Latest Roki Sasaki mess will make Blue Jays fans glad he's not their problem

The Toronto Blue Jays are not in a position to turn down able-bodied pitchers right now. Practically their entire starting rotation is on the injured list, featuring a group that includes Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, Shane Bieber, Bowden Francis, and José Berrios. Plus, Max Scherzer may yet join them after being removed early from his start against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That being said, not every pitcher is worth being envious over, which is something basically every MLB fanbase is finding out simultaneously while watching Roki Sasaki fall from grace. The 24-year-old right-hander owns a 7.00 ERA and 5.73 FIP through two starts this year, and he's back to facing long-term questions about his viability as a starting pitcher in MLB.

Considering how heartbreaking it was when the Blue Jays missed out on him in free agency, it's actually nice not to have to worry about the noise surrounding his failures.

Roki Sasaki's struggles are a problem Dodgers, not Blue Jays, were always better equipped to handle

Sasaki hasn't been able to translate his enormous NPB success to MLB quite yet, and concerns about his performance are growing louder than ever right now. He posted a 15.58 ERA during spring training this year, and despite a solid first start of the regular season, his latest homer-laden effort against the Washington Nationals saddled him with the majority of his unsightly numbers in 2026.

We all know the potential is there. He made a gutsy transition to the bullpen in the playoffs last year, accruing three saves and a 0.84 ERA. That included 2.2 scoreless innings against the Blue Jays in the World Series, but even that performance came with a 7.64 FIP. Considering his rookie season ended with a 4.46 ERA and 1.43 WHIP over 36.1 innings across eight starts, it's safe to say the Dodgers haven't gotten the best version of Sasaki yet.

Will they ever? Sasaki's signature pitch -- his forkball -- has lost quite a bit of luster recently, lacking the precise command and "dead spin" that makes it so effective. He's still young and under team control for a while, but he hardly looks like the pitcher that had the Blue Jays and every other MLB team selling out for him two offseasons ago.

It's true that Sasaki would be better than nothing; Toronto is mired in a painful losing streak -- including a 14-2 thrashing at the hands of the Dodgers -- precisely because of their sudden and complete lack of pitching depth. But this version of him isn't conducive to winning games, which is why it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Dodgers transition him to the bullpen once again.