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The Toronto Blue Jays traded for Shane Bieber at the trade deadline, and he is expected to make his debut with the team on Friday.
With Bieber joining the rotation, someone needed to be bumped out, and the Blue Jays announced that Eric Lauer would be moving to the bullpen. That means the rotation will be Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Max Scherzer, José Berríos and Chris Bassitt for the time being.
“This is not a (permanent) move to the bullpen,” manager John Schneider told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.
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The simple fact is that Lauer is the only pitcher in the rotation with real experience coming out of the bullpen this year. However, he has also been one of the best starters on the team.
He is having a resurgent season, pitching to a 2.76 ERA this year. He has started his last 12 games and has a 3.05 ERA. He has a 3.25 ERA in his 14 starts. In his six bullpen outings, he has a 0.96 ERA.
Bieber has not pitched in the big leagues since last year. He is a two-time All-Star and former Cy Young Award winner. The Blue Jays have one of the best records in baseball, and adding Bieber could help propel them to the World Series.
It may have made more sense to move Berríos of Bassitt to the bullpen, but Matheson noted that it could be a fluid situation. Bieber had a 1.86 ERA in the minor leagues this year while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
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