The free agent addition will join Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber and presumably Jose Berrios – all right-handers – to complete the unit. While it is not uncommon to have all right-handers in their rotation, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this will have on the club.
Over the past decade, the Blue Jays have had a left-handed player start at least 10 times in all but one campaign (2024). While Eric Lauer’s 15 starts last year paced Blue Jays lefties, he wasn’t expected to contribute early in the season. Barring a trade, this means 2026 will be the third straight year in which the Blue Jays enter the year with all right-handers in their rotation.
Strengthening the depth of the bullpen could counter the good rotation
Having all right-handed starters puts some extra emphasis on having strong lefties in the bullpen, an area that could improve next season.
Lauer appears headed for a long relief role, with Mason Fluharty, Brendon Little and Justin Bruihl listed as the only other options on the 40-man roster. Fluharty had a strong rookie season and a strong postseason performance, but Little couldn’t build on a strong regular season as he fell outside John Schneider’s circle of trust after a few tough playoff appearances. Bruihl isn’t a guarantee he’ll return, which increases the likelihood the Jays sign or trade for a left-handed reliever.
Some of the best options on the market that can help the bullpen include veterans Caleb Thielbar, Gregory Soto and Danny Coulombe. Having multiple lefties that Schneider can rely on will be important all season long, but even more important come playoff time. With the addition of Cease, it’s clear that the Blue Jays see themselves as World Series contenders again and should make moves with that in mind.
Caleb Thielbar, bad 90 mph slider. 🤢
Making moves with the playoffs in mind
We saw last year that when elimination games are played, it’s all hands on deck for the Blue Jays pitching staff. Having the ability to use a left-handed starter in a big spot against an opponent’s big left-handed bats can be an advantage late in the game. The best-case scenario for Toronto would likely be for Tiedemann to become a bona fide rotation option this season. This would then allow him to transition to more of a bullpen role come playoff time.
No left-handed starter likely won’t be an issue in the regular season, but the Jays will likely reevaluate their roster midway through the season. A deadline deal for a left-handed reliever would probably be the most likely outcome if they don’t get production out of their current lefties.
PRESENTED BY OFF THE ROSTER
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