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Blue Jays: Where does the team go from here in regards to the bullpen?

By Tyson Shushkewich |
TORONTO, ON - JULY 30: Brad Hand #52 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch on his debut for the Blue Jays in the eighth inning during a MLB game against the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre on July 30, 2021 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - JULY 30: Brad Hand #52 of the Toronto Blue Jays delivers a pitch on his debut for the Blue Jays in the eighth inning during a MLB game against the Kansas City Royals at Rogers Centre on July 30, 2021 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
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Aug 18, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Brad Hand (52) reacts after giving up a three run home run to Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell (19) during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Brad Hand (52) reacts after giving up a three run home run to Washington Nationals first baseman Josh Bell (19) during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

After another late-inning meltdown yesterday against the Washington Nationals, the Toronto Blue Jays finally put an end to a rough road trip.

Facing teams that the Jays could beat on paper, the club returns back to Canada with a 3-6 record after splitting their first series with the Los Angeles Angels before losing both against the Seattle Mariners and the Washington Nationals. They currently sit 10.0 games back in the AL East and 4.0 games back in the AL Wild Card.

It was a rough week and a half for multiple areas of the team, with Alek Manoah getting rocked for six earned runs on Tuesday against the Nats, Jose Berrios struggling against the Angels last week putting up a six-spot on his own, and George Springer landing on the IL again with a knee sprain after an awkward landing while attempting to catch a ball at the center field wall.

While a few different starters struggled to find a rhythm on the road, it was the bullpen who stole the show when it came to giving away games in the later innings.

Some less than notable outings from the bullpen:

  1. Newcomer Brad Hand earned the loss last night as he came in the bottom of the seventh and would give up three earned runs (four in total) off two home runs, failing to close out the inning and getting only two outs. He also issued the free pass this past weekend to the Seattle Mariners that saw the opposing team win the game in extras via a walk-off base on balls.
  2. After five consecutive outings without allowing an earned run, Tayler Saucedo was touched up for three earned runs against the Nats on Tuesday in the eighth inning
  3. Right-hander Rafael Dolis made three appearances during this road trip and gave up at least an earned run in each outing, ending up with five in total with five walks
  4. Adam Cimber and his funky delivery have hit a snag as of late, with the righty pitcher allowing four earned runs over his last three outings. An odd sighting since he has been very dependable since joining the team in late June.
  5. Trent Thornton was recently called up from AAA and struggled on the road, giving up two earned runs through 3.0 innings of work.

After a rough road series, the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen appears to be at an all-time low with there only a few options available to improve before the season ends.

Looking at the bigger picture, not every pitcher in the Blue Jays bullpen struggled on this most recent road trip:

  1. Connor Overton made his major league debut against the Angels on August 12th and through two appearances and 3.1 innings he has yet to allow a hit or a walk with two strikeouts
  2. While he did give up two earned runs against the Mariners on Sunday, Trevor Richards appeared in four games this past week and a half and only gave up two hits, both of which came on that same appearance
  3. Kirby Snead pitched 3.2 innings of clean ball on the road, allowing only one hit and one walk while striking out one while facing the Angels, Mariners, and Nationals
  4. Jordan Romano appeared in two games during the road trip and did not allow an earned run, striking out four batters but also issuing two walks and three hits in the same span
  5. Tim Mayza returned from the IL yesterday, which in itself is a positive considering how some of the other left-handed pitchers were throwing when he was away
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JULY 07: Rafael Dolis #41 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 07, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – JULY 07: Rafael Dolis #41 of the Toronto Blue Jays pitches against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 07, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /

So what can be done to improve the bullpen to finish the season?

Cutting away the weak links

Well, the Blue Jays have already taken care of one problem by designating Dolis for assignment prior to last night’s ball game and calling up infielder Kevin Smith as his replacement. The Dominican product was strong during last season’s shortened campaign but was not dependable this year, struggling to stay consistent and losing faith from management to get results in the later innings. Similar to what the Blue Jays did with Tyler Chatwood earlier this month, it was time for Dolis to go.

Brad Hand may be next on the chopping block, as the veteran pitcher has yet to find a real groove since joining the Blue Jays. He has been on the receiving end of some late innings losses dating back to when the Jays were just about to head on the road and fans are starting to lose patience. While it would be a bit odd to see the club cut a player who they traded a top prospect for in Riley Adams at the deadline just a few weeks ago, if Hand can’t figure it out by the time September rolls around, tough decisions might have to be made.

AAA Arms

Multiple pitchers in the Bison’s bullpen are pitching well:

Bryan Baker – 1.50 ERA; 30.0 IP; 34K; 1.07 WHIP

Dany Jimenez – 3.03 ERA; 32.2 IP; 50K; 1.32 WHIP

Jacob Waguespack – 2.70 ERA; 60.0 IP; 66K; 1.22 WHIP

Hobie Harris – 3.45 ERA; 31.1 IP; 38K; 1.09 WHIP

The main issue with bringing any of these arms to the major leagues is that none of them are on the 40-man roster, so somebody would have to be dropped in order for one of them to be called up to the big leagues.

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Pitchers need to get healthy

The Jays have had their fair share of injuries this year and there are a few players the team would probably like to have back sooner rather than later.

Tim Mayza has just returned to the Blue Jays bullpen after a brief stint on the IL while newly acquired Joakim Soria pitched one inning before finding himself on the IL with middle finger inflammation on his pitching hand.

Julian Merryweather has been dealing with an oblique issue and has missed a good chunk of the season after a great start to the year. He is currently with the Dunedin Blue Jays on a rehab assignment.

Right-handers A.J. Cole, Carl Edwards Jr., and Anthony Castro are all on rehab assignments in the minor leagues right now and could play a factor towards the end of the season. Cole was throwing well before being placed on the IL (1.13 ERA through 8.0 innings) while Edwards Jr. might be better off in AAA after posting a 6.75 ERA with four earned runs and eight hits through 5.1 innings of work. After a strong start to the campaign, Castro has fallen on hard times and may also be finishing the year in AAA rather than the big leagues, posting a 12.60 ERA through his last seven games with the Jays.

While some pitchers may be better suited to stay down in the minor leagues, if the Jays can possibly get Cole or Merryweather back before the season ends, both right-handers could provide some additional depth down in the bullpen that doesn’t make one cringe when you see them enter the game.

Free Agency/Waiver Wire?

The pickings are slim and other teams like the Padres and Dodgers seem to be scooping up these players left, right, and center. Nobody out there is probably going to help this team right now.

Time to move Pearson to the bullpen to finish the season

After battling an undiagnosed sports hernia injury for a solid part of the 2021 campaign, top prospect Nate Pearson is throwing again and looks to be a factor for the Jays bullpen before the season ends. In his first outing since his latest injury setback, Pearson threw a clean inning on August 14th, not allowing a hit with one strikeout.

Alek Manoah facing his first real test of adversity. dark. Next

Having Pearson in the bullpen with his electric fastball and his plus off-speed pitches could really help the Blue Jays close out the season as long as he can keep command of his arsenal, the kryptonite that sent him back to the minors after his lone start against the Houston Astros earlier this season.

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