There is a good chance Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez loses his job next season
Photo credit: Deadspin
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez might be losing his job in the starting rotation next season as the team will look to move him to the bullpen.
Rodriguez had a 2024 season filled with up and downs as certain games he looked in full control while others he had a difficult time finding the strike zone which resulted in a 4.47 ERA at the end of the season.
When he was on, Rodr�guez looked electric on the mound. His two most impressive starts of the season came in July when he posted back-to-back six strikeout games of six innings or more. Opponents only hit .132 off Rodr�guez in July, the third lowest opponent's batting average in a single month for a Blue Jays starter. He sputtered in August but wrapped up his first professional career with a 4.47 ERA in 21 starts. -Hunter
Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez might be headed to the bullpen next season
Rodriguez had a tough time in certain parts of the 2024 season but it was also his first season in the MLB which takes some getting used to for most pitchers.
Keeping Rodriguez in the starting rotation could be a possibility if he is able to get his walk numbers down and show in Spring Training that he has improved his control of the ball.
The biggest upside for Rodr�guez lies in the starting rotation. If he can trim his walk rate down and start pitching into the fifth and sixth innings rather than only the fourth inning, that would be huge to helping stabilize the Blue Jays' starting rotation. -Hunter
If the Blue Jays end up going to get a pitcher in free agency as they have spoken of, Rodriguez will likely have no choice to move to the bullpen unless the Blue Jays decide to trade Chris Bassitt which has been rumored to be a possibility.
Moving Rodriguez to the bullpen could also end up being a great mvoe since he has a ton of power and their bullpen clearly needs some serious help which he could provide next season.
On the other hand, there's an intriguing case to be made to flip Rodr�guez back into a reliever (for the 2025 season, at least). He has a big arm with big strikeout potential, something the Blue Jays desperately need in the back end of their bullpen. -Hunter
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