{"id":869027,"date":"2026-10-03T04:47:12","date_gmt":"2026-10-03T04:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/869027\/"},"modified":"2026-10-03T04:47:12","modified_gmt":"2026-10-03T04:47:12","slug":"2-internal-candidates-to-solve-one-of-the-blue-jays-biggest-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/869027\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Internal Candidates to Solve One of the Blue Jays Biggest Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9t\">There is one known aspect of the Toronto Blue Jays roster that absolutely has to be improved upon in the coming months: the position players. The offense was arguably the worst in baseball, and finding a high-caliber slugger has to be a top priority.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"9y\">But that isn&#8217;t the only piece of the puzzle that needs solving, as depth in the bullpen would be greatly appreciated, especially when preparing for any injuries that could arise, which sure was the case in 2026. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"a3\">Some will argue that the starting rotation needs attention, but ultimately, when they get healthy, that problem will take care of itself, and if <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/bluejays\/onsi\/blue-jays-gm-sends-clear-message-ernie-clement-future-second-base\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ross Atkins<\/a> is allowed to take some weight off his shoulders with internal help in his bullpen.<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Brendan Cellucci as a Toronto Blue Jay:<br \/>8.2 IP<br \/>2 H<br \/>0 ER<br \/>2 BB<br \/>11 K<\/p>\n<p>What an impression. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/hLBHhHaz1V\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/hLBHhHaz1V<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Gate 14 Podcast (@Gate14Pod) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Gate14Pod\/status\/2103643665692275036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">September 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ad\">It isn&#8217;t like Atkins, Pete Walker, and John Schneider will be closing their eyes and leaping with blind faith with some rookies, as these two have already shown that they can deliver in the big leagues, as both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/bluejays\/onsi\/blue-jays-rookie-debut-success-masked-another-ugly-loss-tuesday-night\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brendan Cellucci<\/a> and Ricky Tiedemann were more than impressive in their short-lived time in the majors this year. <\/p>\n<p>What Tiedemann and Cellucci Both Did Since Joining the Majors<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3x5jsvzv94md3ym08.jpg\" alt=\"Ricky Tiedemann throws a baseball in a black Toronto jersey\" title=\"Ricky Tiedemann throws a baseball in a black Toronto jersey\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"au\"\/><\/p>\n<p> Blue Jays relief pitcher Ricky Tiedemann (33) throws a pitch against the Orioles. Credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b0\">In the final months of the season, the Blue Jays&#8217;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/bluejays\/onsi\/blue-jays-offensive-issues-masking-elite-bullpen-talented-relievers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> bullpen<\/a> was easily one of the best in baseball as it featured Spencer Miles, Tyler Rogers, Louis Varland, and Mason Fluharty. They have some elite arms in the pen, but reinforcements are needed to complement their high-leverage guys.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"b5\">Well, both Cellucci and Tiedemann were pretty dang good from the time they set foot on the hill in the majors, as neither shied away from the challenges that were in front of them. The pair trusted their stuff and didn&#8217;t try to stay away from hitters.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"ba\">Instead, the lefties attacked the zone and showed that they can blow by some of the best bats in the game, especially Cellucci. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bf\">The 28-year-old pitched nearly nine innings for Toronto and never gave up a single run, as he allowed only two hits while also striking out 11. That is more than impressive. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/01m3z0vxec9bkqch367d.jpg\" alt=\"Brendan Cellucci throws a baseball in a white Blue Jays ejrsey\" title=\"Brendan Cellucci throws a baseball in a white Blue Jays ejrsey\" width=\"360\" height=\"203\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"br\"\/><\/p>\n<p> Blue Jays relief pitcher Brendan Cellucci (70) delivers a pitch against the Tigers. Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn  | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"bx\">Then, there is Tiedemann, who has been one of the more coveted pitching prospects that the Jays have had, but injuries delayed his inevitable debut. In the five games he suited up with the ballclub, he kept runs off the board, posting a 1.50 ERA. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"c2\">Fluharty led the majors in appearances this year as the most reliable lefty that Pete Walker had on his staff. That said, a couple of lefties to take on some of that workload would do a whole lot of good next season. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" preventdefault:click=\"\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\" on:click=\"q-BKH5TN-7.js#s_lDqay9E5m5g[0]\" q:id=\"c8\">Follow<\/a><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is one known aspect of the Toronto Blue Jays roster that absolutely has to be improved upon&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":869028,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-869027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869027","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=869027"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/869027\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/869028"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=869027"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=869027"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=869027"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}