Projecting the Blue Jays' 26-man playoff roster as Twins series looms

After much hand-wringing, jockeying for position, and even a Wes Parsons spot start, the Toronto Blue Jays are off to Minnesota for their wild-card series with the Twins.

The Blue Jays concluded their up-and-down season over the weekend, and will now look to win their first playoff game in seven years over a Twins club searching for their first in over two decades.

As for who will be on the field this series for the Blue Jays, much is left to be decided. The obvious names are so for a reason, and the Blue Jays will likely go as far as their stars will take them, though there are others that could play key roles.

Here are our best guesses as to who will be named to the Blue Jays 26-man roster ahead of Tuesday afternoon’s Game 1 showdown.

Starting Pitchers: Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Yusei Kikuchi

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that Kevin Gausman will get the ball for Toronto for the series opener, and Toronto should feel plenty comfortable going with either Bassitt or Berrios for games two and three. More notable is the inclusion of Yusei Kikuchi, and the exclusion of fellow southpaw Hyun-Jin Ryu.

The likelihood that Kikuchi throws during this series is fairly slim, particularly given who is ahead of him in the rotation and the Blue Jays' reliable lefty relief options in Tim Mayza and Genesis Cabrera.

What Kikuchi could provide the Blue Jays, however, is some length out of the bullpen if things get hairy, or if a game goes into extra innings where ghost runners won’t be a factor.

As for Ryu, his remarkable return to form for the Blue Jays following Tommy John surgery has been an understatedly important development for the club given the Alek Manoah saga, but it seems likely his season is over, at least in an on-field capacity or barring injury.

His crafty pitch mix works well in a bulk role, but over an inning or two, his stuff is unlikely to play up enough to warrant putting him in an important spot.

Relievers: Jordan Romano, Jordan Hicks, Erik Swanson, Yimi Garcia, Genesis Cabrera, Chad Green, Tim Mayza, Trevor Richards

The two Jordans, Romano and Hicks, alongside Erik Swanson are likely to form the bedrock of the Blue Jays' high-leverage relief options as they have since the trade deadline.

Beyond those three, Mayza and Cabrera represent a pair of lefties more than capable of shutting down the Twins' best, even if Minnesota has demolished southpaws to the tune of a 147 wRC+ since September 1.

Finally, Yimi Garcia, Chad Green and Trevor Richards round out the bullpen. Notably, that means Bowden Francis, who has sparkled with the Blue Jays over 36.1 innings with a 1.73 ERA, is left off the roster.

In Green and Richards' case, both seem like options that might be worth swapping out for Francis, particularly given their September struggles.

Green returned from Tommy John surgery at the beginning of the month and stumbled, concluding his truncated year with a 5.25 ERA in 12 innings. Richards, meanwhile, has gone from inner circle member of trust to bullpen-afterthought, with an ERA over 9.00 since his return from the IL in mid-August.

Including those two over Francis may come as a surprise, but it’s worth considering that much of the 27-year-old’s success has come in relatively low-leverage spots. Those situations will arise during the postseason, but it’s probably not worth dedicating a roster spot to fill them. Richards, on the other hand, has been tasked with tougher assignments and has a track record of success prior to his injury.

Additionally, after a slow start, Green has turned a corner to conclude September. The veteran righty struck out 10 and walked just two, one of which was intentional, while allowing one run over his final six outings. If that’s the type of production the Blue Jays will get from Green during the postseason, there’s no doubt he’ll be an important part of any substantial run.

Catchers: Alejandro Kirk, Tyler Heineman

Infielders: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, Bo Bichette, Matt Chapman, Brandon Belt, Davis Schneider, Santiago Espinal, Whit Merrifield

Outfielders: Daulton Varsho, Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer, Cam Eden

There shouldn’t be too many surprises here for the Blue Jays, who have trotted this group out for the bulk of their postseason push.

Alejandro Kirk will hold down catching duties for the foreseeable future, as Danny Jansen is reportedly weeks, not days, away from returning from a fractured finger. Behind him, Tyler Heineman serves as the backup, but doesn’t seem likely to get much, if any, game action barring an injury to Kirk.

In the infield, it’ll be the Blue Jays' trio of second-generation sticks leading the charge as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette are likely to be joined by Cavan Biggio given his strong finish and Whit Merrifield’s stumbles. Alongside Matt Chapman at the hot corner, it’ll be business as usual for the Blue Jays on the diamond, with Davis Schneider, Merrifield, and Santiago Espinal providing positional versatility and some thump off the pine.

Brandon Belt could also factor into the infield discussion under the right circumstances, namely an untimely Guerrero Jr. injury, but for now the lefty plugs in as the starting DH after battling injuries to end the year.

In the outfield, the Blue Jays' investment into the defensive side of the ball will come into sharper focus under the bright postseason lights, as Kevin Kiermaier is flanked by Daulton Varsho and George Springer, as had been the plan dating back to April.

Notably, as a fourth outfielder, however, Cam Eden gets the nod over others such as Nathan Lukes and Spencer Horwitz, both of whom were superior hitters to Eden this season. For the Blue Jays, Eden provides a key tool the rest of the team lacks: blazing-fast speed.

Given the highly specialized nature of the team's 26th spot, adding Eden into the fold — who could play a similar role to that of Dalton Pompey back in 2015 — is an intriguing option, as his 53 steals to 4 caught stealing with Triple-A Buffalo arguably make him the biggest threat on the bases in the entire organization.

Having that toolkit at their disposal, particularly in late-game situations, could prove invaluable for a team that’ll need every competitive advantage it can find if it hopes to make a deep postseason run.