Toronto Blue Jays Season Preview: Looking at the starting rotation

If there is one area the Toronto Blue Jays should feel comfortable with going into this season, it’s their starting pitching.

You can argue that no position on the Toronto Blue Jays‘ roster was impacted more than the starting rotation. They had 14 different pitchers start a game in 2017, which is not ideal for a staff that was one of the best in the AL the season before.

There were some bright spots in Marcus Stroman and J.A. Happ, but that was it. Everyone knows about the blister issue that limited Aaron Sanchez to 36.0 innings and eight starts. Marco Estrada had his worst season as a starter with a 4.98 ERA, despite throwing a career-high 186.0 innings.

It was apparent that the trickle-down effect of Sanchez’s injury was too much for this team to overcome, especially because the team’s lack of depth was tested. Joe Biagini was not ready to take the next step, while patchwork starters could not get the job done.

What will make or break the Blue Jays’ season is how the starting pitching performs and if they can avoid the injury bug. That is why adding a capable fifth starter was crucial to the offseason plan and hopefully, this takes pressure off an offence which is not the same as it used to be.

Here is a breakdown of the rotation, with projections for 2018.