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

The Toronto Blue Jays have been busy this offseason and still don't seem to be done, with rumors swirling about Kyle Tucker.

Entering the winter, the bullpen was a massive area of need; however, Tyler Rogers is the only MLB-ready addition the front office has made. Chase Lee, Jorge Alcala, and Nic Enright were acquired but will likely begin the season in the minor leagues. The Jays 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, as he gave up homers on 20 percent of his fly balls, which was his highest rate since 2019. Hoffman's 0.81 ground outs-to-air outs ratio was his second-worst in that same time span. An upgrade at the closer role would be a massive boost going into the upcoming season.

Due to injuries, Eric Lauer was needed in the starting rotation for much of last year, so Brendon Little was the only consistent lefty presence 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 in free agency 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 43 innings, holding batters to a .203 batting average. He excels when it comes to limiting hard contact, with just a 36.8% hard-hit rate and 5.6% barrel rate over the past three years.

Andrew Chafin, 35, is also still on the market. He threw 33 2/3 combined innings last season for the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels. He posted a 2.41 ERA and 3.40 xERA, while holding batters to a .238 batting average (and left-handed batters to a .136 batting average). Although his velocity has diminished, the 12-year MLB veteran continues to find ways to get batters out.

Another lefty option is Justin Wilson, who is 38. Last season for the Boston Red Sox, he posted a 3.35 ERA and 3.67 xERA, holding left-handed batters to a .212 batting average. He struck out 27.5% of the batters he faced and gave up just three home runs. Wilson has the most big league experience of these three, with a career 3.59 ERA in 648 appearances dating back to 2012.

Any of Coulombe, Chafin, or Wilson could be a great depth signing to help combat left-handed batters.

Regarding the closer replacement, the team's best option may already be on the roster. Louis Varland could be the answer. He posted a 2.97 ERA and 3.95 xERA 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 and 4.52 xERA; however, he struck out a career-best 10.65 per nine innings, despite walking a career-worst 3.42 per nine innings. He doesn't have experience closing games, but his stuff can be electric, as he demonstrated in the postseason. Even though he didn't have the best results in his regular season Toronto debut, he might be worth a look if the Blue Jays decide that Hoffman needs to be replaced.

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