With Kevin Gausman facing a shoulder injury and Alek Manoah‘s shakiness, what will the Blue Jays’ starting rotation look like? Who will get the chance to pitch in the starting rotation? The starting rotation will certainly include Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, and your 2023 Gold Glove winner, Jose Berrios. The Blue Jays have options, but who will be man enough to get this golden opportunity to showcase what they have on the mound?
Toronto signed Rodriquez late in the offseason. The Cuban pitcher’s $32-million, five-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays contains options, escalators, and performance bonuses that allow the 26-year-old right-hander to earn up to $ 47.5 million as a starter and $ 37.5 million as a reliever. It was presumed that Rodriquez would be a reliever. Still, with Gausman’s injury and Manoah showcasing unsteadiness as a starter, Rodriquez could very well get the chance to be a starter for the Blue Jays at the beginning of the season. About a month ago, Rodriquez mentioned that his arm was about 75 percent after not pitching at all in 2023. We have yet to see the 27-year-old right-handed pitcher pitch in Spring Training, but he is set to debut on Sunday, March 17th.
Number one-ranked prospect Tiedemann has pitched twice in Spring Training this season. In 2023, Ricky put up impressive numbers, including only giving up one home run, an OPP batting average of .199, and a 3.68 ERA. The 21-year-old is a lefty pitcher, and all that’s separating Tiedemann from becoming a big-league pitcher is a healthy workload, pitch sequencing, and command, especially vs. right-handed batters. He has the goods, and there’s no question about it.
He needs to put everything in place now. Ricky looked sharp early in his second outing in Spring Training and got Realmuto swinging through a slider to end the inning. The double against him was a fly ball lost in the sun. Tiedemann sat 96-97 mph (topped at 97.7). Ricky has a lethal slider versus left-handed batters, and if he got the chance to be in the starting rotation, he would most likely be the youngest pitcher to pitch in the starting rotation.
