2024 could be the worst season in the Blue Jays minor league system for pitching injuries in franchise history. There were six, yes six, candidates for Tommy John surgery: Ricky Tiedemann, Brandon Barriera, Chad Dallas, Nolan Perry, Carson Piece and Landen Maroudis.

The team also lost Alek Manoah to UCL surgery, eliminating top-four starting pitching depth options for the foreseeable future. If you’re the Blue Jays’ starting pitcher and don’t end the season with a major injury, you get a gold star.

Bowden Francis was a huge second-half success story for the Blue Jays, but beyond that, there weren’t many positives the team could take from the pitching development process that begins in 2024. There are a few extra weapons in the mix as we head into 2025. The Blue Jays have depth options, but they still need more to survive a 162-game season.

As of now, these are the Blue Jays’ best interior starting pitching depth options for next season.

1. Jake Bloss (RHP, senior AAA)

Initially, Jake Bloss was viewed as the crown jewel of the Houston Astros’ Yusei Kikuchi trade. But it didn’t take long for Will Wagner to make an impact at the major league level, and his performance eclipsed Bloss’ brilliance as a potential rotation piece for the Blue Jays.

Had he not bombed out at Triple-A, the Blue Jays could have turned to Bloss to get off to a good start one way or another to finish the season. The team opted to let him handle things in Buffalo, and he ended his Bisons run with a 6.91 ERA in 8 starts, allowing seven or more runs in two of those outings.