Toronto Blue Jays rotation potentially best in AL East even without Jose Berrios
With Toronto Blue Jays pitchers and catchers reporting to Dunedin on Wednesday, the long baseball off-season is officially coming to an end.
It was a whirlwind winter for the Toronto Blue Jays, marked by significant roster changes following their dramatic Game 7 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last November.
MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson joined TSN Mornings on TSN 1200 Tuesday to break down Toronto’s revamped pitching staff, key Spring Training storylines, and his outlook for the 2026 season.
“I don’t think the upgrades to the Blue Jays’ rotation are getting nearly enough attention,” Matheson said. “There’s been a major step forward there.”
Toronto’s biggest move came on Dec. 2, when the club signed right-hander Dylan Cease to a seven-year, $210-million contract — the largest free-agent deal in franchise history.
“This feels like the new Kevin Gausman,” Matheson said. “You always knew the upside and the strikeout ability were there. If the Blue Jays can fine-tune things just a bit, you’re looking at a legitimate ace. We’ve seen Cease lead the league in strikeouts before. The talent is obvious — now it’s about consistency, and that’s what attracted him to Toronto.”
Cease, 30, posted a 4.55 ERA with 215 strikeouts across 168 innings for the San Diego Padres in 2025 — a down year by his standards.
Even so, he has finished in the top five of Cy Young Award voting twice, in 2022 and 2024.
The Blue Jays also added right-hander Cody Ponce, 31, who dominated in Korea last season with a 1.89 ERA.
Ponce hasn’t appeared in a major-league game since 2021 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but Matheson sees upside in the signing.
Along with Cease and Ponce, top prospect and 2025 playoff breakout Trey Yesavage is expected to play a major role in what Matheson believes could be one of the strongest rotations in the American League.
“The rotation, I think, has legitimately taken a major step forward. You look at the off-season Boston had, the Yankees will eventually get Gerrit Cole, Cam Schlittler, some of those guys back, but I think the rotation has the potential to be the best in the AL East and potentially one of the best in baseball.”
Matheson’s projected rotation for 2026 does not include long-time starter José Berrios.
Toronto finished 19th in MLB in runs allowed last season, giving up 4.45 runs per game. Six pitchers made at least 14 starts in 2025: Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Berrios, Eric Lauer, Scherzer, and Francis.
Bassitt and Scherzer both departed in free agency and remain unsigned entering Spring Training, while Francis is expected to compete for a depth role.
Matheson projects the Opening Day rotation as Gausman, Cease, Yesavage, Shane Bieber, and Ponce, with Lauer and Francis serving as additional depth.
That leaves the team in an uneasy position with long-time starter Jose Berrios, who struggled down the stretch in 2025 and finished with a 4.17 ERA in 30 starts.
“The boring answer - and I think the right answer - is that this takes care of itself. Somebody gets hurt, somebody has a rough spring, something happens naturally along the way [to open a spot for Berrios], but it’s an uncomfortable spot.”
How the Blue Jays handle Berrios is one of the key storylines Matheson will be watching closely throughout Spring Training, and one without a clear or easy solution.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 10|144 ANSWERS Toronto Blue Jays rotation potentially best in AL East even without Jose Berrios Do you agree with Keegan Matheson on Jose Berrios not being included in the Blue Jays rotation for 2026? | ||
| Yes | 62 | 43.1 % |
| No | 82 | 56.9 % |
| List of polls | ||