Predicting the 2025 Blue Jays Opening Day rotation 

Heading into 2025, the Toronto Blue Jays still had some question marks in their rotation. Yusei Kikuchi was traded at last year's deadline, which left a hole in the back-end of the Jays' rotation that still hasn't been filled halfway through the offseason.

Potential bounce-back candidate Alek Manoah won't be back until August at the earliest. Bowden Francis pitched well last year, but we still haven't seen him for a full season.

That hole was filled emphatically last week, however, as the Jays signed veteran pitcher Max Scherzer to helped solidify the back end of their rotation.

With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the Blue Jays’ projected starting rotation at the start of spring training.

Predicting the 2025 Blue Jays Opening Day starting rotation 

No. 1: Kevin Gausman

Despite a down season in 2024, Gausman should return to ace status in 2025. Even though he struggled last year, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball from 2021 to '23.

Don’t forget, Gausman had missed a significant portion of spring training last year due to right shoulder fatigue, so there's a chance the rush back into action could have led to his ineffectiveness early in the season.

Gausman picked things up as the season went on, as he went 5-3 with a stellar 2.22 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and .194 opponents batting average in 56 2/3 innings across his last nine starts of the season. The No. 1 spot in the rotation is his to lose.

No. 2:José Berríos 

After an uncharacteristic 2022 season with the Jays in which he sported an ERA above five, Berríos has bounced back with two straight strong seasons in 2023 and 2024. Berríos was the Jays’ most consistent starter last season, as he led their rotation in wins (16), ERA (3.60), innings pitched (192 1/3) and WHIP (1.15).

Berríos was the Twins' ace prior to coming over to Tornoto, and it seems like he's finally found his footing in Toronto. He'd be the Blue Jays' No. 1 starter this year if not for Gausman.

No. 3: Chris Bassitt

After having a strong first season in Toronto where finished tied for the American League lead in wins (16) and came in 10th in AL Cy Young voting, Bassitt regressed a bit during his second year with the Blue Jays last year.

He ended up posting his first losing record (10-14) since 2018, and his worst ERA (4.16) and WHIP (1.46) since 2016. Nevertheless, the 35-year-old showed his durability by making 31 starts and going at least five innings in 25 of those starts. With Bassitt heading into free agency at the end of the season, this year will be crucial in making sure he can earn one more contract before into his twilight years.

No. 4: Max Scherzer

Normally someone with Scherzer’s résumé would instantly become his team’s No. 1 starter. But with his prime years likely behind him (along with some injury woes in recent years) Scherzer should settle in as a solid No. 4 option with the Jays. He may no longer be the 200+ strikeouts and sub-3.00 ERA pitcher that he was during his Cy Young years, but he should be good enough to produce a sub-4.00 ERA along with a strikeout rate of around one batter per inning.

To maintain his health throughout the season, it may be wise for the Jays to limit him to 5-6 innings per start for proper load management to help maximize his effectiveness.

No. 5: Bowden Francis 

We're rounding out our starting five with the Blue Jays' breakout player of the second half in Francis. The 28-year-old right-hander posted a 4-2 record with a sparkling 1.53 ERA, 0.53 WHIP, along with just seven walks and 56 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched in his final nine starts and  came close to tossing a no-hitter twice.

While it seems like Yariel Rodríguez will get a chance to compete against Francis this spring, Francis’ impressive showing down the stretch last season has earned him a longer look in the rotation. On top of that, Rodríguez would help by solidifying Toronto's bullpen, which was a weakness last year.

Chances are we'll end up seeing more than just these five make starts for the Blue Jays over the course of the season. But these are the five that we think will comprise the rotation when Toronto breaks camp for the start of the season.