Blue Jays rank high among MLB 2025 rotations built for 162G Marathon

Rankings will be different for October playoff series

Mar 10, 2025

Judging from many years of personal experience, it seems MLB teams spend inordinate amounts of time, over the seven weeks of spring training, analyzing the best way to line up a five-man rotation, to maximize talent available.

However, history also shows, that as successful as that spring task may turn out, it never really means “mission accomplished.” By the end of the season, we know the 30 major-league teams are likely to average 10-plus starters, each, for 162 games. The regular season is a marathon. Health and depth are true keys to the best rotations.

It’s become a expensive exercise for MLB teams. Multi-year contracts for veteran starters are akin to legal sports gambling. If you are going to participate in the process, locking up the financial big-boys to guaranteed contracts via free agency, you better be comfortable in unforeseen injuries and losing gambles.

Consider that of the 46 current MLB starting pitchers earning $15-million plus in 2025, five of those, that combine to earn $113M, will begin the season on the Injured List. That list includes Gerrit Cole (NYY), Sean Manaea (NYM), Frankie Montas (NYM), Joe Musgrove (S.D.) and Alex Cobb (Det).

In addition to the injured big-ticket items, joining the majors’ gimpy group of hurlers who are likely to open the season on the IL, is an impressive, but alarming, array of once and future all-stars -- Spencer Strider (Atl), George Kirby (M’s), Brayan Bello (Bos), Kutter Crawford (Bos), Brandon Woodruff (Mil), Luis Gil (NYY), Grayson Rodriguez (O’s), Eury Perez (Mia) and Shane Bieber (Cle).

Assuredly, the task of proclaiming division winners midway through the pre-season, based strictly on season-opening rotations is as imprecise an art as it gets. But here we go, for your sceptical viewing pleasure.

AL Divisions by rotation – Blue Jays, Twins, Mariners; WC-Rangers, Red Sox, Rays.

NL Divisions by rotation – Phillies, Pirates, Dodgers; WC-Braves, D’backs, Padres.

When healthy, far and away, there is no denying the Mariners have the most impressive five-man rotation in MLB, combining youth and talent, while as a depth group, the Jays core of three, led by Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt, take the ball every fifth day and produce consistent quality.

In fact, studying the last two years 2023-24, the Top 3 starters for the M’s and Jays are the only trios that have all made at least 30 starts in both seasons. That M’s list does not even include Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo and, for the Jays, doesn’t show Max Scherzer and Bowden Francis, joining the rotation this year.

The most negative argument, working against the idea of placing these two sturdy starting groups at the top of their respective divisions is that the teams also reflect one another when it comes to their decided lack of run support for their superior rotations. But, of course, that’s why they play the games.

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Griff’s The Pitch

Blue Jays rank high among MLB 2025 rotations built for 162G Marathon

Rankings will be different for October playoff series

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