Toronto Blue Jays: John Gibbons Fails to Get Mark Buehrle Back

It has been reported that Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons recently texted now-retired 37 year-old pitcher Mark Buehrle, “You know rosters expand in September.” Buehrle allegedly responded with a picture of a lake, signaling he’s not interested. Can Gibbons or someone else change his mind?

Mark Buehrle was one of the better pitchers in the major leagues over the past 15 years. He decided to hang up his cleats this past offseason after not being chosen for the Toronto Blue Jays playoff roster in 2015. A five-time All-Star, Buehrle pitched over 200 innings in an incredible 14 consecutive seasons before only pitching 198 ⅔ frames last year.

With the Blue Jays only two games above the Red Sox in the division, getting rotation reinforcements couldn’t hurt. At the same time, the Jays have a solid five-man staff even without newly-minted ace Aaron Sanchez. With the fourth-best starter’s ERA in the majors (3.74 ERA) this year, Toronto surely doesn’t need another starter.

The Rotation

Free agent acquisition JA Happ, and Marco Estrada have been very good all year and are in no danger of losing their rotation spot.

Recently acquired Francisco Liriano has pitched well (3.97 ERA) in his four Blue Jays starts and will most likely get a further look.

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RA Dickey isn’t assured a spot the rest of the way, but has been a consistent and durable force in the rotation with a 4.43 ERA.

Marcus Stroman has been the worst of the bunch, as he has struggled to a 4.58 ERA in 26 starts. This coming after 27 wonderful innings of 1.67 ERA at the end of last year to help propel the Blue Jays to the playoffs. Because of that great stretch, Stroman was largely expected to be the ace of the staff this year. Looking at his ERA, it could be said he has been a disappointment. In reality, Stroman has only marginally increased his walk rate, 2.0 to a still terrific 2.2 BB/9, while raising his strikeout rate from 6.0 K/9 to 7.5 K/9. His Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) score is also very similar to last season (3.54 to 3.66). With a 3.11 ERA in his last seven starts, Stroman is still a valuable pitcher.  All this to say, Stroman will not be taken out of the rotation.

Buehrle’s Fit

Looking back at Buehrle, it is questionable to think that he would be an upgrade of any kind in the rotation. He pitched to a very respectable 3.81 ERA in 2015, but it is doubtful that he would be placed ahead of fellow veteran RA Dickey who has been there all season. Buehrle also showed signs of wearing down late last year as he had a 5.53 ERA in six September starts, possibly signaling he had lost some of his command.

The other option for Buehrle would be to go to the bullpen. This would be a very curious choice. Buehrle is known for pitching to contact. He had the lowest K/9 in the majors last year at a measly 4.12. His style of pitching may not fit well in a bullpen as power arms are coveted in the late innings.

Regardless of his pitching tendencies, the Jays bullpen is not their strong suit. They have the third worst bullpen ERA for all teams currently in playoff position. They have four or five reliable arms in the pen, but beyond that it is a bit frightening. Manager John Gibbons surely knows this, and was possibly hoping to have Buehrle around in September as a long reliever. 

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All of this may be pointless to think about considering Buehrle responded with a clear cut image signaling he is enjoying retirement. It still would not be a surprise if Buehrle gets the itch to come back for a chance to chase his second World Series ring.