With the MLB regular season less than two weeks away, the Toronto Blue Jays have found their opening day starter, according to Sportsnet’s Arash Madani.
Master of deception Marco Estrada will get the ball to kick off the 2017 campaign, a reward for the level of consistency he has shown over the past two seasons. Now in his third season with the Blue Jays since signing a two-year, $26 million deal to stay in Toronto a year ago, Estrada finds himself in another contract year.
The 33-year-old has been everything the Blue Jays hoped for and more since acquiring him in a trade for Adam Lind in 2014. He has a 7.0 WAR over two seasons to go with a 3.30 ERA and 1.08 WHIP across 57 starts. The Blue Jays haven’t missed the post-season since Estrada’s arrival and his performance has transitioned well into October.
He went 8 1/3 innings against the Texas Rangers in last year’s ALDS, allowing just one run on four hits and followed that up with eight innings of two-run ball against the Cleveland Indians to open the ALCS.
Following the season opener against the Baltimore Orioles on April 3rd, southpaw J.A. Happ will take the mound. World Baseball Classic MVP Marcus Stroman, lefty Francisco Liriano and last year’s American League ERA leader Aaron Sanchez will round out the rotation, in that order.
Assuming nothing changes after Week 1, this would make Happ the starter for the Blue Jays home opener against the Milwaukee Brewers on April 11.
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