Blue Jays' Pitchers Fantasy Baseball Preview | Kevin Gausman, Jeff Hoffman, Bowden Francis, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and More

Let's wrap up our fantasy baseball team preview on the Toronto Blue Jays by looking at the team's pitchers. We looked at hitters in another article.

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Top Fantasy Pitchers

There's a few Toronto pitchers on the ADP list.

The first one off draft boards is Kevin Gausman at pick 92.77 on average.

Closer Jeff Hoffman is at pick 138.32, while starter Bowden Francis is at pick 147.23. Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer are some late-round options.

Gausman regressed a bit in 2024, but still put up pretty solid numbers. 

In 31 starts, Gausman posted a 3.83 earned run average and a 14-11 record. He had 162 punchouts over 181 innings. The biggest regression was his strikeouts, going from 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings (9.2 in his career) in 2023 to just 8.1 last season.

Gausman still was a pretty solid fantasy asset in 2024 despite the lower K mark, and he's a bounceback candidate for 2025. He's also 34 years old, so him pitching at that elite level might never come back again.

Around his ADP, I don't have any issues taking Gausman. Him as a third or fourth fantasy starting pitcher is how I like him. Anything more than that and your rotation is probably lacking.

Hoffman pitched for the Phillies last season, but is now projected to be the Blue Jays' closer.

In 68 games with Philly in 2024, Hoffman went 3-3 with a 2.17 ERA. He had 10 saves and 89 punchouts over 66 1/3 innings.

There's a couple other solid relievers in Toronto, which are probably holding fantasy owners back from taking Hoffman even earlier in drafts, because that strikeout total is really enticing if you even toss in 25 saves.

At his ADP, there's not as much risk involved if you take Hoffman in hopes he is the team's season-long closer. If he ends up losing the job, I think he'll have accumulated enough stats by then to make a pick near that ADP worth it.

Francis came on strong in the latter portion of the 2024 season.

In 27 games and 13 starts, Francis had an 8-5 record and 3.30 ERA. He struck out 92 batters over 103 2/3 innings.

Francis is expected to round out the Blue Jays' rotation. There's not a ton of competition for that spot, but he'll need to keep pitching well to retain that role.

I feel like Francis' ADP is a bit too early. I'd prefer him a round or so after that pick. He could greatly outpitch that pick, but I'd feel much safer taking Francis 10 or so picks later in case he struggles or loses his rotation spot eventually.

Berrios has been a steady contributor over the past two seasons, but his strikeout numbers dropped off in 2024.

In 32 starts, Berrios posted a 3.60 ERA and went 16-11. He struck out 152 batters over 192 1/3 innings. His 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings mark is 1.5 Ks lower than 2023, and 1.4 lower than his career mark.

He'll turn 31 this season, so I still expect some good numbers out of Berrios. He feels like a much safer pick than Francis, and his ADP is much more safe in my eyes. I like taking Berrios to help round out my fantasy rotation - he might be a keeper all season, especially if he bounces back in the strikeout department.

Bassitt's numbers dropped off in a big way in 2024.

In 31 starts, he went 10-14 with a 4.16 ERA. That's not a terrible ERA, but he has a career 3.59 ERA, so it was a noticeable step back. He struck out 168 batters over 171 innings.

Bassitt is another bounceback candidate, but at age 36, I would not count on it. This late in a standard league draft though, I wouldn't mind taking a gamble on Bassitt. He can be dropped if he doesn't bounce back, or be a season-long keeper or trade chip if he rebounds.

Scherzer was bitten by the injury bug last season, making just nine starts.

He went 2-4 with a 3.95 ERA in his starts with the Rangers last season. Scherzer struck out 40 batters over 43 1/3 innings.

The days of him being a top-end fantasy pitcher are gone, but there's still streaming value, at least. His big name will get him into some standard leagues, but I like him best in deeper leagues to start the season. Scherzer should be streamed in favorable matchups, and could become a keeper if he stays healthy and keeps pitching near last year's marks.

Other Starting Options

According to FanGraphs, we've already covered the team's projected starting rotation. 

Yariel Rodriguez is the projected long reliever, while Angel Bastardo and Alek Manoah are other starting options, but injured right now.

Chad Green and Yimi Garcia are the projected setup men for Hoffman. Nick Sandlin, Brendon Little, Zach Pop and Tommy Nance are the other projected bullpen arms to begin the season. Ryan Burr and Erik Swanson are relievers who are banged up to begin the season.

Bastardo is likely to return in 2026, but Manoah has a chance to return in June or August. He could have streaming potential if he's starting games.

Green and Garcia are the bullpen guys to watch if Hoffman is struggling or injured. Almost every reliever who isn't closing games is a deep-league option at best. 

Top Prospects

Trey Yesavage is the No. 87 prospect in baseball, but has a 2026 ETA.

Jake Bloss, Adam Macko, Mason Fluharty, Ryan Jennings and Lazaro Estrada are other members of the team's top-30 prospect list with 2025 ETAs.

Yesavage was the team's first-round pick in 2024. He hasn't pitched in the minor leagues yet.

Bloss made three MLB starts last season, going 0-1 with a 6.94 ERA. In 112 minor league innings, Bloss has a 3.13 ERA, 111 strikeouts, 48 walks and a .200 average against him.

Macko has started 59 of the 66 minor league games he's pitched in. He has a 4.46 ERA, 359 punchouts, 128 walks and a .231 average against him so far.

Fluharty has made 114 relief appearances in the minors. He has a 3.47 ERA, with 172 strikeouts, 55 walks and a .240 average against him across 140 innings.

Jennings has made 22 starts across 38 minor league appearances. He has a 2.73 ERA across 112 innings, along with having 131 strikeouts, 46 walks and a .216 average against him.

Estrada has made 62 starts across 91 minor league appearances. He has a 3.28 ERA, 402 punchouts, 96 walks and a .218 average against him across 331 2/3 innings.

Adam Kloffenstein, Braydon Fisher, Eric Pardinho and Hayden Juenger are some other pitchers age 25 or younger who are in big league camp with Toronto this spring.