ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Ryan Yarbrough sure drove the Toronto Blue Jays nuts during his five seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays. In the 23 games they faced off, he posted a 9-3 record and 3.52 ERA in 94.2 innings, time and again leaving batters flummoxed that they didn’t square him up. Along the way, he earned their grudging respect.
His July 30 acquisition in a deadline deal that sent Kevin Kiermaier to the Los Angeles Dodgers put an end to those feelings of torment, and with nearly two months together now, the Blue Jays are feeling something new for the crafty lefty – appreciation.
“He is such an undervalued piece in baseball,” pitching coach Pete Walker said Sunday before Yarbrough allowed one run over four innings of bulk work in a 4-3 loss to the Rays. “That kind of guy, you cannot find him. He gives you innings. He’s not afraid. He’s a professional. He goes about his business the right way. He’ll take the ball in any situation.
“I’ve enjoyed watching him from a distance in the past and now seeing him on our side, I realize how valuable he is to a rotation and a bullpen,” Walker continued. “For me, he’s like the glue between the cracks.”
Yarbrough’s certainly demonstrated that in his 11 appearances with the Blue Jays, with three of his past six outings coming in a bulk role on pre-planned bullpen days to ensure the rotation pitches with an extra day of rest. Seven times he’s gone at least two innings, topping out at five frames, and only once has he allowed more than one run.
Besides getting the starters extra rest, his flexibility has also allowed the Blue Jays to better manage the bullpen usage of others, which can reduce the need to shuttle relievers up and down to ensure there are enough fresh arms around.
In short, he impacts the entire pitching staff well beyond his work on the mound.
It’s akin to the role Ross Stripling filled when he was initially acquired from the Dodgers in 2020 before cementing his spot in the rotation, and to the work Trevor Richards did the past three years.
As the Blue Jays look to remake their bullpen this winter, re-signing Yarbrough, a pending free agent, makes sense, and they’re expected to pursue a reunification.
Facing the Rays for the first time since they parted ways with him after the 2022 season, Yarbrough deserved a better fate. Following Ryan Burr – who in three outings as an opener has thrown 4.1 shutout innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts – he nursed a 1-0 lead provided by Leo Jimenez’s fourth-inning sac fly into the sixth, when he left with one on and one out.
Zach Pop retired Junior Caminero but then served up a two-run shot to Jonathan Aranda – the infielder going deep in each game of the series – that put the Rays up 2-1. Ernie Clement’s RBI single in the seventh tied the game again but Christopher Morel’s sac fly off Genesis Cabrera in the bottom half restored the Rays lead and Brandon Lowe’s solo shot off Erik Swanson in the eighth padded their margin.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s RBI single in the ninth, giving him 100 RBIs in a season for the second time, pulled the Blue Jays within one, but they could get no closer.
The finale capped a frustrating weekend for the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field, capping a 35-46 season on the road this year. Their final six games of the season are at home, beginning Monday with the first of three against Boston.
Yarbrough is the club’s only pending free agent in what will be a crossroads off-season for the franchise. What his market looks like is uncertain, but given the steps the Blue Jays took to protect their starters after the deadline, bringing back the 32-year-old to make an extra day of rest a more regular occurrence next year is worth considering.
Finding ways to ease the burden on the club’s starters next year is something the Blue Jays “have discussed and thought of looking into next year,” said Walker. “It depends on how you put it together. If you have a guy like Yarbs and you have a good opener, obviously, there are some more possibilities. You can kind of squeeze that in when possible to maybe give the rotation an extra day rest here and there and maybe over the course of the season, that makes a big difference.”
