Blue Jays: 3 questions that will be answered during Spring Training

Spring Training is nearly upon us. With pitchers and catchers due to report in just over a month, the Blue Jays roster is rounding into form. With the most recent acquisitions being that of Brandon Belt and Zach Thompson, it’s clear the Jays are now intent on fortifying the depth of the roster. This is shaping up to be one of the most talented rosters in the organization's history.

This talent can be seen quite literally from top-to-bottom. Multiple All-Stars at the top in Vladdy, Bo, Springer, Kirk, Chapman amongst others. New, more athletic players in Kevin Kiermaier and Daulton Varsho. Pre-existing role players who’ve shown brief periods of brilliance in the past like Santiago Espinal and Whit Merrifield. A capable rotation headed by a two-headed monster in Manoah and Gausman, and a suddenly very deep bullpen headed by Jordan Romano.

Even with the recent trade of Gabriel Moreno, the minor leagues find themselves loaded as well. A number of veterans will be headed to Buffalo with the intention of providing depth should the major league team need reinforcements. Talented younger players who offer major league potential will be close by in Buffalo as well, as guys like Yosver Zulueta and Addison Barger could very well impact the majors in 2023.

With all this talent, there exists the fun problem to have in how exactly these players will be used in 2023. These questions are had amongst good and bad teams alike, with them often answered in the spring. The Blue Jays can be intelligent in the way they incorporate their players. Position battles, players having seemingly healed from their previous ailments, and new faces will dominate headlines from February until March 29th. Spring training will shed light on how the Jays plan to use their roster, with these three questions piquing my interest the most.

Who will be the fifth starter?

The GOAT of all position battles, which starting pitcher will step up during Spring Training? The Jays all of a sudden have an abundance of riches as far as depth starters go. You start the conversation with Yusei Kikuchi and Mitch White, both of whom disappointed during their times as Blue Jays last season.

These two both offer a double-edged sword when considering the best options for their usage in 2023. Both have experience starting at the big league level, but both also offer intriguing skillsets should they be stored in the bullpen.

A glance at Kikuchi’s splits from last year are kind of baffling. One of baseball’s best pitchers in May, Kikuchi would crash and burn from then on, and find himself in the pen. The 18.1 innings as a reliever saw him produce a 16.2 K/9! I think potential is there for Kikuchi to be a decent starter, it’s just reliant on him honing his arsenal that can obviously produce swing and misses.

White has done both in the past as well, albeit neither particularly effectively last season. However, White’s past success with the Dodgers is what the Jays are looking to see come spring. A career 3.58 ERA over his Dodgers tenure, while being versatile to boot, offers a glimpse of what White could provide. With Kikuchi and White leading the conversation, there’s also a handful of dark horses to look out for. 

Veteran Drew Hutchison might be worth keeping an eye on. Since being traded to the Pirates back in 2016, the former Jays Opening Day starter has bounced around multiple organizations. After spending time in the Pirates, Dodgers, Phillies, Rangers, Yankees, and Tigers system, Hutch has come home on a minor league deal. Hutchison was serviceable over his 28 appearances as a Tiger last year, pitching to a 4.53 ERA. Nothing here jumps out at anyone, but he’ll be worth watching.

Newly-acquired Zach Thompson is worth keeping an eye on as well. Having started 36 games between the Marlins and Pirates, Thompson brings a versatile right handed arm who, when on, can limit hard contact with a deep arsenal of pitches.

Bowden Francis and Hayden Juenger are the last names to watch as far as battling for the rotation goes. Francis made his MLB debut last year, a stint that only lasted two thirds of an inning. He’d be very inconsistent in AAA Buffalo, but show promise in producing strikeouts. He’s produced gaudy winter league numbers as well, as over nine starts he’s pitched to a 1.51 ERA with a 4.8 H/9 and 11.9 K/9 in the Puerto Rican Winter League. Juenger is the lesser known of the two but he’s worth learning about. He made it to AAA as a 21-year-old last season, and had a 3.76 ERA and 10.2 K/9 through 88.2 minor league innings last season.

Ricky Tiedemann and Yosver Zulueta will be worth looking at as well, but I don’t see starting games being their role should they break camp with the team.

In summation, I’d say anyone besides Kikuchi or White is a long shot. Both of them have experience and were given chances as recently as last season. Both are closest to tapping into their potential as well. Regardless, competition in the spring is always a good thing, and Spring Training should solve the fifth starter question, with these guys battling it out.

How will the bullpen shape up?

MLB teams' bullpen are almost never guaranteed before spring training, as is the case with the Blue Jays. Still, I could say seven guys that pretty much have to be in the bullpen on Opening Day. Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Yimi García, Anthony Bass, Tim Mayza, Adam Cimber and one of Kikuchi or White. That’s seven spots taken up by effective relievers who are major league quality, leaving one spot open for competition.

As of now, it’s Trevor Richards’ job to lose. Richards has qualities of a good reliever. Coming off of a season with a 11.5 K/9, at first glance it’s odd to think the Jays would get rid of him. But, with him having the unfortunate tendency of giving up homers and walks, there’s a chance that a lesser known reliever could prove themselves in the spring. There's a decent chance that there are other options that are just flat out better than Richards already in the organization.

One of the relievers I’d genuinely rather have, if healthy, is Nate Pearson. 2022 was a disastrous season for Pearson, who due to a number of ailments never made an appearance for the Blue Jays. Seemingly healthy now and only 25, there’s still time for Pearson to become that impact arm the Jays thought of when he was a first round pick. Having recently produced great results in winter ball, giving up zero runs over 12 innings with a lowly 3.8 H/9, Pearson should be given a chance to earn a spot in the bullpen this spring. The only barrier is the presence of minor league options. Pearson can be sent to Buffalo with zero repercussions, something to keep in mind when the roster is being assembled at the end of March.

Yosver Zulueta is another arm that is too tantalizing to ignore. The top prospect sits in the upper 90s and routinely touches 100mph. He also possess solid off-speed with the resume of a starting pitcher in the minors. I would say this is a Roberto Osuna or Miguel Castro in 2015 situation, but that bullpen had little depth compared to this one in 2023. Zulueta could show up to camp and impress, but it’d have to be a lot if he was to break camp with the team.

Outside of the young relievers with minor league options, there are some former major leaguers who could all see time in the bullpen for the Jays in 2023. Zach Pop, Trent Thornton, and Matt Gage all saw time in the majors last year, and all bring a unique element to the pen. Trent Thornton has shown flashes of thriving in a multi-inning role. Gage excelled over 13 innings last year, as well as dominating AAA, leaving many puzzled as to why he was shunned from the MLB roster for most of last season. Lastly, Pop has some of the best stuff in the organization. A bowling ball sinker in the upper 90s with a wipeout slider could be effective, he just needs to become more consistent. Recent minor league signing Paul Fry offers major league experience as well. A former Diamondbacks member and Orioles reliever, Fry has had good seasons in the past working as a lefty reliever.

The bullpen is always in a state of flux, but Spring Training should show us how it’ll shape up before March 30th.