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A salute to the best Blue Jays bullpen of all time
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Photo credit: USA TODAY Sports
Ian Hunter
Sep 16, 2024, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 16, 2024, 09:33 EDT
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The 2024 group of Blue Jays relievers has been one of the worst bullpens in franchise history. There are few redeeming qualities about this group of relievers that have sewn together an ERA of 4.81, currently the third worst in the majors.
We saw last year just how much of a difference a reliable bullpen can make for the Blue Jays (who were collectively more than a full earned run better at a 3.68 ERA). It sounds cliche, but the best teams always have a reliable relief core, and the 2024 Blue Jays make mid-to-late inning games more nervous than they should be.
And while last year’s bullpen was top 10 in baseball, they’re far from the best group of relievers in Blue Jays history. Who owns that distinctive title? None other than the Blue Jays of 2008, the year before the team traded away their face of the franchise, Roy Halladay.
Considering how unstable Blue Jays relievers have performed this season, it makes what the 2008 Blue Jays did all that more impressive. The combined efforts of B.J. Ryan, Scott Downs, Jesse Carlson, Brian Tallet, Jason Frasor and several others posted a combined ERA of 2.94, still best in Blue Jays history.
Their ERA- of 68 is also the best in club history and ranks top 20 in MLB in the divisional era. So how did this cast of unassuming characters do it? Let’s break down some of the key players who made that 2008 Blue Jays bullpen so lethal.

B.J. Ryan: 2.95 ERA, 32 saves, 58 strikeouts

August 12, 2008; Detroit, MI, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher B.J. Ryan (52) pitches against Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning at Comerica Park. Toronto wins 6-4. Mandatory Credit: Michael Sackett-USA TODAY Sports
As much heat as the Blue Jays took for the B.J. Ryan contract, they had to overpay to attract free agents north of the border, and with their window of contention open, they had to make a move to combat the Yankees and the Red Sox.
The 2008 season was statistically Ryan’s second-best season with the Blue Jays (his 2006 debut with the team was better), but he returned in 2008 from Tommy John to post impressive numbers as Toronto’s closer.
He nearly doubled his strikeout rate from 2006 to 2008 (12% to 23.3%) and locked down 32 of 36 saves for the Blue Jays while tallying 56 innings pitched.

Scott Downs: 1.78 ERA, 70.2 innings, 57 strikeouts

Jun 11, 2008; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Scott Downs (37) delivers a pitch against the Seattle Mariners at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. The Mariners beat the Blue Jays 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan was the big name closer for the Blue Jays of that era, but the unsung hero of Toronto’s bullpen during that era was Scott Downs. The lefty was one of the best setup men in the league with an ERA of 1.78 in 66 appearances for the Blue Jays in 2008.
Downs’ 24 holds ranked within top 10 relievers in MLB in 2008, and he even filled in admirably as the team’s closer for the first part of 2008 until Ryan returned from injury in mid-April. He didn’t have overpowering stuff, but he kept the ball on the ground with a 65.6% ground ball rate.

Jesse Carlson: 2.25 ERA, 60 innings, 55 strikeouts

Aug 23, 2008; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jesse Carlson (39) delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. The Blue Jays beat the Red Sox 11-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Every stellar bullpen always has a reliever that comes out of nowhere to dominate, and for the Blue Jays in 2008, that man was Jesse Carlson. As a rookie left-hander, Carlson broke through in a big way and asserted himself as a reliable seventh inning guy in a hurry.
His funky sidearm delivery created a lot of deception, coming at an unorthodox arm angle, which was difficult for both left-handed and right-handed hitters to pick up. It’s hard to believe his big league career started and ended within three years, but he burned bright for a brief period.

Jason Frasor: 4.18 ERA, 49 appearances, 42 strikeouts

Apr 18, 2008; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jason Frasor (54) delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
All hail The Sausage King (shoutout to Drew). 2008 wasn’t the best season of Jason Frasor’s career, but he was still an integral piece to Toronto’s bullpen that year. He made 49 appearances, logged 47.1 innings and collected 42 strikeouts that year.
While he may have been miscast as a closer during his debut season in 2004, Frasor later found his groove as a middle-to-late relief guy for the Blue Jays by mid-to-late 2000s, and no one will ever surpass his franchise record of 505 appearances.

Brian Tallet: 2.88 ERA, 56.1 innings, 47 strikeouts

No further explanation needed.

Shawn Camp: 4.12 ERA, 39.1 innings, 31 strikeouts

Sep 6, 2008; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Shawn Camp (57) delivers a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. The Blue Jays beat the Rays 7-4. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
Right-hander Shawn Camp was a bit of a journeyman before having the best years of his career as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. He didn’t eat up a tonne of innings, yet he was only one of two Blue Jays relievers who had ERAs over 4.00 (Frasor was the other one at 4.18).
Like Downs, Camp was also a ground ball machine with a 53.7% ground ball rate, and with David Eckstein and Scott Rolen on the left side of the infield, most of those balls put into play easily turned into outs.

Others: Brandon League, Brian Wolfe, Jeremy Accardo, John Parrish, Armando Benitez, Randy Wells

Let’s also give props to the rest of the crew from the 2008 bullpen, including impressive seasons by Brandon Leauge and Brian Wolfe. After filling in as closer during the 2007 campaign, Jeremy Accardo returned in 2008 but missed most of the season due to a right forearm strain.
Veteran lefty John Parrish made 13 appearances, and Armando Benitez pitched in a handful of games in May and June 2008 before calling it a career. Heck, even Roy Halladay made one appearance in relief that season: a 2.1 inning hold against the Phillies on May 18.

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