At the 2015 MLB trade deadline, it became very clear: Alex Anthopoulos and the Toronto Blue Jays went all in.
The then general manager of the club boosted his team's chances at competing for the playoffs and doing damage by acquiring Troy Tulowitzki, David Price, Mark Lowe, Ben Revere and LaTroy Hawkins.
Out were prospects top prospects Miguel Castro, Jeff Hoffman, Daniel Norris and Matt Boyd, along with Jose Reyes and a string of minor leaguers.
The city and country were captivated over the deals Anthopolous orchestrated. The Blue Jays rode the wave of excitement to back-to-back American League Championship appearances but fell to the World Series Champion Kansas City Royals and the Cleveland Indians, respectively.
They fell short of their goal of a World Series, but for the first time since the early 90s when they went back-to-back in 1992 and 1993, baseball was at the top of the sports hierarchy in a city dominated by headlines surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But four years later, the Blue Jays find themselves amid a full-blown rebuild.
This past week, the team parted ways with Marcus Stroman, Joe Biagini and Aaron Sanchez, who all experienced October baseball with the Blue Jays.
Of the current team's roster, only Justin Smoak is the lone remaining player still standing from the 2015 squad.
With an exciting young core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette, Cavin Biggio and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., the Blue Jays have a blueprint of a team that could be a contender in years to come.
The team will still have to find the front of the rotation pitchers to support Nate Pearson. Trying to pencil in the rotation over the next numbers is virtually a waste of time with so many unknowns in terms of prospect development coming through the minor leagues.
They won't come close to even knocking on the door of the team's popularity of the 2015 and 2016 magical playoff runs, the identity of the club is starting to come together, which will hopefully make new memories for the next generation of Jays fans sooner rather than later.
