Projecting the Blue Jays Pitching Rotation and Bullpen Before Opening Day
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Going into the Toronto Blue Jays' 2026 redemption run, it looked like their pitching staff was aligning to be the best in the American League. That could still be true by the end of the season, but, for now, their starting rotation will be without last year's opener, Jose Berrios, the eventual ace, Trey Yesavage, and former Cy Young winner, Shane Bieber.
Without Berrios, Bieber, or Yesavage, the Jays' potential 7-headed monster of a starting rotation is no longer. However, it is always better to lose a player before the season, rather than at the end. There is no current speculation that any of the three won't pitch this year, and it will be better to have them down the stretch.
Projected Pitching Order
Without these three familiar faces, their rotation switches up quite a bit, as it is missing them, but also brings Eric Lauer back out of the pen and into his familiar role as a starter. But neither Lauer nor Max Scherzer will be the No. 2 man to the 2026 Opening Day starter, as strikeout machine Dylan Cease will step into that role.
- Kevin Gausman
- Dylan Cease
- Cody Ponce
- Eric Lauer
- Max Scherzer
For those who haven't followed along with Cease's career, just know there is a reason he will serve as the No. 2 man, and that is his ability to retire hitters. He just finished his fifth consecutive season with at least 210 strikeouts, and isn't slowing down.
In The Bullpen
With Lauer stepping out for the time being, the Blue Jays are slightly lacking in reinforcements, even if they did acquire arguably the best closer in the game, Tyler Rogers. Rogers posted a sub-2.00 ERA last season to complement a 0.94 WHIP; unfortunately, he can't pitch every game.
Luckily, Toronto's own Mason Fluharty, Brendon Little, and Braydon Fisher look incredibly strong. Little has pitched six innings this spring without allowing a run while also retiring 11 hitters. Fisher and Fluharty, on the other hand, finished their time on the mound with a 1.35 ERA, nothing to be upset about.
Other Spring Training Highlights
Both of the pitching newbies to Toronto (Cease and Ponce) were exceptional, right off the bat, as they were the only two starters to post both an ERA and a WHIP under 1.00, holding hitters to a measly .160 batting average. The two were quite impressive to watch from the get-go.
On paper, the Jays don't have to worry about the pitchers that are going to take the mound for them, but there is a heavy weight on John Schneider's shoulders as injuries continue to pile up. They cannot afford to lose another pitcher, at least not before one of them returns.
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.