Blue Jays’ bet on Rodríguez paying off in unique ways
CHICAGO — Yariel Rodríguez is the risk the Blue Jays need to keep taking.
This organization is headed towards another offseason pivot, another crack at finding the right ingredients to mix in with the core of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and the solid rotation. A sprinkle of this, a teaspoon of that, but the Blue Jays just haven’t found the right recipe.
This past winter, Toronto didn’t update that recipe much. The club signed Justin Turner, Kevin Kiermaier and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, rounding out its roster with veterans. All three are gone now, traded at the Deadline in a season that has been disappointing and will soon be forgotten. Rodríguez, the Blue Jays’ only other big-league signing, is the last man standing.
Finally settled into a starter’s schedule, Rodríguez is showing his upside, which has made the mystery so intriguing from the very beginning. Friday’s 6-5 walk-off loss to the Cubs in 10 innings wasn’t Rodríguez’s finest outing by any means, as he allowed four runs and three homers over five innings, but the Cuban right-hander was coming off two excellent starts, and he still represents something this organization is short on: true upside.
“I think [his stuff] is getting better, a little bit, by getting used to pitching every five days,” manager John Schneider said. “His velocity is there. His stuff is there. It’s just about limiting a handful of pitches per outing from him. He’s done a really good job of maintaining it.”
Rodríguez should have around eight starts left in 2024. When you add his Minor League innings on top of the 55 he’s thrown in the big leagues, he’s at 75 1/3 frames this season. A minor back issue in Spring Training and an IL stint earlier in the year were frustrating at the time, but since the Blue Jays have fallen out of contention, hindsight paints those moments in a kinder light. There shouldn’t be much of a workload restriction, if any, down the stretch.