Toronto Blue Jays could be a potential landing spot for Justin Verlander
On paper, the Toronto Blue Jays have a good pitching staff, but as we all know, games are not won on paper. The struggles of Alek Manoah have been the biggest story and that’s a reason why they could use a top-of-the-rotation starter.
Manoah spent time in the Florida Complex League in June to try and fix his control issues and, in three starts, the hard-throwing right-hander has had two good outings and one not so good, which should be a red flag that he is not the pitcher that he was in 2022 and can be counted on late in the regular season and playoffs if they get there.
Kevin Gausman was been very good this season for the Blue Jays, but after him, the results have been hit or miss. Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, and Yusei Kikuchi have been inconsistent, but they need more from them because of Manoah’s struggles.
Verlander would slide right to the top of the rotation behind Gausman, but there is some cause for concern in Toronto after Gausman was forced to miss his first start after the All-Star break after feeling discomfort on his left side. The Blue Jays are being really careful and rightfully so, and adding an arm at the deadline is an almost must.