Closer Previously Linked to Blue Jays Will Instead Head to National League East

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a strong start to the offseason, and despite having interest in many key names, they missed out on one big name reliever.

May 30, 2012; Toronto, ON, CANADA; A wide angle view of the Rogers Centre and CN Tower during a game between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays. | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a quick start to the offseason, putting together some impressive moves to be able to build an improved roster.

With the signing of Dylan Cease and being able to retain Shane Bieber, things look pretty good when it comes to their starting rotation. As for the lineup and bullpen, there is still some work to do to get back to that World Series-winning type of production.

The bullpen has been a focus as of late, seemingly for the franchise, as they have been tied in rumors to many different relief arms in an attempt to try and sway one to become their closer. Having reliable starting pitching is great, but if the relievers cannot sustain the lead, it does not mean a whole lot at that point.

One of the names they had previously been tied to was a reliever out of the National League who had been producing at an exceptionally high level the last two seasons, and was widely considered one of the best players left on the market. Unfortunately, he has opted to remain in the NL, just choosing a different team to sign with on a pretty substantial deal.

Which Reliever Did the Blue Jays Miss Out on?

Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

The closer that Toronto was unable to sign to a deal was Robert Suárez, formerly of the San Diego Padres. The veteran has put together back-to-back All-Star campaigns in 2024 and 2025, and now, he has opted to stay in the National League, instead heading to the east this time with the Atlanta Braves, as has been reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.

BREAKING: Closer Robert Suarez and the Atlanta Braves are in agreement on a three-year, $45 million contract, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 11, 2025

Even more intriguing is that subsequent reports noted that Suárez will, in fact, not be the closer for the Braves and instead will be the setup man for Raisel Iglesias, who was performing at an extremely high level in 2025.

Iglesias will remain the Braves’ closer, source says. Suarez will set up. https://t.co/TZBznxZ8BH

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 11, 2025

Suárez would have been a strong fit for the Blue Jays in 2026 and beyond, but they will have to look for alternate options instead. In 2025, he ended up appearing in 70 games, putting together 2.3 fWAR, a 2.97 ERA, 0.904 WHIP, 40 saves, 75 strikeouts, 16 walks and only allowed 47 hits on the year.

After a very up-and-down year from Toronto closer Jeff Hoffman, they will likely look to free agency to find an alternate player to fill that role. While a few of the top options are now off the market, there are a few remaining that they could turn their pursuit towards and try to acquire.