For a team that felt like its starting rotation was hanging by a thread for a good portion of the 2025 season, John Schneider and the Blue Jays’ coaching staff are in an interesting position these days. They’re now facing the prospect of having too many options for their starting rotation, which is something I didn’t think I’d be saying any time soon.

Recently, the Blue Jays have rolled with a five-man rotation that features Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Max Scherzer, and Eric Lauer, and they’ve been a successful group for the most part. It’s a veteran staff, no doubt, and that’s not a bad thing as the Blue Jays face a playoff race down the stretch and try to maintain their grip on an AL East lead, hopefully positioning themselves to make some noise in the 2025 postseason as well.

While their current roster has been playing some strong baseball, they’re in the fortunate position to have some reinforcements joining the roster for the latter part of the season as well, and that should start with Shane Bieber’s Blue Jays’ debut that looks to be lined up for Friday night against the Miami Marlins. At his best, Bieber could be a significant boost for the pitching staff, even if they already have five worthy starters at the moment.

The 30-year-old right-hander has an impressive resume that includes a Cy Young award, two All-Star appearances, a Triple Crown, a Gold Glove, and an ERA title. With all due respect to the current group of Blue Jays starters, Bieber is probably the Game 1 playoff starter if he can show that he’s healthy and back to himself over what will likely be roughly half a dozen outings before the postseason begins.

As exciting as it is to think about adding Bieber to the rotation, it also means that someone is likely going to lose their job and potentially move to the bullpen.

In anticipation of Bieber’s return, it’s been a subject of debate among Blue Jays fans and media over the last few weeks, and with good reason. The “obvious” candidate would be Eric Lauer, but the southpaw is 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA over 14 starts and 20 appearances overall. Otherwise, you’re looking at a group of five other established MLB starters, so any way you slice it, there is going to be an undeserving demotion unless they decide to go with a six-man rotation, which seems unlikely.

At this point, I think there’s a real possibility that Jose Berrios could be the veteran starter that’s removed from the rotation, which is not an easy decision for Schneider and his staff to make.

Berrios has had a fairly typical season overall as he sits with a 9-5 record, a 4.00 ERA and a 1.292 WHIP over 26 starts; however, more recently, he hasn’t looked like the same hurler that was selected to start game one of the regular season. Over his last seven trips to the mound in particular, the Puerto Rican righty has gone 4-2, but he carries a 5.56 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP over 34.0 innings. He’s struggled to put hitters away in two-strike counts, and the home run ball has become a real problem.

I’m not sure if Berrios is the one who will ultimately lose his spot in the rotation, but there are some important variables to consider while making this decision.

First, they don’t necessarily have to “remove him” right now, and could potentially kick that can down the road a little. One familiar strategy in the big leagues these days is the “phantom IL stint”, which honestly could have some merit for Berrios, who at times has looked like he might be running out of gas a bit near the end of a long season. He’s been the definition of durable throughout his career and his time in Toronto, but it would be understandable if a breather would benefit him this late in the year.

However, if the Blue Jays preferred him in a bullpen role, or the 2x All-Star wasn’t interested in a phantom IL stint, it’s a conversation that would have to be navigated very delicately. Berrios is a professional, and I’m not suggesting that he’d throw a fit if this decision were made. That said, he’s also a proud and competitive person, as pretty much all professional athletes need to be, and I can’t imagine he’d be thrilled with a decision like that.

While the priority has to be on winning now, Berrios’ contract is also a consideration when thinking about the relationship between the team and the player.

The 31-year-old has three years remaining on the seven-year extension he signed back in 2022; however, he also has the option to opt out at the end of the 2026 season. If Berrios is still happy in Toronto and the Blue Jays remain as legitimate contenders, it’s harder to see him opting out of the last two years and $48 million on his deal. That said, he’ll only be 32 at this time next year when that decision approaches, and his camp may see it as an opportunity to get one more longer-term deal rather than testing the market again at 34 years old instead. It’ll depend on his performance between then and now as well, but as the Blue Jays face the possibility of losing Scherzer and Bassitt at the end of this season, and Gausman after the 2026 campaign, they’ll need to manage the situation carefully.

Whatever happens with the Blue Jays’ rotation over the next few weeks, I don’t envy the position that their coaching staff and front office are in. It’s a good problem to have, and much better than not having enough pitching, but these are not easy decisions to make. For Berrios, whether it means he keeps his spot in the rotation, gets some time off for a refresh, or ultimately moves to the bullpen, hopefully, the Blue Jays are able to manage the situation as well as possible.