Toronto Blue Jays: Robbie Ray signing is just the first move

Bringing back Robbie Ray is a good start for the Toronto Blue Jays, but don’t expect them to stop there.

It didn’t take the Toronto Blue Jays very long to get the ball rolling on their offseason, diving headfirst into the free-agent market by signing left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray to a one-year deal worth $8 million.

There has been plenty of early speculation that the Blue Jays will be aggressive this offseason, having the financial resources available and a handful of roster holes that need to be filled to become a real threat in the American League East.

Should the Blue Jays have pulled the trigger so quickly on Ray? That’s to be determined, but with a lack of quality depth in the free-agent market and uncertainty around the type of money that may or may not be thrown around, Toronto made the safe decision to not waste any time and elect to bring Ray back for another season.

But that doesn’t mean the Toronto Blue Jays are done curating their starting rotation for 2021. The big catch is yet to come.

A rotation of Hyun Jin Ryu, Ray, Ross Stripling, Nate Pearson, and Tanner Roark is a solid core, with young arms like Anthony Kay and depth pieces like Trent Thornton and Julian Merryweather also in the mix to provide spot starts and help Toronto successfully navigate a 2021 season that could likely feature a 162-game schedule once again.

The Blue Jays originally acquired Robbie Ray at this year’s trade deadline, taking a risk on one of the worst starting pitchers in the National League, at the time. Ray was 1-4 with a 7.84 ERA and 20% walk rate, but he still featured his prominent strikeout rates, sitting down 12.48/9 IP via the strikeout through seven starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The gamble paid off a bit as Ray showed marginal, yet notable improvements with the Toronto Blue Jays. In five outings, Ray posted a 4.79 ERA, a 26% strikeout rate, and a 14% walk rate. Again, not great numbers, but much better than how he performed in Arizona.

Rays solidifies the backend of the Blue Jays rotation and gives him an opportunity to build on his short stint in Toronto as he attempts to regain his early-career form. For Toronto, the risk is small at just $8 million.

Toronto Blue Jays can now target another SP

The Blue Jays can now turn their attention to bigger acquisitions and putting the final stamp on their 2021 starting rotation. It may be safe to say they won’t be players for Trevor Bauer, but there are still options available to Toronto to add starting pitcher they can slot into the two or three role.

The organization could bring back Taijuan Walker, who went 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA in six starts as a Blue Jay. He was worth a combined 0.6 fWAR between Seattle and Toronto, striking out more than 22% of hitters and limiting opponents to a .213 average against after throwing just 14 innings between 2018 and 2019. A healthy 28-year-old Walker would be a good bet in 2021.

Masahiro Tanaka is a free agent and has successfully navigated the AL East throughout his MLB career. Unless the Yankees or another big market team come in with a can’t refuse offer, the Blue Jays should be players for Tanaka.

Toronto also has the minor league depth to make a trade this offseason. The Pittsburgh Pirates are in full rebuild mode and one of their few attractive major league pieces is starting pitcher Joe Musgrove. Re-igniting those trade discussions could net the Blue Jays a young, high-strikeout arm who will enter 2021 healthy and ready to go.

There aren’t many options out there, but there are quality options available to the Toronto Blue Jays to cement their rotation for 2021 and increase their odds of contending in the AL East.