Five options for Blue Jays to fill Stroman void

Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports joins Tim and Sid to talk about the devastating news that pitcher Marcus Stroman is likely done for the year with a torn ACL and whether moves need to be made.

The Toronto Blue Jays were dealt a devastating hand from the baseball gods when right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman went down with a torn ACL.

Stroman will likely miss the 2015 season, which puts the heat on general manager Alex Anthopoulos & Co., to find a way to solidify the starting staff just weeks away from Opening Day. Veterans R.A. Dickey and Mark Buehrle are set in stone, with Drew Hutchison joining them. That leaves the likes of Marco Estrada, Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez as the most likely candidates to round-out the rotation.


WATCH LIVE: Marcus Stroman will address the media on Wednesday morning to discuss his injury and missing the 2015 season. Catch it live on Sportsnet, Sportsnet 590 The Fan and right here on sportsnet.ca at 9:00 a.m. ET.


Here is a look at five options for the Blue Jays in the wake of Stroman’s injury.

About that Marco Estrada acquisition

Estrada, acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for Adam Lind, made 62 starts between the 2012 and 2014 seasons. He was effective as a starter in 2012, registering a 3.64 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 138.1 innings.

The 31-year old bounced between spot-starting duty and long relief in 2014, but his previous experience probably propels him into a spot in the Blue Jays’ rotation out of the gate for 2015 now.

The future truly is now

The loss of Stroman could open the door for another lively young arm to step into the rotation. Left-hander Daniel Norris, who appeared in five games and made one start in 2014, entered spring training as a legitimate candidate to start this season. The likelihood of him travelling north with the Blue Jays appears all but guaranteed now.

Sanchez was very effective in limited use last season as a reliever. He could fast-track to the rotation if the club can patch together a replacement for his arm out of the pen.

In the long shot category, right-handed 20-year-olds Miguel Castro and Roberto Osuna could arrive in Toronto sooner than later. Both have impressed early this spring.

Given the handling of Norris and Sanchez in 2014, Castro and/or Osuna would be more likely to work in a relief role before being thrown into the rotation. Moving Sanchez to the rotation could be in order here.

The trade route

Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies will not escape trade rumours until the day he’s dealt. Any Hamels-to-the-Blue-Jays talk is mostly wishful thinking among fans eager to see an elite left-hander join the staff. Besides, the loss of Stroman means the Blue Jays are down one high-ceiling young arm.

Hamels and the $94 million he’s owed over the next four seasons are not coming to Toronto without a package centred around some of the club’s best prospects going the other way. On top of that, the Phillies would probably have to pick up a generous portion of that contract.

The New York Mets’ Dillon Gee is not in the same class as Hamels, but he presents a more affordable option. Gee is owed $5.3 million this season and went 7-8 with a 4.00 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 22 starts in 2014.

Navarro tops the list of Blue Jays most likely to be traded, but the Mets don’t match up well. Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun cited the Arizona Diamonbacks as a potential suitor for Navarro’s catching services, with the likes of relievers Addison Reed and Brad Ziegler as pieces possibly going the other way. That would certainly open the door for Sanchez to slide into the rotation while solidifying the bullpen, although it might take more than Navarro to land Reed.

You don’t mess with the Johan

Signing Johan Santana to a minor-league deal with an invite to spring training was a shot in the dark for the Blue Jays. But if the soon-to-be 36-year-old pitcher can prove he’s healthy, then he’ll certainly get his chance to crack the team now.

Santana is often injured, and he’s nearly a decade removed from a pair of American League Cy Young Awards, but he’s been good when he’s healthy. The problem is he has not pitched in a major league game since 2012 due to a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder suffered prior to the 2013 campaign with the Mets.

If Santana made Toronto’s Opening Day roster, it could be one of baseball’s better feel-good stories of the season. But considering his age and recent injury history, that’s a massive ‘if’.

Dumpster diving

Randy Wolf is without a contract, Lucas Harrell is set to pitch in South Korea for 2015, and Daisuke Matsuzaka is attempting a comeback in Japan.

Those are hardly palatable options, but there’s always the possibility of picking up another team’s cast-offs as the spring progresses.

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