Toronto Blue Jays preparing major move after acquiring Max Scherzer

The team now can move forward with their plan to move Yariel Rodriguez to the bullpen as this will give the Blue Jays more flexibility in their lineup and help shore up an area of pressing need.

Questions remain on Yariel Rodriguez's effectiveness as a reliever

There were two schools of thought on what the Blue Jays had in store for Rodriguez and his services. Many feel that it's hard to be confident on what Rodriguez could offer as a full-time starting pitcher and it seems the team is leaning towards the latter of being part of the bullpen.

As the Toronto Blue Jays seek a starting pitcher that would bump Yariel Rodriguez to the bullpen, it's worth examining how the righty would fare as a reliever. Here's what @NickAshbourne found.The Blue Jays could probably live with, but to take things a little farther, we can find some pitch comparisons in our sample - specifically for Rodríguez's four-seam fastball and slider, which he threw 68 per cent of the time in 2024, and would likely lean on even more in relief. - Nick Ashbourne Sportsnet

The addition of Max Scherzer has certainly helped clarify what the starting rotation will look like on Opening Day. The Blue Jays have been working hard for the past several weeks to acquire one to several free agents as the team is willing to spend the money and improve their offense and pitching.

Blue Jays attention fully on acquiring Pete Alonso and or Alex Bregman

With Scherzer locked in, the Blue Jays management team are fully engaged in trying to sign both Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman, who are some of the best available free agents left in this year's offseason pool.

Adding both of these players or one of them will significantly help the Blue Jays offense and the team will look vastly different compared to last season and should be able to compete with the American League East and the rest of baseball.

This offseason and upcoming season will be likely the judgment point for this current administration as Atkins and President Mark Shapiro have been running this organization for 10 years and will need more success for them to remain in charge.

Source: Sportsnet
How a move to the bullpen may affect Yariel Rodriguez's performance