Blue Jays sending Ricky Tiedemann down reopens uncomfortable bullpen debate

Ricky Tiedemann made his long-awaited Toronto Blue Jays debut on Saturday—and was promptly sent back to the minor leagues the following day when Brendon Little was reinstated from the paternity list. 

The logic behind that decision makes sense on paper. Little had to be activated as per the paternity list rules, and Tiedemann likely wouldn’t have been available for a few days, given how carefully his workload is being managed due to his injury history. 

In practice, however, the decision doesn’t feel nearly so simple. This is especially true when considering the other roster moves the Blue Jays could have made instead. 

Why did the Blue Jays demote Ricky Tiedemann? 

Tiedemann’s debut against the New York Yankees was an encouraging mixed bag. He recorded five outs—two by strikeout—but also gave up a run on two hits. He’s still very much a work in progress with less than 20 career innings above the Double-A level. 

Still, the same could be said of Trey Yesavage when he arrived last September and propelled the Blue Jays to the World Series. Sometimes the best place for young pitchers with big arms to learn is in the major leagues against the best hitters in the world. 

The decision to demote Tiedemann so soon is nonetheless defensible given his health, especially considering how frequently the Blue Jays have been calling upon their relievers. The state of their pitching staff necessitates having several rubber arms in the bullpen. With all that said, it’s who they decided to keep over Tiedemann that makes his demotion a bit of a head-scratcher. 

Little has pitched much better in his most recent stint with the team. He allowed an inherited runner to score on Sunday, but has generally been lights out since late July. The issue is whether or not this is actually sustainable given his track record. 

He still has a 9.37 ERA and 2.39 WHIP on the season. He has burned the organization countless times over the last year and a half, not unlike the recently traded Jeff Hoffman. His next gut-wrenching implosion could come at seemingly any time. Can he actually be trusted? 

Matt Waldron was another option if the Blue Jays wanted to keep Tiedemann as well as Little. He got the ball in the ninth up by five runs in his last outing against the Boston Red Sox, yet couldn’t finish the inning. It’s hard to envision many scenarios when he can be useful outside of mop-up duty. 

The fact of the matter is that the Blue Jays are, somehow, in the middle of a playoff race. They need their best pitchers on the roster, and it’s hard to argue that Little and Waldron are both better options than a high-upside arm like Tiedemann. This staff needs difference makers and his prospect pedigree suggests he could very well be one right now. 

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