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Stroman believes Blue Jays own best rotation in MLB

Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports

There's no doubt in Marcus Stroman's mind when it comes to deciding which team has the top starting pitching in the majors.

"I think we have the best rotation in baseball. Hands down," the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander told reporters Monday. "I'll argue that day in and day out."

The Blue Jays return almost the entire rotation from 2016 - Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ - with the exception of midseason addition Francisco Liriano taking R.A. Dickey's spot at the back end.

2016 STATS w/ TOR

PITCHER IP ERA WHIP SO
Happ 195 3.18 1.16 163
Estrada 176 3.48 1.11 165
Sanchez 192 3.00 1.16 161
Stroman 204 4.37 1.28 166
Liriano 49.1 2.92 1.17 52

A perceived weakness heading into last season, Toronto's starters defied expectations and crafted the best ERA in the American League, and fourth-best in the majors after the New York Mets, Washington Nationals, and Chicago Cubs. Estrada and Sanchez were All-Stars, while Happ finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting.

"We weren't valued at all coming into spring training (last year) and had a bunch of question marks, but we knew what we were capable of," Stroman said. "One through five we're extremely strong. Each and every guy I consider pretty much an ace and can get us a win every day. That's the mentality that we have."

While the rotation is expected to be a strength, the Blue Jays will have a number of challengers for the league's top rotation. The Cubs, Mets, and Nationals return their strong cores of starters, the Cleveland Indians' top arms are healthy again, and the division-rival Boston Red Sox added Chris Sale to form a star-studded trio with former Blue Jay David Price and reigning AL Cy Young winner Rick Porcello.

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