Blue Jays Minor League Depth – Relief Pitching

February 14, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Brett Cecil glove, sneakers and hat lay on the grass during work outs during spring training at Bobby Mattick Training Centre. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

We continue to compile our list at each position going through possible breakout players, MLB ready talent, bounce backs, minor league reserves, and long shots.  Moving right along with our Minor League depth coverage we get to the rest of the pitching staff.  Lets talk relief pitchers.

More from Jays Journal

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

Our bullpen is one of the soft spots on the teams roster.  There are a lot of question marks but there are definitely not a lack of options.  The issue is how good / reliable are those options that we have.  It seems that there are only a few locks for the pen and their roles are definitely in question.

Brett Cecil, Aaron Loup, and Todd Redmond seem like sure things for the bullpen.  Aaron Sanchez is going to be in the pen assuming he doesn’t make the rotation.  Possibly as a 6th starter if Gibby feels like getting creative with a 6-man rotation.  Hopefully we get similar output from Chad Jenkins so he sticks to help eat some innings with Redmond.  Plus Kyle Drabek will most likely make the team as an arm in the pen regardless of how he does this spring.  He is out of options so the team has to bring him north or release him to waivers.

The bullpen will largely be filled with pitchers that didn’t make our rotation this year.  To check out the depth at the starting pitching position please see my previous article “Minor League Depth – Starting Pitching.”  This list may be a little thin in areas.  You have had your warning that this is a possible trouble spot for the Jays playoff hopes.  Anyways here is the list I generated from our organization roster.