Bisons surprise pick for opening day start in Buffalo

While Jaje Bloss is the pitcher to watch down in Buffalo, he won't be the one starting opening day. The honour goes to another pitcher, one who had a relatively strong spring: Eric Lauer.

In a way it makes sense. Lauer has 120 games of major league experience under his belt and this spring, showed that he was ready to fill in for the Blue Jays when needed. As of this writing, he is not on the 40-man roster, but that's a bridge the Blue Jays will cross if and when they get to it.

This also isn't Lauer's first time starting opening day. He did the honours for the Padres in 2019, a season in which he went 8-10 with a 4.45 ERA. It was his first full year in the bigs.

The Blue Jays starting pitching depth has taken a hit with injuries to both Adam Kloffenstein and Adam Macko, but will still have a solid top for in Lauer, Bloss, Easton Lucas and Trenton Wallace. So it's there, it just looks different.

The Blue Jays, who originally drafted Lauer in the 17th round of the 2013 draft - he chose not to sign - are clearly impressed with the lefty, who have elevated to number six after only being in the organization since September.

While it's possible - and somewhat likely - that Bloss gets promoted by Lauer, the lefty has suddenly become a very valuable part of this team. If he pitches well, he'll back in the majors in no time.