The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> need another reliever. <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/07/16/injuries-plague-blue-jays-relievers-after-long-outings-in-the-first-half/">Injuries</a> to trusted setup man Yimi García, Paxton Schultz, Nick Sandlin, and Ryan Burr have put more stress on the rest of the bullpen, heightening the urgency for general manager Ross Atkins to strike and fortify the group.
Atkins and the Blue Jays have several pathways they could look at as they navigate the relief market with the trade deadline looming on July 31. With the Minnesota Twins rapidly falling out of contention, <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/07/18/minnesota-twins-jhoan-duran-should-toronto-blue-jays-trade-target/">star closer Jhoan Duran could become available</a> and would be a perfect fit if the Blue Jays are willing to pay what would likely be a very high price. However, Atkins and the Blue Jays have historically shied away from shopping at the premium aisle for relief help at the trade deadline.
If the Blue Jays ultimately avoid looking at relievers with additional years of control beyond 2025, there will still be a handful of rentals who could come in and help the bullpen down the stretch.
Atlanta Braves veteran right-hander Raisel Iglesias checks a few boxes for what the Blue Jays will likely be looking for. Iglesias has tons of experience pitching in high-leverage situations, with 235 career saves, an ERA under three, and an ability to miss bats at a strong rate (10.69 career K/9).
Granted, it hasn&#8217;t been a great 2025 campaign for the 35-year-old. Iglesias has posted a 5.12 ERA with 11 saves, a 10.24 K/9, and has been a negative-fWAR player (-0.2) for the first time in his 11-year MLB career. He had a particularly disastrous outing recently, allowing a ninth-inning grand slam to Trent Grisham as the Braves blew a large lead in a loss against the New York Yankees. If recency bias were everything, Iglesias would be pushed down to the bottom of the list of ideal relief targets.
Should the Blue Jays be willing to overlook that catastrophic performance, it&#8217;s easy to see some of the positives that Iglesias still offers. Before the blowup, he went 15 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, striking out 18 batters with just one walk and a 0.51 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Raisel Iglesias&#39;s 3Ks in the 9th&#8230;and Sword. ⚔️ <a href="https://t.co/PXzfR4cisg">pic.twitter.com/PXzfR4cisg</a>
&mdash; Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) <a href="https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1919209624269369423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The biggest issue for Iglesias this season has been the performance of his slider. The pitch Grisham hit out was a slider, and the offering has given Iglesias trouble all year. He&#8217;s allowed a .429 batting average, 1.286 slugging percentage, and six home runs off the slider in 2025. The pitch has fallen off a cliff after holding opponents to a .163 batting average, .279 slugging percentage, and one home run last season. It&#8217;s been a confounding decline for a pitch that&#8217;s historically been one of the best in Iglesias&#8217; arsenal.
Even with the slider betraying him, Iglesias still boasts two other solid pitches that have had some success in 2025. Both Iglesias&#8217; fastball and changeup have whiff rates above 30% this season. Iglesias is in the final season of a four-year, $58-million contract he signed in 2021. The Braves&#8217; playoff odds dipped below 5%, all but ensuring a selloff of some kind. Rentals like Iglesias feel all but certain to be moved.
The Blue Jays should probably try to aim higher than Iglesias, but he still looks like a pitcher who can boost a bullpen, even at an advanced age and struggling through some inconsistencies this season. The cost likely won&#8217;t be prohibitive and could pay significant dividends if the Blue Jays and pitching coach Pete Walker can find a way to get the best version of Iglesias.
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The <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/">Toronto Blue Jays</a> need another reliever. <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/07/16/injuries-plague-blue-jays-relievers-after-long-outings-in-the-first-half/">Injuries</a> to trusted setup man Yimi García, Paxton Schultz, Nick Sandlin, and Ryan Burr have put more stress on the rest of the bullpen, heightening the urgency for general manager Ross Atkins to strike and fortify the group.

Atkins and the Blue Jays have several pathways they could look at as they navigate the relief market with the trade deadline looming on July 31. With the Minnesota Twins rapidly falling out of contention, <a href="https://publish.bluejaysnation.com/2025/07/18/minnesota-twins-jhoan-duran-should-toronto-blue-jays-trade-target/">star closer Jhoan Duran could become available</a> and would be a perfect fit if the Blue Jays are willing to pay what would likely be a very high price. However, Atkins and the Blue Jays have historically shied away from shopping at the premium aisle for relief help at the trade deadline.

If the Blue Jays ultimately avoid looking at relievers with additional years of control beyond 2025, there will still be a handful of rentals who could come in and help the bullpen down the stretch.

Atlanta Braves veteran right-hander Raisel Iglesias checks a few boxes for what the Blue Jays will likely be looking for. Iglesias has tons of experience pitching in high-leverage situations, with 235 career saves, an ERA under three, and an ability to miss bats at a strong rate (10.69 career K/9).

Granted, it hasn't been a great 2025 campaign for the 35-year-old. Iglesias has posted a 5.12 ERA with 11 saves, a 10.24 K/9, and has been a negative-fWAR player (-0.2) for the first time in his 11-year MLB career. He had a particularly disastrous outing recently, allowing a ninth-inning grand slam to Trent Grisham as the Braves blew a large lead in a loss against the New York Yankees. If recency bias were everything, Iglesias would be pushed down to the bottom of the list of ideal relief targets.

Should the Blue Jays be willing to overlook that catastrophic performance, it's easy to see some of the positives that Iglesias still offers. Before the blowup, he went 15 straight appearances without allowing an earned run, striking out 18 batters with just one walk and a 0.51 WHIP in 13 2/3 innings.

https://twitter.com/PitchingNinja/status/1919209624269369423

The biggest issue for Iglesias this season has been the performance of his slider. The pitch Grisham hit out was a slider, and the offering has given Iglesias trouble all year. He's allowed a .429 batting average, 1.286 slugging percentage, and six home runs off the slider in 2025. The pitch has fallen off a cliff after holding opponents to a .163 batting average, .279 slugging percentage, and one home run last season. It's been a confounding decline for a pitch that's historically been one of the best in Iglesias' arsenal.

Even with the slider betraying him, Iglesias still boasts two other solid pitches that have had some success in 2025. Both Iglesias' fastball and changeup have whiff rates above 30% this season. Iglesias is in the final season of a four-year, $58-million contract he signed in 2021. The Braves' playoff odds dipped below 5%, all but ensuring a selloff of some kind. Rentals like Iglesias feel all but certain to be moved.

The Blue Jays should probably try to aim higher than Iglesias, but he still looks like a pitcher who can boost a bullpen, even at an advanced age and struggling through some inconsistencies this season. The cost likely won't be prohibitive and could pay significant dividends if the Blue Jays and pitching coach Pete Walker can find a way to get the best version of Iglesias.

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Braves’ Raisel Iglesias emerging as potential trade fit for Blue Jays

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