook Jacoby in the role.

Both Martinez and Mattingly have come under fire from fans over the past couple of years as the Blue Jays have fallen from a high-scoring team to a below-average offence. The biggest shock has been the team’s decline in power, as Toronto went from first in team slugging percentage in 2021 all the way down to 20th in 2024.

Of course, it’s unfair to simply pin all of the team’s offensive woes on a coach, considering the Blue Jays had very successful seasons with Martinez as their hitting coach in the past. He also played a role in Vladimir Guerrero Jr’s incredible season, which saw the big righty slash a .323/.396/.544 line with 30 homers.

Ultimately, Martinez was the fall guy for the poor performance of a roster with serious construction flaws. The Blue Jays were a mediocre offensive team in 2023 and the front office added light-hitting utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa and 39-year-old Justin Turner in free agency to address the issue. If the Blue Jays go through another winter without adding any impact bats, they’ll be mediocre offensively again next season, no matter who their hitting coach is.