Predicting the Blue Jays' 26-man Wild Card Series roster

Now that the Blue Jays have officially clinched a spot in the 2023 MLB playoffs, it's time to get down to business. The Minnesota Twins, as injury-riddled as they are, are going to be a dangerous opponent that should not be taken lightly.

Sure, the Twins are currently riding an 18-game playoff losing streak (yes, you read that right), but there's a reason they won their division. Leading their rotation are two Cy Young candidates, Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray. Jhoan Duran and Caleb Thielbar carried the bullpen throughout the season and of course, their offense is filled with talent.

Max Kepler, Ryan Jeffers, Matt Wallner, Edouard Julien and the oft-injured Royce Lewis were some of the more exciting Twins bats to watch on the season. Lewis, currently on the injured list, is a possibility to be activated in time for the WC Series which should strike fear into the Blue Jays, as he has been a legitimate weapon when healthy.

John Schneider and the Blue Jays have until 10:00 AM ET Tuesday morning to determine which 26 players will be making the Wild Card roster. During the regular season, it's common practice to carry exactly 13 pitchers and exactly 13 position players, but things change a bit during the postseason; especially during the Wild Card Series.

Since the WC Series is a best of three, there's no need for teams to carry all five of their starting pitchers, as there's a chance only two of them will be needed. Sure, they could be stashed in the bullpen and be used as relievers, but the likeliest scenario feels like the Jays will carry 14 position players and 12 pitchers.

To keep up with all of the postseason happenings for the Blue Jays, including start times for all of the games, pitching matchups and more, be sure to follow along with our Blue Jays Playoff Tracker piece.

Let's get into it.

Predicting the Blue Jays' 26-man Wild Card Series roster.

Starting pitchers (3)

These three starters are guaranteed to be the ones the Blue Jays turn to, barring any freak injuries in the next 24-48 hours. We all know who is going to start Game 1, but the next two are a toss-up. Beyond that, Hyun Jin Ryu is going to be in the "just missed" column, as his start won't be needed and the bullpen is largely set, so he doesn't have a role (just yet).

Chris Bassitt

Bassitt set career highs in wins, starts, innings and strikeouts in his first season with the Blue Jays. He was an incredible presence in the starting rotation that could consistently be counted on to go deep into ballgames. Not sure if he starts G2 or G3 (if necessary), but he's going to be a key part of this postseason rotation.

José Berríos

That last sentence fully applies to Berríos as well. The right-hander was incredible in his second full season on the Blue Jays. His complete turnaround from 2022 was a welcomed sight, as he lowered his ERA from 5.23 to 3.65 and raised his ERA+ from 74 to 116. He went from a guaranteed rough outing last year to a guaranteed competitive one this year. Suddenly that long-term extension doesn't look so bad.

Kevin Gausman

It was Alek Manoah, not Gausman, that was supposed to be the "staff ace" of the Blue Jays in 2023. Instead Manoah had a season mired in drama and Gausman was a Cy Young contender once again. The 32-year-old made 31 starts for the Jays while making his second All-Star Game and leading the American League in strikeouts. He is the (unofficial as of now) Game 1 starter for the Jays.

Relief pitchers (9)

There were a few close calls here, primarily when narrowing down the final spot between Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis. The former had a 12.41 ERA in 12 September outings while the latter had been money for the Blue Jays all year long in whatever role he was asked to fill. Ultimately, the decision was an easy one.

Génesis Cabrera

At the time, there was no chance in hell that Cabrera's acquisition at the trade deadline was predicted to be one of the best made by season's end. Here we are 29 outings later and his 2.66 ERA and 162 ERA+ put him firmly in that conversation. He was acquired for just a catcher in the low-minors and is a lock to make the cut.

Bowden Francis

While he occasionally got the short end of the stick this year, Francis absolutely deserves a spot on this roster. In 20 outings, he posted a 1.73 ERA with 35 strikeouts and just eight walks in 36.1 innings of work. He has the flexibility to pitch in any role on the pitching staff, a trait that should be taken advantage of in the postseason.

Yimi García

García, 33, was questionable at times this year but he made a whopping 73 appearances for the Blue Jays and has earned a spot here. He struck out 10.8 batters per nine innings this year, which is the best he's ever had in a full season.

Chad Green

Aside from a few shaky outings, Green was masterful for the Blue Jays in 12 appearances post-injury. Some of the surface-level numbers like his 5.25 ERA don't suggest it, but his 2.67 FIP and 12 strikeouts per nine innings tell a different story.

Jordan Hicks

Speaking of masterful, Hicks did everything he was asked to do as a member of the Blue Jays. He made 25 appearances post-trade and while he remained erratic with his command, he did an excellent job functioning in multiple different roles. He is likely the backup closer for the Jays, which is going to be a valuable role if Jordan Romano struggles in any of his outings.

Yusei Kikuchi

Kikuchi made a career-high 32 starts this year but is simply not going to have his turn in the rotation come up in the WC Series. He's done more than enough to make the roster, though, so look for him to make a relief appearance in the series.

Tim Mayza

Mayza emerged as one of the game's best left-handed relievers this year and is one of the more durable arms in the bullpen. Need I say more?

Jordan Romano

The 30-year-old made his second straight All-Star Game appearance and is to be viewed as one of the best closers in baseball. After earning 36 saves for the second year in a row, he's the top option to close out games for the Jays.

Erik Swanson

One of the more underrated arms in the Blue Jays' bullpen, Swanson made a career-high 69 appearances this season, earning four saves of his own. His experience in a bunch of different roles helps his case here, not that it was ever in danger to begin with.

Catchers (2)

In a perfect world, Danny Jansen would be a part of this list, but he is currently on the injured list nursing a finger injury that required surgery. He missed out on the final month of the regular season and is a firm "maybe" for some playoff appearances down the line, just not in the WC Series.

Tyler Heineman

Sure, he's not exactly going to blow anyone away with his bat, but Tyler Heineman did one hell of a job whenever he was called upon by the Blue Jays this season. The four-year veteran has bounced around all over the league but did a fantastic job in 19 games for the Jays this season.

Filling in whenever Kirk or Jansen needed a trip to the injured list, Heineman posted a .276 batting average and 129 OPS+, hitting a triple and driving in three runs while walking and striking out seven times each. Pitchers on the staff love working with him, and he is really the only other catcher that could fill out this roster. Don't look for him to get a ton of playing time (if any at all) in the WC Series, but you could do worse when trying to find a backup catcher in the postseason.

Alejandro Kirk

While Alejandro Kirk did not quite do enough to successfully follow up his breakout campaign from 2022, he was still a serviceable catcher who the Blue Jays got a ton of mileage out of. There's no doubt that he's going to be the club's No. 1 option behind the plate in the WC Series.

If all goes well, the Jays will be in and out of Minnesota in just two games, as this series is a best-of-three. Kirk should be behind the plate for both of them, as he is a well-liked backstop by the pitching staff and made significant strides defensively this year.

While the 25-year-old is not at the same level as Patrick Bailey or Austin Hedges, two of the game's best defensive catchers, he posted 5 Catcher Framing Runs this year, which ties him for eighth best in the league.

Infielders (8)

This group is pretty straightforward. The only thing even close to a question mark was the inclusion of Santiago Espinal over someone like Ernie Clement. Espinal has a weak bat and so-so defensive chops, but is the more experienced of the two and will likely beat Clement out for a spot.

Brandon Belt

Belt is one of many obvious choices on this list, but he deserves some love regardless. Making it into over 100 games for the first time since 2019, he did absolutely everything the Blue Jays needed from him and more this year. In fact, he led the team in OPS+ (136) and seemed to put together competitive at-bats every single time he stepped up to the plate.

Bo Bichette

Bichette is one of the best hitters in the game of baseball and also deserves some love for the defensive strides he took this year. His 1.2 dWAR is a career high and he made just eight errors all year which is ridiculously good.

Cavan Biggio

Many around the league (including quite a few of us over at Jays Journal) were calling for Biggio's removal from the team after his first-half performance that saw him produce a .197 batting average in 57 games. To his credit, he followed that up with a .272 mark in the second half, posting an OPS+ of 116 with 22 runs driven in. He is an important part of this team thanks to his improving bat and defensive versatility.

Matt Chapman

Speaking of poor production at the plate, Chapman was the best hitter the game has ever seen through the first month or so of the season, but cooled off to the point where it's almost worth wondering if the Blue Jays' pitchers might've had better luck at the dish. He remains one of the best defensive third basemen in the game, though, which is where virtually all of his value lies as of right now. He's good for a home run here and there, but the pending free agent is likely playing his last games as a Blue Jay.

Santiago Espinal

Espinal's calling card is the fact that he can play all over the infield and is good for a clutch hit here and there. He had an OPS+ of 80 this year and was primarily an oft-used backup, which is the exact role he'll function in during the postseason.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Vladdy is going to have a postseason for the ages, you just wait.

Whit Merrifield

Merrifield was a solid contributor for the Blue Jays this year and while his bat cooled off a bit as time went by, his versatility, speed and on-base abilities will be put to the test in the playoffs. He's a lock.

Davis Schneider

Cold streak be damned, Schneider is making this roster. He made it into just 35 games for the Blue Jays this year but did more than enough to earn a spot on this roster and the 2024 Opening Day one as well. His 2-for-4 performance in Game 162 was much needed and is hopefully all he needed to get the bat going for the playoffs.