If one thing is for certain in baseball, you can never have enough pitching available.

With baseball being the longest sport year-round, there’s bound to be things you can’t foresee occurring, and you need to be ready for them under any given circumstances.  In the case of the bullpen, there’s no better example than that. Given how streaky some relievers can be, it can be easy for some pitchers to have down years while others emerge as key pieces to success.

The 2025 Blue Jays encapsulated that perfectly as an arm like Chad Green, who was heavily depended on in 2024, was designated for assignment in 2025, while young arms like Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty carved their names into the bullpen by the second half of the season as mainstays.

While the bullpen is looking like there are fewer spots to be filled, there’s always going to be circumstances where others are going to step up and show that they can hang in the big leagues. While the team has added some names to fortify the bullpen, like Trevor Rogers, Chase Lee, and Spencer Miles, there are some other names to keep an eye out for this spring.

Estrada spent some time in the big leagues last season, appearing in two games with mixed results. In his first game, he actually did very well, throwing four innings after a short start by Max Scherzer in July of 2025. His next appearance in Baltimore was not as clean, allowing six earned runs across 3 1/3 innings against the Orioles.

One thing Estrada has going for him is that he is a guy who can provide strikeouts across seven and a third innings, as he punched out 10 batters. His fastball was an issue as batters were batting .444 against it. His slider and curveball, however, generate a lot more whiff rates, as his slider produced a 55% whiff rate and his curveball 66.7%. As the Blue Jays ranked #21st prospect, Estrada could get a lot of work and opportunity this spring to become a young, formidable bullpen arm to be relied upon come opening day and beyond.

He has mostly been a starter in the minor leagues, and the Jays could have him continue to start in Buffalo as extra depth, but it’s more likely that Estrada sees time in the big leagues as a bullpen arm moving forward.

A lot of people forget about Angel Bastardo, a Rule 5 Draft selection two winters ago. Bastardo was a highly touted right-handed reliever from Venezuela when he was signed internationally by the Boston Red Sox in 2018 at just 16 years old. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2024 sent him back a full season of pitching at any level of play.

Now going into 2026, what does he bring to the table? Well, as a starter, he struggled to find his footing as he put up a 5.36 ERA in 10 starts in AA for the Portland Sea Dogs. Even though he underwent Tommy John Surgery a couple of seasons ago, his fastball was able to be topped out as high as 97 MPH, with his best pitch being his changeup, which many scouts believe to be his best pitch.

Bastardo is vying for a spot in the bullpen this year, and the Jays have to return him to Boston if he doesn’t crack the Opening Day roster and stays with the club for at least 90 days this season.

A few seasons ago, Ricky Tiedemann was the Blue Jays’ #1 prospect, and many believed him to be the next big arm to graduate from the rotation. He was the top name for two of the last three seasons before Trey Yesavage took the top spot in 2025.

Follow that up with yet another Tommy John Surgery to another pitching prospect, and you have sort of a bit of uncertainty for where Tiedemann fits. A few years ago, many were thinking he would be in the rotation currently, but he was leapfrogged by Yesavage, JoJo Parker, and Arjun Nimmala.

With Tiedemann, you get a left-handed pitcher who can throw hard (up to 99 mph fastball) and also has some solid stuff in his pitch selection. The issue comes with his control, as his WHIP rate has been constantly fluctuating over the years due to his command issues. He can throw a great slider and changeup to generate whiffs. The issue is that his placement has not been ideal, and before the injury in 2024, his walk rate soared beyond the average expectation.

With health being the priority and Tiedemann looking to go at a slower pace this season with expectations, the Florida product is going to be starting games in Buffalo to start the year, but could be a factor in the Blue Jays’ bullpen plans later in the season. The overall expectation is that the southpaw will be a starter at the next level, but his debut in the big leagues could come this season out of the relief corps as the Jays look for his high strikeout power during the dog days of Summer.

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