Time is now to fix Jays’ troubled pen
Allowed 42 of 109 inherited runners to score
• It was too early in April, then still early in May. Now that spring has turned to summer and the days are getting shorter, ‘ it’s early’ is an old bromide that no longer survives scrutiny.
Something has to be done about the Blue Jay bullpen.
As a unit, the Blue Jays bullpen is 8-18, by far the worst won-lost record among MLB relief corps. That means t hey have coughed up 18 games in which they were either tied or leading when the bullpen door opened.
They still have a horrendous record as it pertains to inherited runners. They have allowed 42 of 109 inherited runners to score, secondworst percentage in baseball.
The Blue Jays’ five- man rotation has been the team’s greatest strength all year. Part of the reason that Toronto’s starters lead the majors in innings pitched is, understandably so, a reluctance to hand the ball over to a bullpen that has blown so many leads. And, when they do have a lead it is not a fiveor a seven- run lead, as was the norm in 2015. That also puts more pressure on the relief corps.
This team went through the same anxiety a year ago. They began the season with a makeshift bullpen, hoping that Miguel Castro and Roberto Osuna, neither of whom had pitched above Double- A, would be able to handle the big jump. Osuna passed that test, Castro did not. Brett Cecil had a terrible start to the season. They used more than 20 relievers before they renovated the entire unit at the trade deadline.
Aaron Sanchez, who had started the season in the rotation, came off the disabled list and was a solid setup man for Osuna. They acquired Mark Lowe from the Mariners and he became a go- to guy. LaTroy Hawkins came in as part of the Troy Tulowitzki deal and helped solidify the unit with his professionalism.
But after the season, Lowe and Hawkins were gone Sanchez was going back to the rotation. New blood was needed.
Nothing much happened until after Christmas when they acquired Jesse Chavez in exchange for Liam Hendriks. Later, they traded Ben Revere for Drew Storen, who had strong credentials as a closer.
Neither Chavez nor Storen has been adequate, except in short spurts. Floyd, who was somewhat reliable, is now facing an extended absence with a significant shoulder i njury. Management did make a good pickup when they got Jason Grilli from Atlanta.
Cecil, who was brilliant from June until the end of the season a year ago, will be back any day now after recovering from a lat strain and if he can be anywhere near as effective as he was in the last half of last year, it will be a big lift.
Sanchez is destined to move back to the pen once he starts to bump up against an innings limit ( as yet unstated).
Still, it would seem imperative GM Ross Atkins go out and grab at least one, perhaps two veteran relief arms to get this bullpen back on the rails. Relievers won’t come cheap, but it needs to be done.
The Jays will reach the season’s mid-point on Friday against the red- hot Cleveland Indians. It’s not early. Not anymore.
THIS TEAM WENT THROUGH THE SAME ANXIETY A YEAR AGO.