Blue Jays Actively Pursuing Quality Veteran Closer in Free Agency

The Toronto Blue Jays are seeking to shore up the back end of their bullpen after a World Series run that fell just short.

A view of a Toronto Blue Jays hat before game four of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

One day, it’s Edwin Diaz on the Toronto Blue Jays’ radar. The next, it’s another reliever with closer ability.

Per Francys Romero, who covers Latin American baseball for multiple outlets, the Blue Jays are actively pursuing free-agent closer Raisel Iglesias, who was last with Atlanta. This comes a day after the Blue Jays were connected to Diaz, the former Mets closer who is also a free agent.

The soon-to-be 36-year-old right-hander just wrapped up a four-year stint with the Atlanta Braves. In 2025 he was 4-6 with a 3.21 ERA in 70 games with 29 saves in 34 chances with two holds. He struck out 73 and walked 16 in 67.1 inning while batters hit .206 against him.

Raisel Iglesias and the Blue Jays Bullpen

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Iglesias has 600 career appearances and has almost always been used in high-leverage situations. While he’s never been named an All-Star, he’s had a remarkably consistent career. He is 42-55 with a 2.90 ERA with 253 career saves. He has completed 459 of the games he’s appeared in and has led the National or American League in the category three different times.

He did finish 11th in American League Cy Young voting with the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, as he went 7-5 with a 2.57 ERA and 34 saves.

He has a lifetime strikeout rate of 10.6 per nine innings, though in each of the last two seasons that has fallen off to 8.8 in 2024 and 9.8 in 2025. He boasts a 2.5 walk rate per nine innings and was 2.1 last season.

Toronto has six relievers under contract for 2026, which includes closer Jeff Hoffman. He had an up-and-down campaign but still finished with 33 saves. He also gave up the game-tying home run in Game 7 of the World Series. The Blue Jays also have Yimi Garcia, Louis Varland, Brendon Little, Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty on their MLB.com depth chart.

Depending on how things shake out this offseason, Toronto could have a seventh bullpen arm in Eric Lauer, who flexed in and out of the rotation. Iglesias would add to the bullpen’s depth and give them an additional option at closer.

In four seasons with Atlanta, the Cuban national went 15-12 with a 2.35 ERA in 222 games. He had 97 saves in 218.2 innings, with 239 strikeouts and 49 walks.

He made his MLB debut with Cincinnati in 2015 and spent six seasons with the Reds, where he went 18-32 with a 3.15 ERA in 274 games with 106 saves. He struck out 479 and walked 132. He joined the Los Angeles Angels in 2021 and in less than two seasons he went 9-11 with a 3.07 ERA in 104 games, with 91 saves, 151 strikeouts and 21 walks. The Angels traded him to Atlanta at the 2022 trade deadline.