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Looking at how the Blue Jays can pivot this offseason to improve their pitching after missing out on Corbin Burnes
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Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Veronica Chung
Dec 30, 2024, 09:47 EST
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The offseason free-agent pitching market has been in a frenzy right from the get-go, starting with Blake Snell taking his talents to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Not long after, left-hander Max Fried signed with the New York Yankees on an eight-year recording-breaking pact for left-handed pitchers and most recently, right-hander Corbin Burnes signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a six-year, $210-million contract on December 28. With Burnes off the board, a pitcher the Blue Jays were pursuing this winter, the biggest pitching names outside of Roki Sasaki (who was posted earlier this month) are off the free agent board. 
This also means that the Toronto Blue Jays have effectively missed out on the elite starting pitching market thus far. Outside of Burnes and Fried, many other competent starters like Shane Bieber, Walker Buehler, Nathan Eovaldi, Yusei Kikuchi, Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas, Patrick Sandoval and Luis Severino have all signed contracts early on, signifying that the Blue Jays’ priority wasn’t quite in on the starting pitching market this time. 
In all fairness, Toronto has a more or less solid starting pitching core, at least in theory. The team already has a veteran presence up front in Chris Bassitt, José Berríos, and Kevin Gausman while question marks remain regarding the final two spots. Add in that both Gausman and Bassitt have exhibited some concerning regression in recent memory on top of some significant arm injuries in some of the Blue Jays starting depth – Manoah, Ricky Tiedemann, Chad Dallas, and a host of others – and it’s easy to see why the Jays were coveting starters like Burnes and Fried (although no formal contract offer was given to the former Braves starter). Most of all, while other American League (AL) East teams have added to their pitching, the Blue Jays have mostly stood pat other than adding Yimi Garcia to a two-year deal and a handful of minor league signings this winter. 
Objectively speaking, the Blue Jays starting pitching has taken a step in comparison with the rest of the AL East. That being said, even though the pitching markets have thinned out considerably in some areas, there are still ways for the Blue Jays to pivot and find a way to produce a better outcome for their pitching staff compared to last season. 

Focus on Adding More Impact Relievers

There is also an option to forego the idea of starting pitching improvement and focus solely on bolstering the relief pitching core. This isn’t the worst idea considering that Toronto’s biggest Achilles Heel last season was its unusually bad relief pitching performances, ranking last in the AL for reliever ERA (4.82) and allowing 303 earned runs, trailing only the Chicago White Sox in that category (within the AL). 
The reliever market hasn’t been as active as the starting pitching market, which leaves doors open for the Blue Jays to sign more effective names. Pitchers like Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estévez, and Tanner Scott can easily boost the bullpen. Some intriguing pitchers such as A.J. Minter, Paul Sewald, and Kirby Yates can also contribute in the late innings for the Jays and provide more upside than what Toronto is currently rolling with. 
No team can ever have enough pitching and that’s especially true for relief depth. While some of the options mentioned above will cost Ross Atkins and the Jays’ front office a pretty penny, betting on relievers will always be a gamble given the inherent volatility. The New York Mets experienced that at times last year with closer Edwin Díaz, who struggled at times to close out games and was removed from the role in May for some time. 
However, a handful of free-agent relief pitchers are worth the risk when you look at the Jays pitching depth charts and barring a trade, adding via free agency is the only other outlet. Starting pitching carries a team through the regular season and playoffs but if a team play its cards right with key relievers, they easily have a chance to get into contention. 
For what it’s worth, the Jays have not been linked to many big named free agent relievers this winter but that could change after missing on Burnes, Fried, and Soto.

Add Some More Versatile Arms

Technically speaking, the Blue Jays could use help both in starting and relief pitching for the upcoming season. These arms come in all different styles and sizes but one avenue the team can explore this winter is to look for a long-man who can flexibly move between the starting rotation and the bullpen to give the Jays some added versatility. 
This point does have some flexibility, mostly because the Blue Jays have Bowden Francis and Yariel Rodriguez in their back pocket who could both play in this type of role. However, the Jays may also need Francis and/or Rodriguez in the rotation to start the season or in triple-A as depth (Rodriguez for the bullpen is more likely over the minors given his current contract guidelines), especially if the club doesn’t add a starter before Spring Training rolls around. But adding some more depth for an arm that can work in both capacities is a bonus depending on the pitcher.
While free-agent starters may be more hesitant to transform themselves into part-time relievers, some free-agent relief pitchers could be more open to playing different roles. There are a few free-agent relievers like Jakob Junis, Michael Lorenzen, Colin Rea, and Ryan Yarbrough, who finished the 2024 season with the Blue Jays and already have experience in the rotation and the bullpen. The Jays had some success a few years back with Ross Stripling, who worked well in that capacity when he could start when needed and then turn himself into a relief pitcher on a dime. 
Every so often, help comes from the most unlikely place and finding players who are willing to adapt to the various circumstances can turn out to be one of the better signings in the end. The names may not be as exciting as Scott or Hoffman but considering the Jays’ injuries to the likes of Manoah and Tiedemann, a depth arm who can pitch in multiple capacities may come in handy next season. 

Search for Under the Radar Starters

With Corbin Burnes now off the table, there are no high-level impact starters left to sign that move the needle in the same regard. However, if the Jays want to shore up the back end of the rotation if they feel like Francis or Rodriguez are a bit too much of a risk to carry forward, there are some options out there.
At the top, Jack Flaherty and Nick Pivetta lead the board with 3.2 fWAR and 2.0 fWAR respectively while some pitchers with deceptively solid performances like José Quintana and Andrew Heaney (amongst others) are also searching for new teams. 
The Blue Jays have been generally great at signing good starters so far. Despite their recent declines, The team benefited from Bassitt and Gausman and has successfully turned around pitchers like Yusei Kikuchi and Robbie Ray. Sometimes, all starting pitchers need is a chance to compete and prove themselves. Ray was struggling with his command with the Diamondbacks when the Jays acquired him and after a one-year deal, he put forward an AL-Cy Young season. Not saying that will happen with every free-agent starter they sign, but there are some wins in the bunch. They can pivot to see if someone like Anthony Desclafani or Cal Quantrill would need a prove-it deal for the next season as well.
They won’t get the same flare as Fried or Burnes with what is left on the market but if the right deal comes along to shore up the rotation (depending on the arm), there are some available should the front office choose.
 

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