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Shapiro hopes Blue Jays can contend 'faster than anyone thinks is possible'

Tom Szczerbowski / Getty Images Sport / Getty

After being sellers at the deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays are ready to enter the next phase of their rebuild: contending.

Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said Thursday that he feels "a sense of urgency to win," according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, and is targeting 2020 as the year the club transitions from competing to winning.

"We hope that that can happen faster than anyone thinks is possible," Shapiro said.

He added, "The pitching is coming as well ... (it's) either here or on the verge of being here." Shapiro said the team is hoping to identify three or four quality starters internally and will "have to supplement, obviously."

Shapiro said that Toronto has "(financial) flexibility to (add) starting pitching this offseason" and will "be opportunistic."

While the team parted with Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Joe Biagini, David Phelps, Daniel Hudson, and Eric Sogard at the deadline, Shapiro said the Jays did make some calls regarding win-now moves, according to Nicholson-Smith.

The Blue Jays boast one of the better farm systems in baseball despite the recent graduations of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Bo Bichette. The system still possesses two top 100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline, in right-hander Nate Pearson and infielder Jordan Groshans. Toronto's prospect pool also includes 2019 first-rounder Alek Manoah, currently stationed in Low-A; Anthony Kay in Triple-A; Eric Pardinho at Single-A; and Simeon Woods Richardson in High-A. Kay and Woods Richardson came over from the New York Mets in the Stroman trade.

Beyond Cy Young candidate Gerrit Cole, this winter's notable pending free-agent starters include Madison Bumgarner, Kyle Gibson, Jake Odorizzi, Dallas Keuchel, Michael Pineda, Rick Porcello, Tanner Roark, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Zack Wheeler, and Alex Wood. Jake Arrieta could also become available.

The Blue Jays are currently 47-70 and sit 29 1/2 games back of the first-place New York Yankees. Former general manager Alex Anthopoulos left Toronto after the team won the division title in 2015, with Shapiro already set to take over as president. Since making it into the 2016 postseason, the Blue Jays have posted a 196-245 record, equating to a .444 winning percentage.

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