The Toronto Blue Jays Should Adopt a 6-Man Rotation in 2013

It is no secret that the Toronto Blue Jays have been plagued by injuries this year. While top bats like Jose Bautista and Brett Lawrie have missed significant time, it is the pitching that has been impacted the most.

As a result of three injuries to the starting rotation, 11 different pitchers have started at least once for the Blue Jays this season.

Pitching has seemed to be a dark spot for Toronto to this point, but as we move closer to the end of the year, they now have an almost set rotation.

With Brandon Morrow returning, there are now five set starters for the rest of the year. However, manager John Farrell plans to run a six-man rotation in September. This may just be temporary, but it is something that the Jays should consider using in 2013.

This article will preview what a potential six-man rotation would look like for Toronto. It will also highlight the benefits and barriers to the decision and explain why John Farrell and company should try it out next year.

Positives

For a team like Toronto, there is a lot of upside in a six-man rotation. They have several young arms and a few players that have dealt with injuries in the past.

Three Blue Jays pitchers have undergone Tommy John surgery in 2012 and you could easily argue that it is from being overworked.

By electing to go with six starters, it will help prevent the injuries that some of the Jays top hurlers have suffered this season.

With an extra day of rest, the starters will also be able to go later into games every once in a while. The longer they can pitch into a game, the higher their confidence will be.

This will also keep the bullpen rested so that Jeff Mathis does not have to pitch.

Negatives

For every positive, there is usually a negative waiting right behind it. Instead of ignoring them, I will lay them out so that you, the reader, has all of the facts needed to form an opinion.

Kyle Drabek, Drew Hutchison and Luis Perez are all recovering from Tommy John surgery and will not be available for the start of the 2013 season.

This will put Toronto in an interesting situation. Do they bring up a prospect that may not be major-league ready? Do they gamble on a free agent or sign someone for a year to fill in for Drabek and Hutchison?

With the lack of quality depth that the Blue Jays have at starting pitcher, they would almost be forced to make a move via trade or free agency to move to a six-man rotation.

Probable Rotation

Potential Rotation:

1. Brandon Morrow
2. Ricky Romero
3. Henderson Alvarez
4. J.A. Happ
5. Carlos Villanueva
6. Free agent

Although many of us would love to see Toronto make a big move and acquire a top player, I do not see it happening this offseason.

Unless something unexpected happens in the last month of 2012, Brandon Morrow should be your ace to start the year.

He will be followed by this year’s ace, Ricky Romero, who will be looking to have a bounce-back season.

Henderson Alvarez lands at No. 3 and will be heading into his second full season as a starter.

J.A. Happ and Carlos Villanueva round out the current starting five. Happ has pitched well as of late and barring an ugly spring, has earned himself a spot in the rotation. Villanueva has been lights out for the Jays thus far and must be resigned this offseason.

As for the free agent pickups, there are a few players at whom the Jays could look. Canadian Erik Bedard is currently a free agent and as featured columnist Matthew Appleby wrote, Brandon McCarthy is a guy who Toronto should certainly consider.

Verdict

The Blue Jays should have a six-man rotation to start the 2013 season. This pitching staff was great during the early portion of this year, but there have been struggles since.

Toronto has a handful of young and talented arms, but they need to be stay fresh in order to be effective.

Let Romero pitch that extra batter knowing that he has an extra day to rest. Get his confidence up and keep Morrow off the DL and they'll have two of the best pitchers in baseball.