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

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.

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.