Today, the Toronto Blue Jays made a surprising move, as manager Charlie Montoyo was relieved of his duties.
Granted, the Blue Jays have not been playing well in the month of July, though they are in the mix for an American League Wild Card spot.
The Blue Jays sit in fourth place in the American League East division.
Bench coach John Schneider has been named the interim manager.
However, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman believes there may be more issues than just Montoyo, and on Twitter, he cited what some of those issues might be.
Jays real issue is not Montoyo but: bad pen (other than Romano), injury to Ryu, underperformance by a few stars
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 13, 2022
Heyman Calls Out Blue Jays
Heyman is correct to a certain degree.
If the bullpen is bad, sometimes there isn’t much a manager can do about it.
He can try and manage it the best that he can, but it’s hard to manage when it’s bad.
At the same time, the manager does bear some responsibility.
Sometimes, a new voice can change things for certain players and get them going in the right direction.
Sure, underperformance by a few players, injuries, and a bad bullpen play a role in a team’s struggles, but the manager does have to take some responsibility, and sometimes, the manager is the one who takes the fall.
The manager is usually the first to be blamed when a team isn’t playing well.
So while other issues are certainly plaguing the Blue Jays, perhaps a change in the culture will help them turn it around a little bit.
There’s still a full second half of the season that is yet to be played.
This could help shake things up a bit for the Blue Jays.
NEXT: MLB World Reacts To The Charlie Montoyo News