The Toronto Blue Jays might not have landed a superstar over the offseason, but they acquired several players in an effort to build a more well-rounded roster following a dismal 2024 campaign.
The Jays bolstered their lineup by signing Anthony Santander and trading for Andrés Giménez. They bolstered their rotation by signing Max Scherzer. They improved their bullpen by signing Jeff Hoffman and Yimi García while also trading for Nick Sandlin. Again, they did not land a superstar, but they looked better on paper than they did at any point last season.
Unfortunately, Scherzer wound up suffering a lat injury in his Blue Jays debut, knocking him out after just three innings and shining a bright light on a pair of major Blue Jays red flags.
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Max Scherzer's unfortunate injury highlights major Blue Jays red flags
First, if Scherzer has to miss time due to this ailment, it's anyone's best guess as to who's next in line. Toronto's starting pitching depth was a concern even before Scherzer's injury, and is an even bigger one if he has to miss time.
Second and perhaps more jarringly, the Jays' bullpen is a major concern. The back end of it is solid thanks in large part to the Hoffman, Garcia, and Sandlin additions, but there are really only four arms that John Schneider can truly trust. We saw that on Saturday when Scherzer was pulled after just three frames.
When Scherzer departed, the Jays were leading the Baltimore Orioles 4-2. Richard Lovelady immediately gave the lead right back to Baltimore when he allowed four runs to score in the top of the fourth inning. Jacob Barnes allowed two more runs to score in the fifth inning, extending Baltimore's lead to 8-4. What was once a Jays lead turned into a fairly sizable deficit because Schneider had to turn to his low-leverage arms. The Jays did settle things down in the later innings, but that's because he used three of his best relievers over the final four innings of the contest.
The same exact thing happened on Opening Day. José Berríos struggled mightily and was pulled after five innings. Barnes allowed two runs in an inning of work, and Yariel Rodríguez allowed three runs to score soon after, putting the game virtually out of reach. The Jays might not have come back regardless, but the low-leverage arms essentially ended the game.
To put it lightly, this Jays bullpen, even with the improvements, still is a problem. That isn't shocking, considering their relievers had a 4.82 ERA last season (29th in the majors) and were worth -2.5 fWAR (30th in the majors), but it still needs to be pointed out. It's impossible for Schneider to navigate a full 162-game season with the bullpen he was given, especially if the rotation isn't going to be at full strength. Ross Atkins is going to learn that the hard way.