Blue Jays' gamble on one of baseball's most unique pitchers is a fun throwback with some upside

Lost amidst the hysteria of the trade deadline was the fact that Patrick Corbin was moved to the 60-day injured list with a teres major (shoulder) strain, likely ending his season and potentially his tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays. He hadn't pitched well for a few months, but the veteran southpaw was a godsend early in the season when the rest of the pitching staff couldn't remain healthy.

With the Blue Jays all but waving the white flag on contention at the deadline, there was no need to fill Corbin's vacated roster spot with an immediate contributor. Instead, the front office put in a claim for knuckleballer Matt Waldron, who lost his spot with the Padres after they acquired Robbie Ray and Casey Mize on Aug. 3.

Waldron is out of minor-league options, so he'll have to stick on the active roster if the team wants to keep him around. That'd be a bit of a gamble given his track record, but there's something special about a relic of an era gone by still trying to make his gimmick work in the modern age of baseball.

Matt Waldron probably won't last with Blue Jays, but their success with knuckleballers is noteworthy

When a Blue Jays fan hears "knuckleballer," the first thing they're likely to think of is R.A. Dickey. The 2012 Cy Young winner famously was traded to Toronto after that award-winning campaign, costing an arm and a leg (e.g., Noah Syndergaard and Travis d'Arnaud) to acquire.

Though that deal didn't age gracefully because of the cost, Dickey was a serviceable member of the rotation during a highly competitive window. Over four seasons with the team, he pitched to a 4.05 ERA while tossing an average of 206 innings per year.

That's a rather high bar for Waldron to clear, and unfortunately, nothing in his track record suggests he'll be able to. His finest season came back in 2024, when he recorded a 4.91 ERA (4.26 FIP) over 146.2 innings; in every year except that one, his FIP has been over five.

The 29-year-old does throw a ton of strikes and has had periods where he induces tons of weak contact, but he also generates shockingly few whiffs for a guy whose entire profile is built around a pitch with uncertain movement.

He's favored his fastball and sinker more in recent campaigns, though he was at his best when he leaned on his knuckleball and sweeper -- perhaps the Blue Jays will be willing to give him the runway to get really funky with his repertoire, seeing as they already have some relatively recent experience with Dickey.

If nothing else, Waldron provides another healthy body for the Blue Jays to utilize as they crawl to the finish line. With Trey Yesavage and trade acquisition Spencer Arrighetti both on the IL (and fellow newcomer Jameson Taillon on thin ice), the knuckleballer may yet be able to carve out a role in Toronto.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow