What We’re Actually Learning About Toronto Blue Jays Pitching Staff So Far
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This is the first time in recent memory that the Toronto Blue Jays can get thoroughly excited regarding their entire pitching staff, especially the starting rotation.
Their offseason additions have featured a plethora of arms that have stolen highlight reel time and time again.
At this point, the organization and Blue Jays fans are dying to see this entire staff in action, as there will be multiple new faces and a few that are familiar, like Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber, who were only seen at the tail end of 2025.
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To say it is early in spring training would be quite the understatement. The Jays just played their first game, which the team won, against the Phillies. Even though it is only a preseason game, a shutout win felt seemingly unheard of at any time last year.
It isn't fair to say that their World Series shortcomings were solely do to their pitching as this is one of the many sports that is a team game, but late-inning home runs kept them from closing out multiple games in the Fall Classic, which was seen again in Game 7.
Management took matters into their own hands these last few months and some major upgrades have came.
Starters For 2026
With the options that John Schneider has at his disposal for the Opening Day starter, there isn't a clear choice as to who is going to get the call when the season officially starts as this is going to be one of the best rotations in baseball this year:
- Trey Yesavage
- Kevin Gausman
- Dylan Cease
- Cody Ponce
- Shane Bieber
- José Berríos
This ultimately could also feature Eric Lauer who was named the starter in Saturday's game against the Phillies. Lauer was seen coming out of the bullpen in the second half of last season, but that was not necessarily due to poor performance.
Toronto's relief staff was a major problem in the first months of the season, so Schneider ended up in the pen where he excelled. It seems likely that that is where he will start the year, but that doesn't mean his fate is sealed.
Bullpen Depth
Toronto paid $37 million to add Tyler Rogers to their relief staff, so it seems more than certain that he is going to be the pick at closer, and with others returning, one might guess that this part of the staff is set, but there isn't a team in baseball that doesn't find value in more arms.
Adam Macko could be the one who makes his debut this season. Macko was entrusted with two full innings in their shutout without allowing a hit. The next few weeks will be a massive opportunity for the 25-year-old, craving his trip to be the majors.
There are still plenty of questions left to be answered, and they will be, but it is going to take a little more time before that happens.
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.