Blue Jays GM looking ahead to 2018, in market for controllable players

After back-to-back postseason appearances, the Toronto Blue Jays appear to be looking ahead to 2018 with a focus on adding young players under team control.

While speaking to reporters Monday, general manager Ross Atkins touched on the team's struggles, and though he wouldn't go as far as to label the club as sellers, admitted the Blue Jays are in a precarious position.

"We haven't gotten hot, we haven’t gone on a streak. Now we're in a position where it’s a lot more difficult to add to a team like this. The scale of deciding whether we add or subtract is more difficult," Atkins told the Canadian Press, per Sportsnet.

"I think any addition at this point will be about control."

After getting off to a 1-9 start, the Blue Jays briefly got back on track in May but have since fallen hard with a 6-11 record since June 22. Prior to Monday's game, the club has a run differential of minus-90, worst in the American League.

Having entered the season with the majors' oldest squad, the Blue Jays are sure to look considerably different in 2018 with veterans Marco Estrada, Jose Bautista (mutual option), Francisco Liriano, Joe Smith, Darwin Barney, and Miguel Montero all slated to become free agents.

"Everything is under consideration so it’s not that we will look to acquire only major-league players," Atkins said. "There’s a lot of different ways to make a 2018 team better and some of it could just be in the form of depth and some of it could be in the form of a controllable asset."