Blue Jays: here is the portrait of the pitchers for 2026

In recent weeks, the Blue Jays have been active on the mound. It's the sinews of war, as you know… and the Blue Jays have fully understood this.

So, what's the situation on the mound?

Starting pitchers

Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease are expected to be the first two pitchers in Toronto's rotation – in order and out of order. Barring injury, that's the most likely scenario.

Unless something catastrophic happens (an injury or a historically awful training camp), Trey Yesavage has secured a spot in the 2026 rotation during the recent playoffs.

Shane Bieber, who isn't 100% at the moment, should be ready to start the season on time. So he too will be in the rotation.

All indications are that the fifth name in the rotation will be Cody Ponce. The club has signed him as a starter, and John Schneider really seems to be talking about him as a guy in the rotation.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1999194662670635050

That means Jose Berrios, for now, is not among the five projected starters. We know the Blue Jays could trade him to another team by winter's end.

But if not? Will he, like Eric Lauer, go to the bullpen? Will the club want to roll with six starters to accommodate the man who lost his spot in the rotation in September? Not sure…

Paddock

Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia, Louis Varland, and Tyler Rogers will likely be John Schneider's four trusted pitchers. Until proven otherwise, Hoffman is still the ninth-inning reliever.

Brendon Little, Mason Fluharty, and Braydon Fisher should be there. But since all three can be sent to the minors, the numbers may mean that one of them will be surplus to requirements early in the season.

It will also depend on the potential presence of Berrios/Lauer and the health of the group in general.

Let's also remember that the Blue Jays selected Spencer Miles in the Class 5 draft. If he doesn't spend the season in Toronto, he'll have to be sent back to the San Francisco Giants.

https://twitter.com/casavantdenis/status/1998838067407245454

Depth / prospects

Bowden Francis, who missed long months of action in 2025, will have a long way to go if he wants to pitch again in the Majors in 2026. The same goes for Yariel Rodriguez, who was dropped from the club's 40-man roster.

Angel Bastardo, Jake Bloss, Lazardo Estrada, Chase Lee, Adam Macko, Paxton Schultz, Ricky Tiedemann, and Gage Stanifer are also names to keep in mind in Toronto. They'll want to impress at practice camp.

Don't forget that the Blue Jays are never really done shopping. Could a depth option for the rotation or a big reliever still be in the plans?

But as we can see, things are going relatively well on the mound because there's depth. Next step: a big hitter.

This content was created with the help of AI.