Blue Jays: What to do going forward with Nate Pearson

Blue Jays fans have been waiting for Nate Pearson to fulfill his potential for years now, but his career has been derailed by several different injuries. 2022 was supposed to be the year things were different for the former first round pick, but sadly we never did see him appear in a big league game.

On the plus side, Pearson finished the year healthy and pitching in the minor leagues, which is at least a positive step after another frustrating season for the 26 year old. He ended up appearing in both High-A and Triple-A, pitching 15.1 innings and striking out 19 in the process, and he’s also been pitching in Winter Ball as well. For those folks that have been paying attention, he still flashes the upside that has had scouts and fans so excited for so long, which is the reason why there has been so much patience for the oft-injured fireballer.

I can’t help but wonder if the Blue Jays see Pearson in a different light these days. At the beginning of the 2022 campaign we were still hearing his name floated about as a potential rotation candidate to fill out the back-end, and I’ll admit that I was hoping he could finally stay healthy and reach his potential as a starting pitcher. Imagine if they could have called him up to start this season rather than the list of fill-ins that included Casey Lawrence and Thomas Hatch.

At this stage I think we may all have to admit that starting might not be in the cards for Pearson, and switching his focus full-time to a relief role might be the best way to turn his career around. I understand that franchises want to exercise as much patience as they can for a potentially elite arm like the Florida native’s, but I’m sure they’re also being realistic about things after this many injury-riddled seasons. If nothing else, we have to admit that it would be foolish to count on a big league contribution from Pearson, at least until he proves he can stay healthy.

If he’s going to find success as a Blue Jay, it’s a pretty obvious fit to try and move him to the bullpen. In a worst case he could be a multi-inning reliever in the vein of something like what we see from Trent Thornton, only with a lot more upside. In a perfect world, Pearson could be the kind of “swing and miss” reliever that we so often hear about around this team, and it could go a long way toward helping Ross Atkins and company complete their offseason checklist without having to trade for an impact reliever. Again though, counting on that probably isn’t in the cards to start the 2023 season.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that the Blue Jays won’t even be the ones to decide the best path forward for Pearson’s future. As Atkins and the front office look to address that aforementioned checklist, they’re likely going to need some trade chips. By no means does Pearson carry the value on the trade market that he would have a few years ago, but it’s possible that he could be sold as a “change of scenery” candidate with a lot of upside. Beauty (or value, in this case) is in the eye of the beholder, and there could be a few teams that think they can fix Pearson and help him become the pitcher we’ve always hoped he could be.

Assuming Pearson comes to camp still as a Blue Jay, my hope is that he’s working toward being a high-upside weapon out of the bullpen. In my mind, it makes all kinds of sense for the team, and for the player as well, at least for the short-term as he tries to rebuild the value that he’s lost as he’s battled to stay healthy over the last few years. At the end of the day, it’s in the best interest of all parties to find a way to keep Pearson healthy, and put him in a position to succeed. Who knows, maybe 2023 will be the year that finally happens.