In case you haven’t heard, the Toronto Blue Jays are crushing their spring training schedule in the Grapefruit League. There have been some good omens for the team with numerous players living up to and even exceeding expectations out of the gate. 
But even the good momentum couldn’t stop a train of injuries in the Blue Jays camp as relievers Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr have <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/blue-jays-injuries-and-roster-moves">reported </a>elbow discomfort and right shoulder fatigue, respectively, and both will likely not be ready to go for Opening Day.
Burr likely wasn&#8217;t making the team out of spring training but Swanson is one of the bigger pieces of their relief corps. These injuries proved that no team can have enough pitchers on its roster. With a few free agents still on the board, the Blue Jays still have time to bring at least a couple of relief pitchers to replenish their ailing roster, but if the momentum keeps up, it could be an ugly look for a team that carried one of the worst bullpens across the league last season. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Erik Swanson missing any amount of time could really hurt the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BlueJays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BlueJays</a>’ bullpen. 
A healthy Swanson, in my eyes, would be a very important back-end reliever.
They’ve added a ton of depth, but replacing Swanson’s role requires some high-leverage upside, not just depth.
&mdash; Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1898134989037842516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
This isn’t Toronto’s first rodeo with the bullpen woes. The Blue Jays relief pitching core’s slow decline was exactly what brought down the team to its obscurity last season. Some of the more effective relievers like Chad Green, Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson spent a decent amount of time on the injured list while less-proven relievers were forced into tough positions far too often, especially to start the season. 
The Blue Jays authored a collective 4.82 ERA, 4.84 FIP, and a 20.7% strikeout rate in 2024 and their relief pitching ranked dead last in the American League according to Sportsnet reporter <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/where-the-blue-jays-bullpen-rebuild-begins/">Arden Zwelling</a>. Unfortunately, for the struggling Toronto’s relief pitching staff, it <a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/stats/team/pitching/era/2024?split=rp&amp;sortState=asc">came in</a> 29th out of 30 teams with 303 earned runs and 92 home runs. They were only ahead of the Colorado Rockies and were in the company of teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox &#8211; that’s not a good company to be a part of if you’re a team striving for a playoff spot. 
Last season, Toronto <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-continue-to-cycle-through-relievers-as-the-2024-campaign-comes-to-a-close">cycled through</a> whopping 27 pitchers and three additional position players to fill in the gaps for this team, whether it was injury replacements or poor performance. While this showed the bleak state of injuries in the bullpen, it also revealed a lot about the rather alarming state of the Blue Jays’ pitching depth for relievers. The 2024 season showed that Toronto had a very thin depth in its farm system and didn’t have many home-grown pitchers it could rely on when it needed it the most, hence why fans saw the likes of Easton Lucas, Tommy Nance, Luis Frias, Jose Cuas, and Brett de Geus to finish out the season. 
Part of the reason why some teams in the league like the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays have been competitive is because they could confidently call up their young pitchers and count on them to bring more success even if they encountered some injuries along the way. As much as the Blue Jays are working on growing their talents in the lower levels of their farm system, they currently don’t have that comparable dependable depth at the triple-A level (and one of the reasons the team is ranked at #27 across the league for their farm system). 
The Major Leagues have been a ruthless stage for a team without much pitching depth and that remains true for the majority of today’s game. The 2015 Kansas City Royals won their World Series with a stable starting rotation and lights-out bullpen and the 2019 Washington Nationals had an amazingly durable set of starters who gave them a fighting chance. The 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers suffered greatly from many pitching injuries but could endure and win it all because they had dependable depth pitchers they could rely on in the times of need, along with their rock-steady lineup.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
Erik Swanson’s injury opens a roster pathway for one of several relievers who have been impressing Blue Jays decision-makers in camp.
Among them: Zach Pop, Tommy Nance, Josh Walker, Richard Lovelady, Braydon Fisher, and Kevin Gowdy
&mdash; Arden Zwelling (@ArdenZwelling) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1898128622138851633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Pitching wins games and series. Having an extraordinarily extravagant lineup is certainly a bonus. Even so, it’s undeniable that sustainable pitching is at the core of every successful contender. If the Blue Jays are dreaming of returning to the playoff stage and coming out triumphantly at least once, retooling their pitching depth–especially, their relief pitching–is a necessity. They were able to accomplish this goal to a point this winter &#8211; adding Jeff Hoffman, Nick Sandlin, and Yimi Garcia &#8211; but the depth behind them is lacking, which we are seeing with Swanson being hurt out of the gate. 
Relief pitching is very much a <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/the-blue-jays-need-to-heavily-invest-in-their-bullpen-this-off-season">volatile factor</a> every season, and this is all the more reason for a team like Toronto to continue revamping its bullpen. With the uncertainty around the current bullpen picture, the team should be looking at other veteran relievers who can help bring consistency and stability. Ideally, the team would also be able to find at least one star depth reliever within the system who can also step up when called upon. 
Don’t forget the Blue Jays still have eight infielders on their roster that they can take advantage of in trades. The truth is, there won’t be enough spots for all eight infielders when the season begins, and this surplus is something the front office can leverage to acquire even more depth pieces in the bullpen moving forward.
Something needs to change in Toronto’s relief pitching management if the team wants an opportunity to be in contention. They’ve been down this road before and should have a better idea of how to rise up to the challenges in their bullpen – that’s their shot at being taken seriously once again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and the Blue Jays can’t simply afford to repeat last season’s insanity. Shape up or ship out – there’s nothing else left in this equation.
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In case you haven’t heard, the Toronto Blue Jays are crushing their spring training schedule in the Grapefruit League. There have been some good omens for the team with numerous players living up to and even exceeding expectations out of the gate. 

But even the good momentum couldn’t stop a train of injuries in the Blue Jays camp as relievers Erik Swanson and Ryan Burr have <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/blue-jays-injuries-and-roster-moves">reported </a>elbow discomfort and right shoulder fatigue, respectively, and both will likely not be ready to go for Opening Day.

Burr likely wasn't making the team out of spring training but Swanson is one of the bigger pieces of their relief corps. These injuries proved that no team can have enough pitchers on its roster. With a few free agents still on the board, the Blue Jays still have time to bring at least a couple of relief pitchers to replenish their ailing roster, but if the momentum keeps up, it could be an ugly look for a team that carried one of the worst bullpens across the league last season. 

https://twitter.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1898134989037842516

This isn’t Toronto’s first rodeo with the bullpen woes. The Blue Jays relief pitching core’s slow decline was exactly what brought down the team to its obscurity last season. Some of the more effective relievers like Chad Green, Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson spent a decent amount of time on the injured list while less-proven relievers were forced into tough positions far too often, especially to start the season. 

The Blue Jays authored a collective 4.82 ERA, 4.84 FIP, and a 20.7% strikeout rate in 2024 and their relief pitching ranked dead last in the American League according to Sportsnet reporter <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/mlb/article/where-the-blue-jays-bullpen-rebuild-begins/">Arden Zwelling</a>. Unfortunately, for the struggling Toronto’s relief pitching staff, it <a href="https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/stats/team/pitching/era/2024?split=rp&amp;sortState=asc">came in</a> 29th out of 30 teams with 303 earned runs and 92 home runs. They were only ahead of the Colorado Rockies and were in the company of teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago White Sox - that’s not a good company to be a part of if you’re a team striving for a playoff spot. 

Last season, Toronto <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/blue-jays-continue-to-cycle-through-relievers-as-the-2024-campaign-comes-to-a-close">cycled through</a> whopping 27 pitchers and three additional position players to fill in the gaps for this team, whether it was injury replacements or poor performance. While this showed the bleak state of injuries in the bullpen, it also revealed a lot about the rather alarming state of the Blue Jays’ pitching depth for relievers. The 2024 season showed that Toronto had a very thin depth in its farm system and didn’t have many home-grown pitchers it could rely on when it needed it the most, hence why fans saw the likes of Easton Lucas, Tommy Nance, Luis Frias, Jose Cuas, and Brett de Geus to finish out the season. 

Part of the reason why some teams in the league like the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays have been competitive is because they could confidently call up their young pitchers and count on them to bring more success even if they encountered some injuries along the way. As much as the Blue Jays are working on growing their talents in the lower levels of their farm system, they currently don’t have that comparable dependable depth at the triple-A level (and one of the reasons the team is ranked at #27 across the league for their farm system). 

The Major Leagues have been a ruthless stage for a team without much pitching depth and that remains true for the majority of today’s game. The 2015 Kansas City Royals won their World Series with a stable starting rotation and lights-out bullpen and the 2019 Washington Nationals had an amazingly durable set of starters who gave them a fighting chance. The 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers suffered greatly from many pitching injuries but could endure and win it all because they had dependable depth pitchers they could rely on in the times of need, along with their rock-steady lineup.

https://twitter.com/ArdenZwelling/status/1898128622138851633

Pitching wins games and series. Having an extraordinarily extravagant lineup is certainly a bonus. Even so, it’s undeniable that sustainable pitching is at the core of every successful contender. If the Blue Jays are dreaming of returning to the playoff stage and coming out triumphantly at least once, retooling their pitching depth–especially, their relief pitching–is a necessity. They were able to accomplish this goal to a point this winter - adding Jeff Hoffman, Nick Sandlin, and Yimi Garcia - but the depth behind them is lacking, which we are seeing with Swanson being hurt out of the gate. 

Relief pitching is very much a <a href="https://bluejaysnation.com/news/the-blue-jays-need-to-heavily-invest-in-their-bullpen-this-off-season">volatile factor</a> every season, and this is all the more reason for a team like Toronto to continue revamping its bullpen. With the uncertainty around the current bullpen picture, the team should be looking at other veteran relievers who can help bring consistency and stability. Ideally, the team would also be able to find at least one star depth reliever within the system who can also step up when called upon. 

Don’t forget the Blue Jays still have eight infielders on their roster that they can take advantage of in trades. The truth is, there won’t be enough spots for all eight infielders when the season begins, and this surplus is something the front office can leverage to acquire even more depth pieces in the bullpen moving forward.

Something needs to change in Toronto’s relief pitching management if the team wants an opportunity to be in contention. They’ve been down this road before and should have a better idea of how to rise up to the challenges in their bullpen – that’s their shot at being taken seriously once again. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and the Blue Jays can’t simply afford to repeat last season’s insanity. Shape up or ship out – there’s nothing else left in this equation.

<hr />

<a href="https://betway.com/en/sports/grp/baseball/usa/mlb">All Toronto Blue Jays odds are brought to you by MLB betting site Betway</a>!

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