The Toronto Blue Jays need pitching help that Jake Odorizzi can provide.
Just like the Mets, the Toronto Blue Jays have been connected to every big name on the market this winter. With a young core in place, Hyun-Jin Ryu entrenched at the top of the rotation, and an opportunity to make some serious waves in the American League next year, Jake Odorizzi is a much-needed piece.
Toronto quickly inked Robbie Ray to return to the rotation in 2021, but they need additional help outside of Ryu, Ray, and top prospect Nate Pearson. A few more strikeouts wouldn’t hurt either.
The Blue Jays ranked 21st in baseball with a 22.5% strikeout rate. During Odorizzi’s healthy 2019 campaign, he sat down 27% of hitters via the strikeout and has averaged more than 8.5/9 IP across his nine seasons in the major leagues. He was a 3+ WAR player twice for the Tampa Bay Rays when he was last pitching in the AL East.
Signing Odorizzi adds more stability to the back half of the starting rotation and won’t demand a contract that limits them from spending elsewhere. They also have the assets to pull off a trade, if they elect to go down that route.
Coming off a 2019 season where he went 15-7 with a 3.36 FIP and career-high 10.1 K/9 IP rate, Odorrizi isn’t a 30-year-old coming off an elbow injury, but instead, it was blisters and a line-drive to the chest that kept him out much of 2020. He’s a solid sign for any team looking to strengthen their starting rotation.