The American League playoff picture is taking better form as the days go on, and unfortunately, the Blue Jays aren’t looking to be a part of it. The remainder of the games shouldn’t be considered “meaningless,” however, as the franchise is getting an opportunity to evaluate their younger pieces, further helping determine who fits the 2025 puzzle and which positions the Blue Jays need to prioritize entering the offseason.

It may be a different point of view for the starting pitchers, but that’s what we’ll see between now and the end of the season. Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters before Saturday’s game that he wants to keep his starters on an extra day of rest down the stretch.

The Blue Jays relied heavily on their starting pitching last season, as only eight different players started a game, with one of those being Trevor Richards starting three games as an opener and Wes Parsons starting only the season finale. It can be assumed that this move will help protect Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, and Chris Bassitt, three of Toronto’s workhorses in the rotation. All three threw over 185 innings last season and have amassed over 4,100 innings in their careers combined. Those guys play a massive role in Toronto’s success, so having them ready for 2025 would be a welcome benefit.

Regarding who will eat up the remainder of the innings, we can start with Ryan Yarbrough, who was acquired at the trade deadline to help Toronto in this exact situation. Yarbrough has pitched in five games for Toronto since he was dealt, owning a 3.38 ERA, 0.938 WHIP, and seven strikeouts across 10.2 innings. He pitched in a bulk relief role on Thursday night against the Angels, pitching five scoreless innings with three hits, four strikeouts, and no walks en route to his first win as a Blue Jay. Following an opener or moving into a starting role could very well be in the cards for Yarbrough, who will take as many innings as he can before he goes into free agency.

Bowden Francis, the reigning American League Player of the Week, has more than earned his spot in this rotation to end the season, and he’s without question auditioning for a spot on next year’s pitching staff. That quest has been extremely successful thus far, especially after Francis’s near no-hit bid during Saturday’s game against the Angels. Prior to that outing, Francis accumulated a 2.16 ERA and a .161 opponent batting average over his last five outings (four starts) since the All-Star break.

In a similar camp as far as competing for spots go is Yariel Rodríguez, who will also benefit from extended rest, considering he didn’t pitch at all outside of the World Baseball Classic in 2023. Rodríguez currently owns a 4.40 ERA over 14 starts this season with a 1.33 WHIP, 9.6 K/9, and 4.4 BB/9. He’s hit a bit of a rough patch in the past couple of weeks, allowing nine earned runs and four homers across his last two starts.

One of the more interesting pieces of this is Jake Bloss, who was one of the returns from Houston in the Yusei Kikuchi trade. The conversations around the organization suggest that Bloss will be in Toronto any day now, but they may not be in any rush with how quickly he had been expedited through the minor league system this season in Houston. Bloss has made three starts in Buffalo since the trade, not allowing a run and striking out eight through 9.2 innings total.

This isn’t where the Blue Jays hoped to be, but as they prepare for next season, this is the smart way to go.