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Blue Jays’ starting pitching core looks far deeper entering 2027
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Photo credit: © Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
Cynthia Ryley Delaney
Sep 23, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 22, 2026, 21:22 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays starting pitching depth will be in a much better spot to begin the 2027 season.
Heading into this season, it appeared that the Blue Jays had eight starters signed: Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Shane Bieber, Cody Ponce, José Berríos, Eric Lauer, and eventually Max Scherzer. However, injuries derailed that before the season even began.
Berríos, Bieber, and Yesavage started the season on the injured list. Ponce joined them three innings later, and Scherzer also missed sometime in April. Paired with Lauer’s struggles, the Blue Jays have had over 40 bullpen games this season, not ideal for a team looking to return to the World Series.
Through 157 games, 15 different pitchers have made a start for the Blue Jays this season. Some are mainstays, like Cease, Gausman, Yesavage, and others, while others started a bullpen day, like Braydon Fisher, Mason Fluharty, and Adam Macko. This team was ravaged by injuries.
While starting pitching isn’t the biggest reason the Jays are going to miss the playoffs, it certainly played a role. But at a certain point, what can you even do when you enter the season with eight starters signed?
Well, you can learn from it.
Injuries can come out of nowhere, but even with Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Bieber and Jameson Taillon all likely to depart this off-season, the Blue Jays’ starting pitcher depth is in a better place entering 2027.
Cease, José Soriano, and Yesavage will headline the rotation, with two other spots up for grabs. Acquired before the 2026 trade deadline, Spencer Arrighetti is a candidate to fill in the back-end of the rotation. 
As is Spencer Miles, who was used in every role imaginable this season. Before the Jays selected Miles in the Rule 5 Draft, the 26-year-old had 14.1 innings at the affiliate level, and nearly the same at the recent Arizona Fall League. He’s good enough to be stretched out and become an important member of the rotation.
Jake Bloss is another candidate to make some starts next season. He likely would’ve this season had he remained healthy, but he’s been on the injured list since mid-July due to a shoulder injury. Another prospect who could make some starts is Ricky Tiedemann, who has struggled to stay healthy since his breakout year in 2022.
While health hampered the Blue Jays’ rotation in 2026, many of those players will return in 2027. Obviously, there’s Ponce, who could’ve been available had the Blue Jays gone on a deep postseason run. He’s a good bet to be back to start next season.
There’s also Bowden Francis, who hasn’t pitched since the midway portion of last season, missing all of this year due to Tommy John surgery. Berríos’ time line is a little murky, but even he could be a factor in the rotation in the second half of next season.
One area that has been a struggle for the Blue Jays since Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins took over is pitcher development. But with the new Player Development Complex, some high-potential pitching prospects are coming.
Nolan Perry is a top 100 prospect who has pitched fantastic in a return season from Tommy John surgery. Gage Stanifer, who was also drafted in 2022, made it all the way to Triple-A before the end of the season, albeit as a reliever. It was the same case for Daniel Guerra, as both pitchers made the move to the pen to potentially be available for the Jays if needed. There’s also lefty Johnny King, who had a strong season split between High-A and Double-A.
Those are just some of the Blue Jays’ top prospects, though. Josh Stephan and John Klein were both acquired before the 2026 trade deadline and finished as starters for the Buffalo Bisons to end 2026. Danny Thompson Jr. had a breakout season and reached Double-A this season, quickly becoming a notable pitching prospect in the organization.
These players alone have given the Blue Jays a plethora of depth options, but there’s also off-season acquisitions. The 2026-27 free agency class for starters is rather weak (aside from Tarik Skubal), but starters like Gausman, Zac Gallen, Robbie Ray, and others are good bounce-back candidates.
There’s no telling how the Blue Jays’ pitching landscape looks before the 2027 season, or even if there’ll be a season next year. However, early signs are showing that the rotation will be far less of a problem than it was this season.
Cynthia Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @CynthiaRDelaney.
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