...
By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to cap off a strong regular season with a deep playoff run in just a few weeks, but then they'll have some tough decisions to make.
The team has several pending free agents, even after locking in franchise star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with a $500 million extension. Key players, including Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt and Seranthony Dominguez, all have the chance to become free agents at the end of the year.
But a pair of Cy Young Award-winning starters are also headed toward free agency and the team might not have room to keep both.
Read More on MLB
After the Blue Jays swung a trade to bring in Shane Bieber at this season's deadline, Edward Eng of FanSided's Jays Journal predicted the team would turn to him as a long-term replacement while letting Max Scherzer walk this winter.
...
"Despite the consistent performance, injuries still remain one of (Scherzer's) main Achilles heels in recent years as he managed only 19 starts in 2023 and just nine starts in 2024 due to various ailments," Eng wrote. "As a result, with Scherzer and his injury risk, as much as the Jays fans appreciate what he has done for the team this season, they will likely be aiming for a consistent, healthy, dominant arm to be part of the rotation with Shane Bieber being the prime candidate to fulfill that role going forward."
Of course, the Blue Jays would face some significant injury risk if they invested a long-term contract in Bieber as well. He has made just seven starts in the last two years combined and will be 31 years old next year.
But he still has significantly less mileage on his arm than Scherzer does, so if it's simply a matter of mitigating the risk between the two, perhaps Bieber will be the Blue Jays' choice for the rotation moving forward.
More MLB: Cubs Predicted to Sign Dodgers World Series Champion in Free Agency
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines