What the Blue Jays Are Prioritizing in Bullpen Roles in 2026

The excitement around the Toronto Blue Jays has reached new heights. After a remarkable 2025 season, the front office's aggressive approach has put the Blue Jays in an excellent position to repeat that success.

Powered by one of the best offenses in baseball and an improved starting rotation, Toronto has a well-balanced group under manager John Schneider. The room for improvement lies in the bullpen. However, the Blue Jays made a significant addition this offseason that went largely unnoticed.

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Tyler Rogers Gives Bullpen a Massive Boost

New York Mets relief pitcher Tyler Rogers (71) throws a pitch — Relief pitcher Tyler Rogers throws a pitch. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Toronto prioritized starting pitching by bringing back Shane Bieber and signing Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. However, signing relief pitcher Tyler Rogers was a big move to strengthen the bullpen. After the bullpen posted a 4.44 ERA in the playoffs, it was clear some additions had to be made.

Rogers is a reliable arm, appearing in 81 games last season, the most of any pitcher in baseball. He posted a 1.98 ERA across 77.1 innings. His unique arm angle makes life miserable for hitters. Rogers ranks in the 95th percentile or higher in several pitching metrics, according to Baseball Savant.

Stats	Percentage and Percentile
Walk %	2.3 (100th percentile)
Ground-Ball %	61.6 (98th percentile)
Avg Exit Velocity	85.8 (99th percentile)
Hard-Hit %	33.1 (95th percentile)

Rogers is incredibly effective at getting hitters off-balance and inducing weak contact. He'll primarily be used in the seventh or eighth inning as a set-up reliever.

Blue Jays are Prioritizing Right-Handed Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Louis Varland throws a pitch. | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Currently, the only left-handed pitchers in the bullpen are Brendon Little and Mason Fluharty. The 24-year-old Fluharty was used quite a bit during the postseason, but posted a 5.68 ERA across 11 appearances.

Jeff Hoffman will have another opportunity to be the closer after recording 33 saves last season. Fans may remember the home run he allowed to Miguel Rojas in Game 7 of the World Series, but the 33-year-old closer had only allowed one earned run in the playoffs before that at-bat.

Another pitcher who could fly under the radar is Chase Lee, who was acquired in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. He's efficient against left-handed hitters, and there is certainly a chance he could make the opening day roster.

Other late-inning options will include Yimi Garcia, Louis Varland, and Braydon Fisher. Garcia pitched in 22 games in 2025, but is currently recovering from surgery to clean up scar tissue in his right elbow. The Blue Jays are hoping he'll be ready by opening day.

Varland is coming off an impressive season after being brought over from the Minnesota Twins. The hard-throwing reliever will be important as another set-up guy alongside Rogers, while Fisher will continue to develop as a young arm.

Toronto has a lot of versatility in the bullpen this year. They have guys who each have unique ways of attacking hitters, and hopefully enough depth to get by. If the bullpen can stay consistent, there aren't a lot of flaws with this roster, and the Blue Jays can become a legitimate title contender once again.