If the Toronto Blue Jays want to compete for a playoff spot next season, they have no choice but to rebuild their bullpen from almost the ground up this off-season. Because, as currently constructed, they likely won’t get very far in 2025.

At the moment, this club’s bullpen is a complete mess. It’s nowhere near as talented as last year’s, which featured one of the best reliever corps in baseball. Fast-forward to this season, and it’s now among the worst, if not at the bottom.

But this isn’t breaking news. It’s been a dire problem for several weeks/months.

The bullpen crisis was put under the microscope once again on Tuesday, as the Blue Jays — who once led 8-2 over the Philadelphia Phillies at one point — watched Kyle Schwarber complete his hat-trick worth of home runs with a three-run shot off Chad Green in the ninth inning, capping off the six earned runs against Toronto’s ‘pen in a 10-9 defeat.

Following another disastrous performance, only two clubs possess a higher bullpen ERA than the Blue Jays (4.81) entering Wednesday’s slate: the Chicago White Sox (5.04) and Colorado Rockies (5.52). It doesn’t get much worse than that.

Want more stats? You probably don’t, but alas, here they are anyway.

Toronto’s bullpen ranks last in the majors in FIP (4.94), fWAR (-2.3), hard-hit rate against (42.2 per cent), average exit velocity against (89.6 m.p.h.) and home runs allowed (81). They’ve also recorded the second-fewest number of strikeouts (425), trailing only the Kansas City Royals (366).

That last part is particularly noteworthy, considering this team led the majors in strikeout-to-walk rate difference at 17.6 per cent a season ago. This year, however, they’re tied for 27th with an 11.3-per-cent clip.

How the bullpen is constructed, of course, has changed dramatically in just one year. Despite saying goodbye to Jordan Hicks last winter, the Blue Jays still entered this season envisioning a backend that included closer Jordan Romano, Erik Swanson, Yimi García, Tim Mayza, and Green — only two of those arms are currently with the team.

Romano is working his way back from arthroscopic surgery, Swanson is pitching so poorly that he’s looking like a non-tender candidate, Mayza — who’s now with the New York Yankees — pitched himself off the roster, and García was sold to the Seattle Mariners for two prospects (Jonatan Clase, Jacob Sharp).

As part of Toronto’s mid-season sell-off, the front office also traded away Nate Pearson (Chicago Cubs) and Trevor Richards, who’s now pitching for the Minnesota Twins’ triple-A affiliate after issuing 11 walks, seven wild pitches and two hit-by-pitches in 10 relief appearances following his arrival.

Those departures have left several holes in the Blue Jays bullpen, many of which are currently occupied by recent waiver claims and pitching projects like Tommy Nance, Ryan Burr and Brandon Eisert. But there are also the likes of Ryan Yarbrough, Zach Pop (out of options in 2025) and Brendon Little vying for jobs on next season’s roster.

Management certainly has its work cut out for them this winter. As off-season planning goes, there are probably only two relievers from the current group that can be pencilled in as part of the 2025 ‘pen: Green, largely because of his contract, and Génesis Cabrera.

Assuming Romano’s healthy next season, he should also occupy one of those spots. Perhaps Swanson could receive a shot at redemption, although that may have to come on a prove-it deal — if he isn’t tendered a contract this off-season — given his season-long woes.

That means Toronto could be looking to fill four or five holes in the bullpen between now and Opening Day 2025. There’s a chance one or two of those are filled internally, potentially by Little or someone from a triple-A group that includes Hagen Danner, Eric Pardinho, Mason Fluharty or Dillon Tate — acquired off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday.

However, even in the best-case scenario, the Blue Jays will likely need to procure at least three impact relievers this winter.