Well, Marcus Stroman arrived this weekend after all, but not in the role everyone was thinking. The Blue Jays have confined him to the bullpen for now, where he'll await the next opening after J.A. Happ took the place of an injured Brandon Morrow.
I'm thinking that opening will develop sooner than later.
Stroman could even end up replacing Happ himself, who the Blue Jays probably felt they owned a chance after an injury caused him to get passed over for a job this spring. But given his 4.95 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 77 appearances, including 70 starts, since the start of 2011, the chances of Happ running away with the job are slim to none.
Maybe if the Blue Jays had the pitching depth of the Cardinals, I'd worry about Stroman getting stuck in Carlos Martinez purgatory, but the Blue Jays will need him sooner than later. And now that they've already started the arbitration clock, they won't hesitate to move him into the role once it becomes obvious.
His upside makes him worth stashing in the meantime. I'd still rather have Trevor Bauer, but when you begin dipping into the Bartolo Colon-Wade Miley class of starting pitchers, you might as well take a flier.