Blue Jays players fume at front office in aftermath of embarrassing playoff exit

In his days as Maple Leafs general manager, it used to drive Brian Burke crazy when fans and media would pile on the front office and coach when things would go awry.

What about the players, Burke would grouse?

Well, sometimes one shoe fits all and, in the case of the Blue Jays, the savagery aimed at general manager Ross Atkins and team president Mark Shapiro is as pointed as it has ever been.

That narrative goes with the territory, of course, and most of it is justified. But when the inmates start driving the commentary, the criticisms start to bend towards crisis.

That’s precisely what happened at Target Field in the aftermath of one of the worst playoff exits by a Toronto professional sports team — which is saying something.

Multiple players made their displeasure clear in the post-game wake that, in baseball, serves as locker cleanup.

The disappointment was punctuated by thinly veiled criticism of a front office that has become increasingly difficult to embrace.

READ MORE: Blue Jays players react to decision to pull Berrios: ‘Everybody was surprised’

In the aftermath of the Toronto Blue Jays’ Game 2 loss to the Minnesota Twins, there was one topic making its way through the players’ post-game interviews.

What did they think of the decision to remove Jose Berrios in the fourth inning?

“I hated, frankly. It’s not what cost us the game, but it’s the kind of baseball decisions that are taking away from managers and baseball at this stage of the game,” Whit Merrifield said, according to Sports Illustrated‘s Mitch Bannon.

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