TORONTO \u2014 With a rotation built of consistent veterans and stable normalcy, the Toronto Blue Jays injected some real upside Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
Acquiring Shane Bieber ahead of the trade deadline adds a potential playoff starter to the Jays\u2019 rotation \u2014 a guy with a Cy Young on his mantle, an ERA title in his bag and three career postseason outings under his belt. However, that upside comes with risk.<\/p>\n
Bieber owns a 3.22 career ERA, but has made just two big-league starts since the start of 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. He\u2019s yet to appear in an MLB game this season, though he nears a return. It\u2019s a gamble the Jays were willing to make, hoping to enhance their starting group from one built to thrive in the regular season to one that can win in October.<\/p>\n
Bieber remains at least two weeks away from a big-league return. He threw four innings of one-run ball in his latest rehab outing, striking out seven batters and reaching 59 pitches. The righty has progressed smoothly, and his next scheduled start was set for Sunday, but there\u2019s always risk in the recovery from one of baseball\u2019s most significant surgeries, even in the final stages.<\/p>\n
Weirdly, Bieber\u2019s delayed arrival may have added to Toronto\u2019s interest. He\u2019s certainly a better fit with the Jays than other teams in need of immediate rotation help. After navigating spot starts and bullpen games for the first two months of the 2025 season, manager John Schneider finally found a set starting five in June. Max Scherzer\u2019s thumb concerns have quieted, and Eric Lauer has turned from a temporary solution to a permanent rotation fixture. Despite owning the 24th-ranked rotation ERA, there is no clear starting pitcher to bump out of the group at this point, and a long-term six-man rotation would be difficult with many off days in the next two months.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel really good about them,\u201d Schneider said of his rotation. \u201cYou know what you\u2019re going to get. They\u2019re reliable, they\u2019re veteran, they\u2019re durable, knock on wood. But yeah, pretty happy with that group.\u201d<\/p>\n
So the Jays can afford patience with Bieber\u2019s recovery. If a rotation spot opens in August, Bieber should be able to step in. If the current group remains healthy, figuring out who to bump to the bullpen (or if a six-man is required) will be a future problem \u2014 and arguably a good one to have. Alek Manoah and prospects like Adam Macko, Kendrys Rojas and Trey Yesavage now become more luxury than necessary depth. As long as Bieber is healthy and effective by October, that\u2019s all that matters for a Toronto team currently sitting 6 1\/2 games up on the American League\u2019s final playoff spot.<\/p>\n