3 bold predictions for the Toronto Blue Jays for the 2023 season

Toronto Blue Jays bold prediction: Chad Green makes an impact

While all eyes will likely be focused on what Toronto does at the MLB trade deadline to improve the club down the stretch, the Blue Jays are expected to get a big boost in their bullpen late in the season when Chad Green returns following Tommy John surgery.

Toronto’s signing of Green was an intriguing one in January, and one that could well pay dividends for the franchise if the 31-year-old right-hander if he returns to the form he displayed during his seven years with the Yankees. During that span, Green logged a cumulative 3.17 ERA/3.29 FIP/1.022 WHIP in 383.2 innings covering 272 games. He also racked up 494 strikeouts during that stretch. Green has primarily worked as a setup man, pitching in the seventh and eighth innings more than any others during his career, so that can help Blue Jays fans envision where he might fit in when he returns.

Certainly it’s a roll of the dice for pitchers who are returning from Tommy John surgery, but if Green can provide another capable arm late in the season (and help the Blue Jays fend off his old team from the Bronx in the process), this signing will become one of the best of the winter for Toronto.