The Toronto Blue Jays are staring down a critical offseason, desperate to bounce back after a seriously disappointing 2026 season where they missed the playoffs entirely, just a year after making it all the way to the World Series in 2025. What’s the biggest headache? Their pitching staff, plain and simple. They need healthy arms, and fast.
Blue Jays’ Pitching Woes: A Rough Go for the Rotation
It’s been a tough stretch for Toronto’s pitching, facing a mix of predictable aging and brutal bad luck. As MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson pointed out, you expect a few IL stints from a 42-year-old like Max Scherzer. But when José Berríos, who hadn’t missed a start in almost a decade, needs Tommy John surgery, that’s just a gut punch no one sees coming. The Blue Jays are right now trying to figure out where the bad luck ends and the controllable variables begin. Looking ahead to 2027, their rotation is already projected to look a lot different, with SI’s Maddy Dickens reporting it will start with Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Jose Soriano, and Cody Ponce, assuming Ponce stays healthy. José Berríos will eventually return, but his health has been a real struggle. They clearly need a major boost.
Tarik Skubal: The Ace Toronto Needs, If They Can Land Him
This is where things get exciting for Blue Jays fans: CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa believes Toronto could make the biggest move of the offseason by signing Tarik Skubal this winter. Skubal is arguably the best starting pitcher to hit free agency since Gerrit Cole back in 2019. This dude is a capital-A Ace. He just played on a $32 million contract this past season, and he’s bringing serious heat. Skubal is coming off NanoScope elbow surgery in May, but he’s shown very few lasting effects, boasting incredible surface stats and under-the-hood performance indicators. We’re talking four swing-and-miss pitches: a four-seamer, a changeup, a slider, and a curveball. Plus, he’s nearly MLB-best at limiting exit velocity and has elite strike-throwing ability, rocking MLB’s third-lowest walk rate since 2023. Axisa put it perfectly: if you built an ace in a lab, he’d look a lot like Skubal. He’ll be 30 for the entire 2027 season, and with how teams manage pitchers these days, he’s set to be a frontline starter for most of a long-term deal.
Landing Skubal would be monumental, but it’s not a done deal. The Blue Jays will need to convince him not to re-sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ultimately, it’ll come down to Skubal’s preference and whatever happens with the MLB lockout. Toronto wants to get back to the World Series, and bringing in the league’s best starting pitcher would be an absolute game-changer. Keep an eye on this one, Blue Jays fans, because it could define their season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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