Comparing Best Available Options As Blue Jays Figure Out Opening Day Starter
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Most things in life, and sports, are uncertain and unless the organization has a member of last year's Cy Young votes (or winner) then the Opening Day starter has yet to be named. For example, everyone knows that Tarik Skubal is going to throw the first pitch of the Detroit Tigers season.
The Toronto Blue Jays, on the other hand, do not have arguably the most dominant and established pitcher in baseball. But their options are more so talented that there isn't a clear pick as to who should take the mound for their first game against the Athletics on March 27.
In 2025, the Blue Jays led with their bats, but by the end of this season, they could have the best rotation in baseball.
- Trey Yesavage
- Kevin Gausman
- Dylan Cease
- Cody Ponce
- Shane Bieber
- José Berríos
But, who should get the nod when that last Friday in March comes along?
Yesavage
Anybody who was slightly paying attention last year remembers the young pitcher who took over during the postseason with a record-setting performance. Yesavage had started 2025 at the very bottom of the pipeline, but finished in the Fall Classic.
Only one starter had more strikeouts- Blake Snell. Snell had a measly two more batters retired, but spent nearly seven more innings on the mound than Yesavage. He might be entering into his rookie season, but that is no concern.
Cease
There were seven pitchers last season who amassed more than 210 strikeouts, and Cease was one (215). This isn't an anomaly by any means, as it is the fifth consecutive season where he has done so, and with a better defense behind him, his ERA will continue to go down.
Only three pitchers have 1000 or more strikeouts since the start of 2021:
— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) February 16, 2026
Dylan Cease - 1106
Zack Wheeler - 1041
Kevin Gausman - 1020 pic.twitter.com/h0JtNqYreo
Ponce
He's been in Asia since 2022, and in his last season in the KBO with the Hanwha Eagles he was not only named the MVP, but set a record for most strikeouts in a game, 18, and eventually finished the year with 252 in less than 181 innings.
His stat-line for 2025 included:
- 17-1 Record
- 1.89 ERA
- 252 Strikeouts
- 0.93 WHIP
He led the league in wins, won the pitching triple crown and claimed the Choi Dong-Won Award, the KBO’s equivalent of the Cy Young for starting pitchers. This is his second consecutive season with an ERA under 2.25, as he appears to just be getting better and better.
If Ponce looks anything like he did last season, it will be a huge win. But after his prior performance in the majors (7.04 ERA in 2021) it seems highly unlikely Schneider takes the gamble.
Gausman
The now 35-year-old was a workhorse for Toronto last season as he made 32 starts, where he posted a 1.06 WHIP to complement 189 strikeouts and a 3.59 ERA. He is back on an upward trend after a drop off in 2024, where he threw 75 fewer strikeouts than the 2023 season in the same amount of starts.
However, despite spending more time on the mound in the postseason than Yesavage, Gausman had nearly 15 fewer batters retired.
Ultimately, this should come down to a battle between Cease and Yesavage. This decision is anything but an easy one, even though there isn't a wrong answer.
Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.