3 Blue Jays pitchers whose 2025 seasons just changed after Max Scherzer signing

In a year marked by uncertainty for the future of the Blue Jays' star players in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, the team is still trying to win in 2025 instead of selling and rebuilding for the future. Toronto's brass has gone about doing so by restocking the bullpen, adding a star slugger in Anthony Santander, and now bringing in future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer (with potentially more to come).

Focusing in on the Scherzer addition, he changes the outlook of the roster in a major way, especially for three key pieces of the team in 2025. Let's examine three pitchers whose seasons will look different now that Scherzer is a part of the pitching staff.

These three pitchers are going to have a different role in 2025 now that Max Scherzer is on the Blue Jays.

Yariel Rodriguez

Initially entering the offseason, it was expected that Rodriguez would become the fifth starter in the rotation. Now that the starting pitchers are locked in, he will likely be moved to the bullpen and serve as a long reliever, which certainly seems to suit him better.

That is where he will likely be more effective. He started in all 21 games he pitched in, posting an ERA of 4.47 with a FIP of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.32. Rodriguez had some solid rookie numbers, but walks were an issue at a 10.9% rate, so that change in innings count may help him reach his upside.

Alek Manoah

One of the biggest boom or bust players on the Blue Jays roster is Alek Manoah. He was at one point a top pitcher in the league, but then completely fell off and was one of the worst in the game in a flash. He got a chance to rebound in 2024 and was mediocre in his five starts before injury. He got surgery on his elbow in June and will return in 2025.

Adding Scherzer takes the pressure off Manoah entirely; while it already seemed unlikely he'd factor into the rotation down the stretch, there is now no need for him to rehab with that goal in mind. He can take his time and serve in more of a depth role as he works his way back. A bullpen job may help him ease his way back into things instead of jumping right back into a starter's role. Toronto needs to get him back to his 2022 form, where 25 of his 31 outings were quality starts and his ERA sat at 2.24. That Manoah may come back again someday, but channeling his rage out of the bullpen in September now represents his best-case scenario (and that's completely fine).

Ryan Burr

Lastly is Ryan Burr, who pitched a decent amount of innings last year in Toronto's pen. The way FanGraphs' depth chart projection laid things out, it appears he will now start the year in Triple-A, given Rodriguez's move to the bullpen.

Last year, Burr tossed an ERA of 4.13 with an FIP of 3.07 and a WHIP of 1.26. Those numbers aren't bad at all, and he could be a solid choice when injuries occur. Luckily, he will remain in the minors, since he has one minor league option remaining. He definitely could make an impact at some point, but now he likely will not make the Opening Day bullpen.