After a tough rebuilding season in 2019 for the Toronto Blue Jays, they are on the upswing after completely making over their starting rotation.
The Blue Jays finished last season 21st in team ERA (4.79). A big reason for that was Toronto trading their top two starting pitchers, Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, last summer.
Trent Thornton is the only returning starter that has a chance of cracking the rotation as he'll fight for the fifth and final spot.
After finishing tied for the third-lowest quality start percentage (25 percent) in the league last season, general manager Ross Atkins acquired three (potentially four) starters this winter to reinvigorate the pitching staff.
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Toronto signed one of the best pitchers available on the market in Hyun-Jin Ryu, who immediately becomes the ace of the staff. Ryu is coming off one of his best seasons throwing 182 2/3 innings with a 2.39 ERA last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Tanner Roark and Chase Anderson are slated to be behind Ryu in the starting rotation.
Roark spent last season with the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics, posting a 4.35 ERA in 31 starts. He struggled to throw strikes last season, posting a career-low strike percentage (61.6) according to MLB.com.
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Anderson was acquired in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in November after making 57 starts with the club over two seasons. He took a step back in 2019 with his ERA rising from 3.93 in 2018 to 4.21 last season.
The No. 4 starter will likely be Matt Shoemaker. His season was cut short after an ACL tear ended his 2019 campaign, but he was very impressive going 3-0 in five starts with a 1.57 ERA.
Those four veterans will look to carry the bulk of the innings and take the pressure off the bullpen.
Manager Charlie Montoyo will have to decide who the fifth starter is as Thornton, free-agent signing Shun Yamaguchi and top prospect Nate Pearson are the contenders for the final rotation spot.
In his first big-league season, Thornton led the team with 29 starts last season, sporting a 4.84 ERA. Yamaguchi will embark on his first MLB season after coming over from Japan as a free-agent signing.
The Japanese right-hander posted a career 3.35 ERA in 14 seasons pitching in the NPB, featuring a fastball, splitter and slider. He also sparingly throws a curveball and sinker.
If Yamaguchi is beaten out for the final spot in the starting rotation, Yamaguchi could be used out of the bullpen as he's posted 112 saves in his career.
Pearson shined in spring training before it was ultimately canceled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In four appearances, Pearson posted a 1-0 record, allowed one earned run, two hits, one walk and struck out 11 batters.
Can we get some 🔥 for @big_nate5?
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 7, 2020
His day: 2 IP, 0 H, 3 Ks 😯 pic.twitter.com/a0TdqAaJ1V
However, it's still likely that Pearson will be sent to the minors for more development after making just three starts in Triple-A last season.
Unlike last season, Montoyo will have depth among his starting rotation group, lessening the taxing of the bullpen. Toronto hopes it can take a step forward in the American League East and get a year closer to contention.