![[Sponsor] Democracy](https://protectdemocracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Social-Share.png)
Blue Jays’ pitching depth could be tested sooner than expected
With Max Scherzer injured in his first start and some relievers being hit hard, the Blue Jays already face pitching questions. It all could make for an early test of the team’s depth, writes Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith.
TORONTO – Some uncomfortable changes may be required on the Blue Jays’ pitching staff after Max Scherzer dealt with lat soreness Saturday and his replacements struggled in relief.
A stint on the injured list will have to be considered after Scherzer said his recent lat issues are “100 per cent related to the thumb” issue he dealt with in spring training. The three-time Cy Young Award winner will consult with team doctors before determining next steps, but he sounds determined to improve the health of his thumb so that the rest of his body doesn’t face undue stress.
“I’ve got to get this 100 per cent before I pitch again,” he said.
Under the circumstances, a stint on the injured list may be more prudent than starting again on his next scheduled turn, Friday against Juan Soto and the Mets in New York. Every team faces tests like this in the course of a long season, but none of it’s ideal for a Blue Jays roster that’s not exactly loaded with pitching depth at the moment.
“I’m frustrated,” Scherzer said. “I want to pitch.”
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6370766853112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6370766853112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6370766853112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-704786" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6370766853112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/6370766853112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/blue-jays-scherzer-says-lat-injury-is-100-percent-related-to-his-thumb/" }); });
Asked after Saturday’s game whether a roster move will be required ahead of Sunday’s series finale against Baltimore, manager John Schneider simply said “we’ll see.” Yariel Rodriguez and Eric Lauer would be leading candidates to replace Scherzer in the rotation if needed, but there’s also the question of a bullpen that underperformed Saturday.
When Scherzer exited after just 45 pitches over three innings, the Blue Jays handed the ball to lefty reliever Richard Lovelady, up 4-2.
But Lovelady had no feel for the strike zone so within the span of eight batters, he turned that two-run lead into a two-run deficit by hitting two Orioles, walking one and allowing two hits. Making matters worse, he allowed four of the five left-handed hitters he faced to reach base and score when that’s the side of the plate he should theoretically dominate.
An inning later, it was right-hander Jacob Barnes who came in and allowed two more runs on four hits as the Orioles expanded their lead.
If the Blue Jays were to make a roster move for Sunday, their options would include left-handers Easton Lucas and Josh Walker, both of whom already have 40-man roster spots. Right-hander Dillon Tate’s also on the 40-man, but he was a late signing this spring and likely needs more time to ramp up.
Meanwhile, Lauer doesn’t have a 40-man spot, but it wouldn’t be hard to find room for him. While Ryan Yarbrough would have been useful in situations like this, the Blue Jays declined to select his contract, and he landed with the Yankees instead.
Thanks to additions like Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia and Nick Sandlin, the ceiling of the 2025 bullpen remains much higher than it was a year ago. But triple-A rotation depth isn’t this team’s strong suit and the back of the bullpen now looks vulnerable, too. It’s starting to look like the organizational pitching will be tested sooner than expected.
/* if ( "1" == true && 'undefined' !== typeof window.getIndexAds ) { var so = {preroll:{1:{1:{siteID:191888},2:{siteID:191889}}}}; adServerUrl = window.getIndexAds( 'http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6370767538112&cmsid=384', so, permalink); } else { adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6370767538112&cmsid=384"; } */ adServerUrl = "http://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/ads?sz=640x360&cust_params=domain%3Dsportsnet.ca&iu=%2F7326%2Fen.sportsnet.web%2FVideo&ciu_szs=300x250&impl=s&gdfp_req=1&env=vp&output=vast&unviewed_position_start=1&ad_rule=1&vid=6370767538112&cmsid=384"; var adServerUrl_result = adServerUrl.includes("cust_params"); var queryString=''; if(adServerUrl_result){ var gettheDUFI = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) gettheDUFI = localStorage.getItem("theRED_loc");
if(gettheDUFI){ queryString += "dufiid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; queryString += "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; var ppid = "ppid=" + gettheDUFI + '&'; }
var DUFI_IP = false; if (localStorage.getItem("consent") !== null && localStorage.getItem("consent-targeting") !== null) DUFI_IP = sessionStorage.getItem("DUFI_IP");
if(DUFI_IP){ queryString += "dufiip=" + DUFI_IP + '&'; }
adServerUrl = adServerUrl.replace(/cust_params=/, ppid + 'cust_params=' + encodeURIComponent(queryString) ); }
$el.after( unescape("%3Cscript src=\"" + (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https://sb" : "http://b") + ".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\" %3E%3C/script%3E") );
$( document ).one( 'ready', function() { $( "#video_container-892571" ).SNPlayer( { bc_account_id: "1704050871", bc_player_id: "JCdte3tMv", //autoplay: true, //is_has_autoplay_switch: false, bc_videos: 6370767538112, is_has_continuous_play: "false", adserverurl: adServerUrl, section: "", thumbnail: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/6370767538112-1024x576.jpg", direct_url: "https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/video/mlb-highlights-orioles-9-blue-jays-5/" }); });
Extension can’t be ruled out
If the first full day of spring training was the official deadline for a Vladimir Guerrero Jr. extension, then Opening Day was the unofficial deadline.
Yet Opening Day has passed and there’s no deal, so what now? It’s shaping up to be the biggest decision the Blue Jays make this year, and the intrigue isn’t necessarily over.
While there’s no extension in place, top Blue Jays executives are speaking with uncharacteristic optimism about their chances of keeping Guerrero Jr. in Toronto long-term. When asked about the possibility of a deal, team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins were both more candid than usual.
“I think we’re going to extend him,” Shapiro said last week.
“I have hope. That’s how I feel,” Atkins added before opening day.
Not exactly the bland GM speak many executives prefer, and it would be stunning to make comments along those lines if there wasn’t a genuine willingness to improve on the offer they made at the end of spring training, believed to be around $450 million. Notably, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Thursday that the Blue Jays had made a new offer, though a gap remained.
-
-
MLB on Sportsnet
Watch the Toronto Blue Jays, Blue Jays Central pre-game, marquee MLB matchups, Jays in 30, original documentaries, the wild card, divisional series, championship series and entire World Series on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
One way or another there’s clearly interest from the team side, as you’d expect for a young hitter who controls the strike zone while also hitting the ball as hard as virtually anyone in the sport. Throughout this entire process, the Blue Jays have stayed open to a deal, and while that alone wouldn’t matter if Guerrero Jr. wasn’t interested, he hasn’t slammed the door closed on negotiations either. There’s seemingly room to continue talking.
Where that leads, it’s too soon to say. But if nothing else, it’s starting to seem like Guerrero Jr.’s February deadline wasn’t such a hard deadline, and the Blue Jays’ last and best offer might not have been their last, best offer. Under those circumstances, the possibility of an extension lingers for a little while longer.
Taking the long view
As George Springer begins his fifth year with the Blue Jays, team decision makers are taking a different approach to keeping him at full strength.
A few years ago he was the leadoff hitter whenever possible, but Springer wasn’t in the starting lineup Saturday, the third game of the season. It appears the Blue Jays would rather keep the 35-year-old at full strength for slightly fewer games while also mixing in the likes of Will Wagner, Davis Schneider and Alan Roden more frequently.
“Just being proactive early,” Schneider said. “Just understanding that he’s getting a little bit older and not being reactionary. I think in years past it’s listening to him (say), ‘Hey, I’m good.’ And it’s like, yeah, you probably are, but let’s shoot for 135-145 range and days like (Saturday) happen.”
