Blue Jays: A quietly well constructed bullpen after all

Rounding things out

I mentioned in the previous slide that the Blue Jays could use another left-hander in their bullpen, and one could argue that they could even use a couple. Right now Tim Mayza heads the list of options, and while I’m more than comfortable seeing him earn a job out of Spring Training, he’s also relatively inexperienced.

He was pretty solid last year though, pitching to a 3.28 ERA in 37 appearances and 35.2 innings. He appears to have the raw ability to succeed at the highest level, and I’d be surprised if the Blue Jays didn’t give him every chance to earn the gig as their left-handed specialist. For now, it seems like it’s his job to lose.

That would give us seven relievers so far (Phelps will be out to start the year though), but of course it’s possible if not likely that the Blue Jays decide to roll with eight arms to start the year. The biggest reason for that would be the presence of 19 year old, Elvis Luciano, who was acquired from the Royals in the Rule 5 draft earlier this offseason. For those unfamiliar with the rules, Luciano has to stick with the big league team or else the Blue Jays have to offer him back to the Royals, who would surely be pleased to see a young asset return to their organization.

Atkins and and Montoyo have both heaped a fair amount of praise on the young man, and it looks like they’re serious about giving him a MLB opportunity, at least to start the year. Like when a player is out of minor league options, this definitely works in Luciano’s favour, and likely results in him getting the first chance in March/April.