The 2015/2016 offseason was a trying time for the Blue Jays fanbase. The club had experienced some postseason success for the first time since the club won it all back in 1993 and the front office was undergoing some drastic changes in almost similar rapid succession.

Mark Shapiro was brought in to lead the organization after Paul Beeston’s retirement and general manager Alex Anthopoulos was heading out the door as well, with the writing on the wall that the two weren’t getting along out of the gate.

This led to the hiring of Ross Atkins as the Blue Jays general manager on December 4th, beating out internal candidate Tony LaCava, and was taking on the reigns as GM for the first time in his career. He had spent 15 seasons rising through Cleveland’s ranks alongside Shapiro, eventually landing the role of president of player personnel.

Fast forward to today and it is getting tougher to find a Jays fan that supports Atkins continuing to be at the helm of the organization.

A demoralizing rebuild in the latter half of the 2010s combined with a lack of playoff success dating back to 2020 has angered even the most diehard fan, especially since the club is slated to be sellers over the next week before the July 30th trade deadline. While fans are calling for his firing, the likelihood of that happening before the deadline is slim to none and any change of the guard is likely to occur later in the year (should there be a change at all).

With the trade deadline quickly approaching, let’s take a look back at how Atkins fared out of the gate for the Blue Jays on the trade front.

Atkins waded into the trade waters with an easy transaction, acquiring reliever Arnold León from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for cash considerations.

León was a career minor leaguer before the 2016 campaign, with the right-hander suiting up in 19 games for the A’s that year. He posted a 4.39 ERA during that span and struck out 19 batters through 26 2/3 innings of work with a 1.463 WHIP.

In a cash deal, León was acquired by the Blue Jays on January 5th – almost a month later than when Atkins joined the organization.

He later cracked the Opening Day roster for the Jays and after two outings of allowing two earned runs off of three hits and one walk, the Mexican product was designated for assignment and passed through waivers into Buffalo. In his place, the Jays called up ambidextrous pitcher Pat Venditte.

He lasted just over a month in Buffalo before being released. He last pitched for Yucatan in the Mexican League in 2021.

The next trade by Atkins came just three days later, with the new general manager dealing outfielder Ben Revere to the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever Drew Storen and cash.

Acquired by Anthopoulos at the 2015 trade deadline, Revere became a mainstay in the lineup – posting a .319/.354/.381 slash line to the tune of a .735 OPS through 226 at-bats. He also became a key part of the 2015 playoff run, appearing in 47 at-bats and producing a .304 average with one double and one RBI through the division and conference series.

With a crowded outfield given the emergence of Dalton Pompey, the Jays bolstered their bullpen by adding Storen, who was coming off a 3.44 ERA season in 2015 and had pitched to a 3.02 ERA through 355 outings for the Nationals, including 95 saves.

That success did not translate over the Blue Jays, as the right-hander posted a 6.21 ERA and a 5.01 FIP through 33 1/3 innings with his new squad. He allowed a career-high 11.6 H/9 and produced a 1.590 WHIP while completing just three saves.

The Jays later designated him for assignment on July 24th and traded him to the Seattle Mariners a few days later for reliever Joaquín Benoit – who fans may recall tore his calf while rushing out of the bullpen during a bench-clearing brawl against the New York Yankees in late September. Storen finished out the year in Seattle before signing a one-year deal with the Reds for the 2017 season and would finish the year on the IL, undergoing Tommy John surgery. He would not appear in the Major Leagues ever again.

Revere would go on to post career lows with Washington, authoring a .560 OPS and a 47 OPS+ through 350 at-bats while missing time with an oblique injury.

He later signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels for the 2017 campaign, where he produced better numbers as the fourth outfielder (.275/.308/.344 with 20 RBIs and a .652 OPS). Following the 2017 season, he never played again in the big leagues – signing MiLB deals through 2019 before turning into a full-time coach with the Atlanta Braves in 2023.