Sep 21, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider (14) congratulates players on field after the win over the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Blue Jays' Starting Rotation Lacking Proven Ace Could Create Problems

Originally posted on Toronto Blue Jays on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 22, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Toronto Blue Jays officially clinched a postseason berth over the weekend, and the team will now be looking to finish strong and win the American League East. It has been a great year for the franchise, but there is still a lot more to accomplish.

Despite expectations not being overly high for the Blue Jays coming into the campaign, they have been able to achieve quite a bit in 2025. While the team might not have wrapped up the division just yet, they do have the best record in the AL heading into the final week of the season.

The road very well might run through Toronto if they can hold off the New York Yankees, who are two games back in the standings and playing well. As the team gets prepared for October, they will be trying to have more success than in their recent trips.

However, they might have some areas of concern. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN recently ranked the starting rotation for the Blue Jays fairly poorly and highlighted their lack of a proven ace heading into October.

Is the Rotation a Problem for Toronto?

William Purnell-Imagn Images

It was a bit surprising to see that the Blue Jays’ starting rotation was ranked as poorly as it was, but the reasoning behind it was their lack of a proven ace in 2025. When looking at some of the other playoff contenders just in the AL, there are names like Max Fried, Garrett Crochet, and Tarik Skubal to contend with.

At the trade deadline, Toronto did try to address this with the addition of former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber. The right-hander was rehabbing from Tommy John surgery for most of the season but came up to the Majors shortly after the trade.

While the sample size is small, the numbers for Bieber have been good. In six starts, he has totaled a 3.57 ERA and is averaging just under a strikeout per inning pitched.

The numbers for the right-hander are solid, but they haven’t been elite just yet. That improvement could come in October for the franchise, however, it's not a sure thing.

Overall, the rotation for the Blue Jays has been solid. This is a unit that has some quality depth, and they should feel comfortable in a potential seven-game series. However, they don’t quite match up yet with some of the best pitchers in the league if Bieber isn’t able to be elite.