Do the Blue Jays already have the best rotation in baseball as Bieber opts in?

"It felt like a fever dream when the move was first announced; Shane Bieber is joining the Toronto Blue Jays. That headline punctuated a trade deadline where the Blue Jays bolstered their team with some very under the radar moves, maybe none more than picking up a former Cy Young award winner who was, at the time, still recovering from Tommy John surgery."

"But that's not what happened, instead Bieber pitched brilliantly for the Blue Jays in both the regular season and the playoffs and decided to stick around for one more year, possibly giving the Blue Jays the best rotation in the game. Do the Blue Jays already have the best rotation in baseball as Bieber opts in? A full season of a healthy Bieber will already give the Blue Jays a head start on the rotation they started with in 2025."

Shane Bieber was acquired while still recovering from Tommy John surgery and initially projected to provide only a few starts before testing free agency. Bieber instead pitched excellently in the regular season and playoffs and exercised his player option for 2026. His return adds depth behind Kevin Gausman alongside José Berrios, Chris Bassitt, Bowden Francis and Max Scherzer, though Berrios and Francis faced injuries and Bassitt moved to the bullpen in the postseason. FanGraphs projects Bieber for 172 innings, 2.8 fWAR, 157 strikeouts, a 3.87 ERA, a 21.7% strikeout rate and a 3.77 FIP.

Read at Jays Journal