How Can the Blue Jays Improve Their Bullpen Before Opening Day?

[Bryan Jaeger]

The Toronto Blue Jays have been busy this offseason and still don't seem to be done, with news swirling about Kyle Tucker. The bullpen was a massive need; however, Tyler Rogers is the only MLB-ready addition. Chase Lee, Jorge Alcala, and Nic Enright were acquired but will likely begin the season in the minor leagues. They also selected Spencer Miles in the Rule 5 Draft. He'll need to be rostered for the entire season or be offered back to the San Francisco Giants for $50,000.

Last season in the bullpen, Jeff Hoffman struggled as the closer, posting a 4.37 ERA and blowing seven of his 40 save opportunities. Home runs were an issue with a 20 percent home run to fly ball ratio, which was his highest since 2019. His 0.81 ground outs to air outs was Hoffman's second-worst ratio in that same time span. An upgrade at the closer role would be a massive boost going into the upcoming season.

Eric Lauer was needed in the starting rotation due to injuries, so Brendon Little was the only lefty in the bullpen for the majority of the season. Mason Fluharty and Justin Bruihl made appearances but struggled. Lauer and Little will return to the bullpen in 2026, but another high-leverage left-hander for depth to relieve the workload would be ideal.

There are also questions surrounding José Berríos. He expressed his displeasure at being moved to the bullpen in late September. With the addition of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce this offseason, there's no room for Berríos in the starting rotation. So his status for the upcoming season is up in the air. He could be a possible trade chip.

There are still a few quality arms available to address the left-hander need. Danny Coulombe is 36, but still possesses the skills to get left-handed batters out. He's posted an ERA under 3.00 in each of the last three seasons, and last season he threw 42 innings in relief, holding batters to a .199 batting average.

Kolby Allard, 35, is also still available in free agency. He threw 33 2/3 combined innings last season for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels. He posted a 2.41 ERA and held batters to a .238 batting average, including holding left-handed batters to a .136 batting average.

Another lefty option is Justin Wilson, who is 38. Last season for the Boston Red Sox, he posted a 3.35 ERA and held left-handed batters to a .212 batting average. Any three of these would be great depth options and bullpen pieces to combat left-handed batters or serve as high-leverage late-inning arms.

Regarding the closer replacement, the team's best option may already be on the team. Louis Varland could be the answer. He posted a 2.97 ERA last season, but struggled after coming over from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline. In 23 2/3 innings with Toronto, he posted a 4.94 ERA; however, he struck out a career-best 10.65 per nine innings while walking a career-worst 3.42 per nine innings. He hasn't had experience closing games, but even though he didn't have the best results in his Toronto debut, he would be worth a look if the Blue Jays decide that Hoffman needs to be replaced.

Despite the bullpen not being fully addressed, the Blue Jays have definitely taken a step forward in vying for another World Series trip, but hopefully with a different result. Whether Hoffman gets replaced or not, another left-handed reliever would be ideal if the Los Angeles Dodgers are again the foe. That gives John Schneider another weapon to combat Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, and other left-handed bats of the two-time World Series champions.

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[Leo Morgenstern]

I can definitely see the need for a more proven lefty in the 'pen. But I'm not convinced the Blue Jays will sign another MLB free agent. I think they might prefer to prioritize flexibility. In other words, keep some optionable or fungible arms in there so they can swap in guys like Fluharty, Fisher, and Lee (who aren't currently on the projected OD roster, per RosterResource) to keep everyone fresh. 

[Abomination]

This may not be popular, but I don't think we need to improve the pen any further.  It would be nice if Little could learn how to hit the broad side of a barn again, but it's really a group that can face anyone at any time.

[Leo Morgenstern]

3 hours ago, Abomination said:

This may not be popular, but I don't think we need to improve the pen any further.  It would be nice if Little could learn how to hit the broad side of a barn again, but it's really a group that can face anyone at any time.

I'm torn. I like the relievers they have, and I'm worried it would complicate things too much to add someone else into the mix. But at the same time, there are real question marks for all their left-handers. I'd feel better with at least some more left-handed minor league signings for depth.

[Abomination]

1 hour ago, Leo Morgenstern said:

I'm torn. I like the relievers they have, and I'm worried it would complicate things too much to add someone else into the mix. But at the same time, there are real question marks for all their left-handers. I'd feel better with at least some more left-handed minor league signings for depth.

Hard to complain about minor league signings, but I don't think any more bullpen moves for the major league club is really necessary.  Little and Fluharty should be perfectly capable of handling it. In the second half of the year, I would assume we'll see Tiedemann come up if needed since they'll likely want to manage his innings. Javen Coleman could be a wildcard also.

[mphenhef]

Better question is if they even need to.