Seems pretty simple to me vs. LHP I sit Jansen and either one of Biggio or Kiermaier and start Espinal.
Versus RHP, I would sit Espinal and rotate in Biggio and Kiermaier in the field, which would allow Kirk the occasional day off, and when he sits it would allow another player the opportunity to rest their legs a bit and DH for the day.
With Merrifield’s excellent versatility, and with Biggio being a versatile player himself, the Jay’s should be able to rotate guys in and out whenever anyone needs a day off or is facing a pitcher they struggle against.
Also, if either Biggio or Kiermaier is hot or struggling at the plate, the Jays can easily just ride the hot hand..
Plus, whenever Kiermaier sits, he can be used in the outfield as a late innings defensive replacement to maximize their outfield defense.
Having two to three quality bench pieces is an excellent problem to have, and over the course of the regular season, each player should be able to get plenty of at-bats and playing time.
Injuries are simply just a part of the game, but between having Bichette, Espinal, Biggio, Merrifield, Springer, Chapman, Kiermaier, and having multiple quality catchers the Jay’s have positioned themselves with plenty of enough depth and flexibility to account for any setbacks.
I also think with starters like Manoah, Gausman, Ryu, Bassitt, Berrios, Kikuchi, and White all possibly available to start for the Jays, they should have enough quality rotation depth to really make some noise in their division and ultimately make some noise come postseason time.
I don’t really know alot about how the Jay’s are going to use their bullpen arms, but with guys like Swanson, Cimber, Bass, Garcia, Gage, Mayza, Richards, Thornton, Pop, and Romano closing it out they look like a very solid, all-around put together group.
Also, I cannot forget they could still potentially add a healthy Pearson coming out of the pen with some 97-100mph gas, and speaking of a flamethrower, the Jay’s could also debut Yosver Zulueta.
Zulu is one of their more exciting and tantalizingly talented, high ceiling prospects. He just needs to continue working on his control, and with a promising start to his season, we could see the Jay’s unleash Zulueta out of the bullpen at some point fairly early on in the 2023 season.
So, excluding Richards and Thornton, the Jay’s should have at least EIGHT or NINE quality arms they can turn to in order to bridge the gap between their starters and closing the door in the 9th with Romano.
I know I certainly wouldn’t want my favorite team trying to come from behind, and having to face some combination of Bass, Swanson, and then Gage in the 6th and 7th innings, Pearson in the 8th, and then Romano in the 9th.
Now, obviously, Toronto could stand to upgrade at a few spots up and down their roster, but every team has its own strengths and weaknesses. All in all, the Blue Jay’s are a very talented, pretty complete team, and it should be fun watching them and how they’re able to grow and develop as a team throughout the regular season.
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