This year’s Toronto Blue Jays rotation is more stable than last year.
The positions of four starters, including Kevin Gaussman, Alec Manoa, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassett, who were brought in under free agency contracts, have been confirmed. It is expected that a maximum of 8-9 players will compete for the remaining one spot.
There is still hope for Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, and veterans Drew Hutchinson and Jack Thompson were externally recruited, and internal free agent Casey Lawrence was also renewed for a year. Hutchinson appeared in 28 games (18 starts) with the Detroit Tigers last year and posted a 3-9 record with a 4.53 ERA, while Thompson went 3-10 with a 5.18 ERA for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Here, prospects such as Nate Pearson, Thomas Hatch, Borden Francis, and Yosver Juleta are also waiting.
There is not a single familiar name here. That is Hyunjin Ryu. Ryu Hyun-jin underwent elbow surgery in June last year. It was Tommy John surgery, a ligament splicing that took more than a year to rehabilitate. The point at which he can return is in the second half of this season, and he said he was looking forward to returning in July while leaving the country at the end of last year.
In this regard, Yahoo Sports reported on the 12th (Korean time) in an article titled, “The Blue Jays are well prepared to manage starting pitcher injuries in 2023,” saying, “The Blue Jays do not have many pitchers to bring up from the minor leagues. I can only hope that Kikuchi will restore what he saw. He has never met expectations,” he said, adding, “Last year, when Hyun-Jin Ryu underwent Tommy John surgery, the starting lineup situation worsened (even more dire).”
However, Ross Stripling brilliantly filled the gap left by Ryu Hyun-jin last year. Stripling signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco Giants this offseason. Toronto instead brought Bassett, a free agent, for three years and $63 million, maintaining the height of the starting lineup. Bassett, born in February 1989, made 30 starts for the Mets last year, going 15-9 with a 3.42 earned run average and pitching 162 or more innings for the first time in his career, a career high.
Yahoo Sports said, “General manager Ross Atkins can sign one or two more starting pitchers before spring training. There are Michael Waka, Chris Archer, and Matt Moore in the free agent market, and trade recruitment is possible like Steven Matz in 2021,’ but ‘but with only the starting power built so far, there is a much better depth that can overcome injury variables well in 2023. Equipped,” he said.
If Ryu Hyun-jin returns healthy in the second half and shows his prime skills, the Toronto rotation will become more solid. He is a scenario that the club is also secretly looking forward to. However, he still has no choice but to be classified as out of power. Ryu Hyun-jin will become a free agent again as his contract for 4 years and 80 million dollars expires at the end of the next season. He will need to prove himself healthy in the second half of the season and postseason if he is to continue his major league career. 메이저사이트
Toronto is predicted to have a high chance of advancing to the postseason this season as well. According to ESPN’s forecast released last month, Toronto will win 89.9 games next year with a 73% chance of entering the fall baseball stage. It is 8th overall and 3rd in the American League Eastern District after the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Race, and the probability of winning the World Series is set at 4%.
The second half of this year is Ryu Hyun-jin’s last chance to pay an average annual ransom of 20 million dollars. In addition, if he continues to play an active role until the postseason, he can increase his chances of remaining in the major leagues.