How they were built: Blue Jays

MLBPipeline.com is breaking down how each of the playoff teams was built, looking at the composition of projected Division Series rosters.

After missing the postseason for 21 consecutive years, the Blue Jays are back in the playoffs for the second straight October. Unlike the other four clubs that reached the postseason in both 2015 and ’16 (Cubs, Dodgers, Mets and Rangers), Toronto did so with two different front-office administrations.

Overview The architects NATIONAL LEAGUE Chicago Cubs Los Angeles Dodgers New York Mets San Francisco Giants Washington Nationals AMERICAN LEAGUE Baltimore Orioles Boston Red Sox Cleveland Indians Texas Rangers Toronto Blue Jays

When the Blue Jays lured Mark Shapiro from the Indians and named him president and CEO last November, Alex Anthopoulos opted to leave the franchise after six years as general manager. Shapiro subsequently brought Ross Atkins over from Cleveland to serve as GM.

Though they didn’t have many holes to plug, Shapiro and Atkins have put their stamp on the team. They traded for seven players on Toronto’s projected playoff roster, including four since the start of the season, and found some bullpen help in the form of an astute Rule 5 Draft pick.

Here’s a look at how each player on the Blue Jays’ projected Division Series roster was initially acquired during his current stint with the club:

HOMEGROWN Player, how acquired, year:Brett Cecil, Draft, 2007 (supplemental 1st round)Aaron Loup, Draft, 2009 (9th round)Aaron Sanchez, Draft, 2010 (supplemental 1st round)Dalton Pompey, Draft, 2010 (16th round)Kevin Pillar, Draft, 2011 (33rd round)Roberto Osuna, Int’l sign, 2011Marcus Stroman, Draft, 2012 (1st round)

The Blue Jays have just seven homegrown players on their postseason roster, fewer than any other AL playoff club, and ahead of only the Cubs (five) and Nationals (six) in the National League. Anthopoulos did make liberal use of his farm system in a series of midsummer trades that put Toronto over the top in 2015, though Atkins concedes that Toronto would like to develop more of its own players in the future.

“There are all different ways to make your team better and ultimately it’s about results,” Atkins said. “But our goal is to scout, sign and develop Blue Jays players from our system. This is no secret to anyone.”

Toronto’s most significant homegrown players are a pair of premium Draft picks. A projectable California high school pitcher, Aaron Sanchez signed for $775,000 as the 34th overall choice in 2010. After serving mostly as a reliever as a rookie a year ago, he went 14-2 and became an All-Star in his first season as a full-time starter.

Marcus Stroman had the stuff to go near the top of the 2012 Draft, but too many teams focused on his lack of size (5-foot-8) rather than his tremendous arm speed and athleticism. Toronto …

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