Blue Jays: 2015 playoff rotation – where are they now?

The Blue Jays broke their playoff drought back in 2015, a span that hadn’t been touched since the club went back to back as World Series champions in 1992 and 1993. Some great players suited up for the club during that time like Roy Halladay, Roger Clemens, and Carlos Delgado, but the club was not able to break their playoff drought until midway through the 2010’s.

The bread and butter for the club that year was their offense, led by Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista, and Edwin Encarnacion. Behind the plate was veteran Russell Martin and the club bolstered their rotation by acquiring left-hander David Price at the trade deadline, supplementing a group that was led by R.A Dickey, Mark Buehrle, and Marco Estrada (this was the year Marcus Stroman tore his ACL and returned towards the end of the year and Aaron Sanchez spent most of the season on the IL and bullpen). The club also acquired Troy Tulowitzki from the Rockies, sending Jose Reyes and a bevy of prospects the other way.

While the club’s playoff dreams came up short in the ALCS against the Kansas City Royals, the eventual World Series Champions, the club finished first in the AL East with their 93-69 record and beat the Texas Rangers in dramatic fashion in the ALDS, putting Bautista into Blue Jays folklore for his bat flip that surely upset fans of the “unwritten rules of baseball”.

Looking back at that season, it is disappointing to see the Jays come up short in the playoffs but the team was solid and made another run in 2016, once again falling in the ALCS but this time to the Cleveland Indians. They were one of the better teams in the AL East at the time and it was a nice change of pace to see other AL East powerhouses like the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees hit the golf courses early those years.

While the offense did lead the charge for the Jays, let’s take a trip down memory lane and see where the Blue Jays rotation for the 2015 playoffs are now in their careers.

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*To be featured on this list, the pitcher had to have started at least one game in the postseason*

Marcus Stroman

Although Marcus Stroman was supposed to miss the entire season after tearing his ACL during Spring Training, the former Blue Jays top prospect made a triumphant return late in the year and ended up starting three games for the club in the postseason.

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He found success against the Rangers in the ALDS and limited the club to just one home run with only five earned runs through two starts but did not earn the win in either contest. Stroman did give up his fair share of hits but limited the damage, posting a 1.077 WHIP and starting the second and fifth games against veteran southpaw Cole Hamels. The right-hander struggled in his lone start against Kansas City in the ALCS, giving up the same amount of hits during his two starts against the Rangers with one less earned run, striking out only one batter. The Royals had his number that series and he only made one start.

Stroman spent another three and a half seasons with the organization before being traded to the New York Mets at the 2019 trade deadline. He was one of the last remaining players on the roster from the 2015 playoffs and made it well known his displeasure with the front office, creating a war of words between both sides that was dragged out between interviews and social media posts.

The New York product spent two seasons with the Mets, appearing in 44 games and posting a 3.21 ERA through that time. He would strike out 218 batters through 238.2 innings of work while posting a 2.5 BB/9 with a 0.9 HR/9. Stroman did not pitch in 2020 due to COVID concerns.

Before the lockout this offseason, Stroman signed a three-year deal with the Chicago Cubs worth $71 million that includes an opt-out after the second season.

Marco Estrada

Acquired by the Blue Jays during the 2014/2015 offseason in exchange for Adam Lind, right-hander Marco Estrada was coming off a season split between the Milwaukee Brewers rotation and bullpen. Once he became a Jay, Estrada ended up becoming a main staple in the rotation over the next four seasons, earning an All-Star appearance during the 2016 season.

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Estrada was a top performer for the Blue Jays in the 2015 postseason, making three starts and only giving up five earned runs through 19.1 innings of work. He did give up two home runs to the Royals in the ALCS but he was able to limit the walks while also only giving up 14 hits. He started game three against the Rangers and was able to give the club the lead heading into game #4 with his 6.1 innings with just one earned run.

The right-hander spent the next three seasons with the Blue Jays and was effective in the 2016 playoffs as well, holding the Rangers and Indians to just 16 hits through 22.1 innings of work and went almost the entire game in his lone start in the ALDS (8.1 innings). The 2017 and 2018 seasons were however a step back for the Mexico product, as Estrada struggled to keep the runs off the board while also seeing a slight uptick in his BB/9.

After breaking their playoff drought since their 1993 World Series win, this article looks at where the Blue Jays 2015 playoff rotation is now.

He left the club via free agency after the 2018 campaign and signed on with the Oakland Athletics, appearing in five games for the A’s while struggling with back issues and spending most of the season on the IL. He was released by the club in late August and retired shortly after.

R.A. Dickey

Acquired by the Blue Jays from the New York Mets during the 2012/2013 offseason, R.A. Dickey was coming off a strong campaign that saw him earn the NL Cy Young Award, with the Jays sending a couple of top prospects in Travis d’Arnaud and Noah Syndergaard to the Mets.

Dickey was healthy and made 130 starts for the Jays through four seasons, earning a 4.05 ERA with a 6.6 K/9 and just a 2.9 BB/9. While he posted alright numbers for the Jays during the regular season, the knuckleballer pitched to mixed results during the 2015 playoffs, his lone appearance in meaningful October baseball over his career.

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His lone start against Texas was solid, yielding only one earned through 4.2 innings in the do-or-die game when the Rangers were up 2-1 in the series. Price would follow Dickey and while the right-hander did not earn the win, he was able to limit the five hits to just one earned run while not giving up a walk, helping send the series back to Toronto.

The ALCS was a different story, as Dickey was unable to get out of the second inning in his lone start against the Royals, giving up two home runs and only striking out one batter versus two walks.

Dickey would only play one more season in Toronto, pitching to a 4.46 ERA through 30 appearances and did not pitch in the postseason that year. He became free agent eligible following the 2016 campaign and signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves with a club option for a second season.

After posting a 4.26 ERA through 31 starts and 190.0 innings with the Braves, the club decided to not pick up his option and he retired shortly after.