The Toronto Blue Jays have a new team president, and some big additions are to be expected. A slight change in franchise culture could be on deck as well, and one free agent who would match their needs nicely is starting pitcher Johnny Cueto.
After Alex Anthopoulos shocked the baseball world by parting ways with the Blue Jays after getting them to the postseason for the first time since 1993, Mark Shapiro has come in from Cleveland to be president.
With Shapiro comes a new offseason strategy, one that Toronto fans hope will revolve around pitching, given the current state of the Blue Jays’ depth chart.
Three out of the five starters from last year’s rotation are now free agents.
David Price and Marco Estrada will both be difficult to re-sign, and veteran Mark Buehrle is considering retirement. Sure, the team exercised a club option to bring back R.A. Dickey, but the 41-year-old is no longer considered a front-of-the-rotation guy.
During an interview on MLB Network, Shapiro was quick to applaud Anthopoulos’ ability to trade for Price:
Pitching is their most glaring hole, because we all know they can hit. They have that “Bat Flip” guy:
They have that “Parrot” guy:
They have the “Bringer of Rain,” Josh Donaldson:
Heck, they even traded for another bat with the deal for Troy Tulowitzki last summer, just for good measure. It was a move that was somewhat perplexing given the fact that their need has always been pitching, not more offensive help.
Sure, they also added Price, which helped tremendously, but perhaps they could have been better off by adding even another starting pitcher, similar to what the Oakland Athletics did during the 2014 season.
Even the trade for Donaldson last winter was surprising at the time. Obviously, it worked out really well for the Blue Jays, as Donaldson went on to have an MVP-caliber season, but trading away young pitchers for another bat seemed risky.
That’s why Shapiro and interim GM Tony LaCava need to make starting pitching their top priority this offseason. The Blue Jays lost a lot of depth in those Anthopoulos deals. Blue Jays Radio play-by-play announcer Mike Wilner has faith in LaCava, according to his tweet:
Since it will be difficult to re-sign Price, the duo should focus on an external option such as Cueto.
“Johnny Beisbol” could bring much-needed stability to the top of the Blue Jays rotation.
As it stands, there are injury concerns that exist with Marcus Stroman. Right-hander Drew Hutchison is expected to return to the rotation alongside Stroman, as reported by the Toronto Star’s Brendan Kennedy, but his 5.47 ERA as a starter last year is worrisome.
Sure, Cueto struggled after coming over to the American League from the Cincinnati Reds last season, but he was outstanding in the American League Division Series and the World Series.
Perhaps Cueto just needs some time to adjust to the new league. In his career, he is 14-6 with a 2.68 ERA during interleague play. Yes, he got hit hard in his start at Toronto in October, but he is 2-0 in three career regular-season starts at the Rogers Centre.
What about concerns over pitching in such a hitter-friendly ballpark, you ask? Well, Cueto pitched at the bandbox that is Great American Ball Park for seven-and-a-half years and had a winning percentage above .600.
His home runs per nine innings pitched have been below the league average for most of his career, according to FanGraphs:
Cueto would be a great acquisition for any team but would be especially valuable to the Blue Jays, because they’ve needed a guy like him for so many years. Just look at the impact Price had on the team in the second half of last year.
Cueto would be more affordable and has been healthy every year of his career save one. He represents an opportunity for the new GM to make a real splash.
The Blue Jays’ bats may have carried them for a couple of months at a time last season, but we all know pitching wins championships. Imagine the impact a true ace like Cueto could have over the span of a full season in Toronto.
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