The Toronto Blue Jays came into the 2011 Spring Training preseason with a number of question marks regarding the team. Will Jose Bautista continue his offensive dominance from 2010? Will Adam Lind and Aaron Hill rebound from poor 2010 seasons? Will J.P. Arencibia prove to be the teams starting catcher? After the trade of last seasons number one pitcher Shaun Marcum to the Milwaukee Brewers for prospect Brett Lawrie one major question that many people did not know the answer to was who would claim the final two spots in the starting rotation.

Throughout the spring Ricky Romero was named the Jays Opening Day starter with Brett Cecil and Brandon Morrow etched as the number two and three starters. One problem the Jays had coming into spring is a problem most teams would love. That problem was the franchise’s pitching depth. Pitchers Kyle Drabek, Marc Rzepczynski, Jesse Litsch, Scott Richmond, Jo-Jo Reyes and Zach Stewart all arrived in camp with a chance at beginning the year as the number four and five starters in the rotation.

Stewart was recently sent to minor-league camp which took his name out of the running, although his future is a very bright one. Richmond has been moved into the competition for a chance in Toronto’s bullpen after not pitching well in a starting role throughout spring and today the Jays announced that Rzepczynski has also been taken out of the running for the final two spots.

With Drabek, Litsch and Reyes pitching exceptional this spring Rzepczynski’s performance in a starting role did not match up, which made the decision to move him into consideration for a bullpen role that much easier. The left-hander also has experience coming out of the bullpen for the Jays which means he would have a better chance of making the club in this manner. The situation is similar to the way fellow Jay David Purcey was handled last season.

Many other factors could have made up manager John Farrell and general manager Alex Anthopoulos’ minds with today’s decision. Reyes is out of options, which means that he would have to pass through waivers if he did not make the big league squad, making it very likely that he would be picked up by another team. Litsch has shown past success in Toronto’s rotation prior to an injury that sidelined him for close to a year and Drabek is the teams number one pitching prospect and held his own in a late season call-up last season while also continuing to pitch well this spring.

Upon receiving the news that he would no longer be in consideration for a starting role for the big league team Rzepczynski was given the option of beginning the season as a starter for Triple-A Las Vegas or to attempt the conversion into a reliever, coming out of Toronto’s bullpen. The choice was obvious as the big league playing time was more important to the 25-year old.

This now leaves the competition for the final two rotation spots to three. Drabek is 2-0 this spring with an earned run average of 3.27 in two starts, allowing thirteen hits in eleven innings pitched, walking one and striking out nine. If the 23-year old right hander makes the team out of camp he will make the jump directly from Double-A New Hampshire to the big leagues, but many in the baseball world are in agreement that the son of former Cy Young award winner Doug Drabek is ready for the show.

Litsch, a former 13 game winner in 2008 seems to finally be pitching at 100% strength. The right-hander came back from Tommy John surgery earlier then most anticipated last season which could have led to his struggles on the mound. The 26-year old was 1-5 with an ERA of 5.79 in nine starts. Aside from one poor outing this spring against the Phillies on March 15th Litsch has been exceptional posting a record of 2-0 with an ERA of 3.12 in four starts, allowing 17 hits over 17.1IP, walking 3 and striking out 17. Litsch may indeed be the front-runner for a rotation spot with his past experience, current success as well as being the closest thing to a veteran in a young rotation for the Jays.

Jesse Litsch looks to be rounding into form this spring. Will it earn him a rotation spot on the 2011 Blue Jays?

The wild-card for Toronto is Reyes. With Reyes out of options the team cannot send the left-hander to the minors without first passing him through waivers and he will most certainly be claimed. The team does not want to give up on the talented arm of the 26-year old and his current spring has made the decision even tougher. Reyes has impressed going 1-1 with an ERA of 3.46 in two starts. He has only allowed six hits in 13 innings pitched. Reyes has one more big start against the Yankees left in spring which could end up being the decision maker as far as his tenure in a Blue Jays uniform is concerned.

With the way Litsch pitched today against the Minnesota Twins (5.1IP, 3H, 0ER 7K) he may have cemented a rotation spot for himself which leaves Drabek and Reyes to battle out for the final spot.

If the Jays could possibly find a suitor for Reyes in a trade situation the team’s choice should be an easy one handing the two rotation spots to Litsch and Drabek respectively, but if not what path will the team take?

Demoting Drabek may not be a popular decision, but it will save Reyes from possibly being claimed on waivers, but is Drabek really ready having only three MLB starts under his belt?

In this writer’s opinion the decision will be made based on how Reyes performs against the Yankees on Wednesday so Blue Jays fans will be watching closely as the teams Opening Day rotation could be based solely on the start.