"It'll get turned around when he's fired" - Fans rebuke Toronto Blue Jays' GM claims of reversing struggling season

In late December 2015, newly hired Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro hired Ross Atkins. The fresh-faced 42 year-old now sat at the helm of a club who had come within six wins of a World Series championship.

Nearly a decade on, Atkins presides over a disgruntled ball club whose fans have not witnessed a playoff victory since the year he assumed his position. Recently, new claims from the general manager only served to upset fans more.

""#BlueJays GM Ross Atkins just spoke to the media. His message to a frustrated fan base? “We believe in this talent. We believe there is time left, but there is a massive sense of urgency, and we need to get it turned around soon”" - Kaitlyn McGrath

According to Kaitlyn McGrath, a writer for The Athletic, Atkins recently issue a statement in which the Toronto Blue Jays' executive claimed We believe there is time let (to turn the season around)."

Now 19-24.5, 10.5 games back of the New York Yankees in the AL East, that possibility is dying out in the hearts and minds of fans.

Signed through the 2028 season, Atkins has played a key role in the organization's biggest signings over the past decade.

However, despite mammoth contracts like George Springer's six-year, $150 million pledge, or 2023 AL strikeout leader Kevin Gausman's $110 million across the span of five seasons.

Detracting comments were as follows:

"Hope is not a strategy"

"This guy needs to be fired"

"Why even bother talking to the media if you have nothing to say"

"If they don’t turn it around soon he knows he’s toast"

Criticism of Ross Atkins halted for a moment last November, when many Jays fans were hopeful that the GM and his advisors were in the midst of crafting an agreement with Shohei Ohtani. However, the 2023 AL MVP eventually decided to ink a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Time is running out for Ross Atkins in Toronto

Despite the fact that his contract in Toronto is set to operate through 2028, Ross Atkins knows that a certain threshold of fan dissatisfaction could mean peril for his job.

The GM recently continued ahead of his team's Saturday clash against the Tampa Bay Rays:

"The things that I mentioned about our process. We changed the delivery and there is complete buy in. We don't have anyone pulling in a different direction, and when times are tough, that's not that common."

While the harmony in the Toronto clubhouse may be exemplary, that doesn't win games. Right now, the Jays are facing a real possibility of their season ending prematurely.