John Schneider's comments on Max Scherzer's Blue Jays blowup totally miss the point

When the Toronto Blue Jays signed Max Scherzer late in the offseason, the thinking was that the future Hall of Fame pitcher would be able to provide some depth to a squad that seemed flush with pitching talent. But that depth quickly depleted and Scherzer himself landed on the Injured List at the end of April.

As he made his return to the mound on Wednesday (Jun. 10) there was once again a sense of optimism surrounding the 41-year-old. Maybe now that he's fully healthy there's a chance that Scherzer still has some of that fire power in that arm and can help the Blue Jays find some more consistency and start stockpiling victories.

Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened. While Scherzer recorded his 3500th strikeout, making history as only the 11th pitcher to reach that total in MLB, he also faltered for much of the outing, lasting 3.1 innings while giving up five earned runs, including two home runs. That outing was very much in line with what he had done prior to hitting the IL.

He's only been able to complete four innings in two out of his six starts and he's recorded an ERA north of 10.00, while giving up a career high HR/9 rate (3.68). These are numbers that aren't sustainable for a team that is hoping to win, but this sample size isn't convincing enough for Blue Jays' manager John Schneider to make a change.

Following the game, Schneider told reporters, "You want to try to see what it looks like when he gets some consistent work. I think he's earned that. It's the reason why we signed him back and you don't want to make any knee-jerk reactions."

We get the sentiment, Scherzer has certainly earned the respect of a player who should get every chance to succeed to pad his Hall of Fame résumé, but there also comes a point where the accolades need to be put aside for the betterment of the team.

Shane Biebers return could be the end for Scherzer

The Blue Jays are going to have to make a move sooner rather than later as Shane Bieber is set to make another rehab start on Thursday (Jun. 11) with Triple-A Buffalo. If all goes well in that outing, the Blue Jays will be thinking about ways to get Bieber back into the big league rotation and the team is all of a sudden running out of space on the big league roster.

With Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease and Trey Yesavage as the staples, there's only two real spots that Bieber can realistically take; Scherzer's and Patrick Corbin's. If this team is truly operating as a meritocracy, as Schneider indicated during spring training, then the logical decision would be to keep Corbin and ask Scherzer to step aside.

The 36-year-old Corbin is having his having a season that is exactly what the Blue Jays need out of a number five starter. Through 57.1 innings pitched he's posted a 4.55 ERA with a 4.60 FIP. He doesn't strike out a ton of hitters (40) but he's been able to limit most of the damage.

Although, with a .311 BABIP and 5.60 xERA, it feels like Corbin is just one bad outing away from everything falling apart - but for the time being, he's given the Blue Jays enough to work with to merit his spot in the starting five. Compared to what Scherzer has done, Corbin has practically pitched like an ace.

A decision is looming for the Blue Jays and what they do with Scherzer. Unless he gets back on the hill and absolutely shoves in his next outing, the return of Bieber could coincide with a send off for Scherzer.

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