Tyler Rogers Was a Much-Needed Addition for the Blue Jays' Bullpen

The Toronto Blue Jays failed to address their most significant need at the Winter Meetings. The bullpen was a liability down the stretch. Their relievers' collective ERA rose from 3.57 in the first half to 4.63 in the second half. This was due in part to an August in which their bullpen ERA rose to 4.76 and their walk rate skyrocketed to 14.2%. Closer Jeff Hoffman had his worst month since May, posting a 6.00 ERA and a 7.64 FIP and allowing a slugging percentage of .587. Three of his seven blown saves on the season came in August. 

Yariel Rodríguez, who was recently outrighted off the 40-man roster, saw his stellar first-half 2.47 ERA overshadowed by a 4.21 ERA in the second half. Brendon Little suffered the same trend when he couldn't repeat his 2.03 ERA from the first half, posting a 4.88 second-half ERA. Louis Varland faced a similar fate. After posting a 1.81 ERA while with the Minnesota Twins, he had a 4.82 ERA following the trade to Toronto.

Reliever ERA is volatile, especially in such small samples. Still, all this inconsistency underscored the need for a high-leverage arm. However, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, and Devin Williams all signed before the Winter Meetings. There were rumors of the Blue Jays being linked to both Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez, the top two relievers remaining on the free agent market when the meeting started, but Toronto struck out on both.

Despite missing out on the top names on the market, the Blue Jays finally found their man to help in the late innings. They signed Tyler Rogers to a three-year, $37 million contract, with a fourth-year vesting option that would make it worth $48 million. It will be fun to watch Rogers pitch, as he is a submarine pitcher, which is rarely seen nowadays.