CLEVELAND—The Blue Jays prided themselves in 2016 on the strength and depth of their starting rotation. But that strength only carried them as far as Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, even though Jays starters went deeper into games than their Cleveland counterparts in four of five games. It was the Indians bullpen that was the difference, as it had been against the Red Sox before that and in the early going of the World Series.

In the words of Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan, “The times they are a-changin’.”

Over the course of 162 games, a consistent, strong, durable starting five is a virtual necessity. The Blue Jays led the majors in innings logged by starters, and when it came time to narrow down the rotation they were able to leave knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, with 10 wins and 170 innings, off the roster and replace him with a scrub like one-inning middle reliever Ryan Tepera, who didn’t see action.

Maybe Jays manager John Gibbons needs to make adjustments in 2017 and begin treating the playoffs differently than he does the regular season, in terms of ideal utilization of his pitching staff. One is a marathon; the other is a sprint. The built in off-days in the playoffs and the maximum of 20 games in 32 days makes it easier to go to the whip with your bullpen and ride them into the ground.

Take Cleveland reliever Andrew Miller. He had pitched 17 innings in nine of the Indians’ 14 games in the post-season, heading into Wednesday’s Game 7. The most he pitched in any regular-season month was 14 2/3 innings in July. The Cubs’ Aroldis Chapman, had pitched 14 1/3 innings, including 12 outs in Games 5 and 6 to keep the Cubs alive. The most innings he had logged in any regular-season month was 14 in July.

It seems the importance of World Series starting pitchers has diminished since the 2013 World Series, when the Red Sox beat the Cardinals in six games. In that series, a total of five starters pitched at least into the seventh inning. The next year, in 2014, as the Giants beat the Royals, three starters worked into the seventh.

In 2015, the Royals over the Mets in five games, it was just Johnny Cueto and Matt Harvey that went more than six. Recall the disaster of Mets manager Terry Collins decision to allow Harvey to go out to start the ninth in Game 5 with a two-run lead needing to stay alive. There was a walk, a stolen base and a double before Collins went for him. The Royals tied the game and won in extra innings.

Coincidentally, through the first six games of the 2016 World Series, not one starter worked into the seventh. Cubs starters had averaged 5 2/3 innings and 94 pitches, while Indians starters went 4 2/3 innings and 74 pitches. In fact, the Cleveland bullpen was responsible for 79 outs in six games, one fewer than the team’s starters. That’s outrageous, yet they headed into Game 7 with a chance to win.

The biggest problem for Gibbons and the Jays will be even making it back to the ALCS for what would be a third consecutive year in 2017. Twelve teams have made three straight trips to the ALCS or beyond since division play was instituted in 1969. The Jays did it from 1991 to 1993. The longest streak was the A’s from 1971 to 1975.

So how does Gibbons, to keep up with the trends in baseball, convert his 2017 pitching staff from marathon, regular-season mode to the sprint of the post-season without sacrificing at either end? Joe Girardi and the Yankees proved that even with Miller, Chapman and Dellin Betances in the regular season, you can still be a .500 team. Having those three huge relief arms on the same team was a regular-season luxury in the Bronx, but not an advantage.

So what if Gibbons and GM Ross Atkins create their own hybrid pitcher from within, someone they would not have to trade for or sign as a free agent, someone that could be a solid starter for most of the regular season and then convert to the bullpen and have a similar impact to what Andrew Miller has done for the Indians. It sounds like a perfect role for 24-year-old Aaron Sanchez.

The Jays will enter the 2017 season with a starting rotation of Sanchez, Marcus Stroman, Marco Estrada, J.A. Happ and Francisco Liriano. In the playoffs, you cut that back to four. Instead of just lopping off their fifth starter like they did with Dickey, why not leave the other four as starters and, in September, if the Jays are in the thick of contention, convert Sanchez to the high leverage, three-to-nine-out reliever that Miller has been this fall?

Sanchez made it to 203 2/3 innings this year and was manipulated, held back and skipped to stay that low. Bump his expectations in 2017 to 220 innings and save 30 for overpowering relief in the final month and playoffs.

His career splits show he can do it. He has held right-handed hitters to a .199 average and .515 on-base-plus-slugging percentage. Lefthanders are .232 with a .711 OPS. His relief numbers in 54 games are 4-4, with a 1.67 ERA, with 30 hits and 16 walks allowed in 59 1/3 innings.

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Indians manager Terry Francona said that Miller is able to handle this unusual role because he is already being paid — currently in the middle of a four-year, $36-million contract — and not worried about collecting saves for future salary. If it worked out for Sanchez in 2017, then pay the man.

Of course the biggest issue for the Jays is their own free agents, Jose Bautista, Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Saunders and Brett Cecil. The question of how to handle Sanchez and the starting rotation in October may not matter.

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