For the first time in several seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays’ bullpen is in a decent place. With only one pending free agent in Seranthony Dominguez, the majority of their bullpen will likely stay intact heading into Opening Day.

However, the bullpen that starts on Opening Day 2026 will not be the same that finishes, as illustrated by Chad Green, Jacob Barnes and Richard Lovelady all being members of the Opening Day roster earlier this year. None of them survived the rest of the season with the Blue Jays.

There’s always room for improvement, which is why the Blue Jays are reportedly in on “all markets” this offseason, which means improving upon a bullpen that was statistically middle of the pack in 2025. Two main reasons for Toronto’s significant year-over-year relief improvement were the emergence of Mason Fluharty and Braydon Fisher.

Neither of these two factored into the early-season plans of the Blue Jays, as both rookies started the season in Triple-A Buffalo. The Blue Jays promoted Fluharty on March 30th, which was the corresponding roster move that saw Max Scherzer moved to the injured list. Fisher took Dillon Tate’s spot on the roster shortly after, and he never looked back.

Both Fluharty and Fisher were instrumental in Toronto’s bullpen success in 2025. They each had several key spots throughout the regular season; Fluharty’s signature appearance being his two-out save against the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 10 at Dodger Stadium. Fisher put his stamp on the season back on July 5 in extra innings against the Los Angeles Angels when he pitched two scoreless innings of relief to help the Blue Jays secure a 4-3 win.

And while Fisher saw little action in the postseason, Fluharty had a massive appearance in Game 4 of the World Series, stranding two baserunners in the bottom of the sixth inning to help the Blue Jays hold on to a 2-1 lead in their eventual 6-1 win that game.

The point is, despite them being rookies, manager John Schneider trusted Fluharty and Fisher in big spots both during the regular season and the postseason, and neither of them seemed fazed by the gravity of the moment. Fluharty, at 25 years old, and Fisher, at 26 years old, looked like pitchers who had three or four years of service time under their belts.

Heading into 2025, it’s hilarious to think the Blue Jays had three relievers who had a leg up on the competition: Green, Genesis Cabrera and Brendon Little. Neither Fluharty nor Fisher was on anyone’s radar to become depth relief pieces, let alone significant contributors to the bullpen.

The front office was aggressive in reshaping the bullpen last winter by signing Jeff Hoffman, re-signing Yimi Garcia and acquiring Nick Sandlin as part of the Andres Gimenez trade. This winter, however, bullpen upgrades are more of a “want” than a “have”.

This comes with the caveat that relievers are extremely volatile from year to year, but it’s safe to assume that if both are healthy, Fluharty and Fisher will once again contribute significant innings to the Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2026. And for Toronto’s front office, that means less of an emphasis on overhauling the bullpen this winter.

In another year with a less robust crop of free agent relievers, teams might be inclined to sell high on a reliever like Fluharty or Fisher, figuring they’re bound to regress from their impressive rookie campaigns. But that’s how the Tampa Bay Rays operate, not how the Blue Jays operate.

It’s entirely possible that Fluharty suffers a sophomore slump and sees his ERA spike from 4.44 to 5-plus next year, but I’d be more than willing to bet his ERA starts with a 3 next season. Fisher’s 2.70 ERA in 52 appearances may see a regression, but again, contenders need arms to cross the finish line at the end of the season.

Sure, it would be nice for the Blue Jays to upgrade the back end of their bullpen by shopping at the top of the market for a Robert Suarez, Edwin Diaz or Devin Williams. They could even go one tier lower for someone of the ilk of a Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Helsley or Luke Weaver. But given the Blue Jays’ internal bullpen options, it’s not a necessity like it was last year.

More than likely, I believe Fluharty and Fisher will see increased roles in 2026. They had already started climbing up the bullpen depth chart by the end of the season, eclipsing other relievers like Little and Louis Varland in terms of seeing high-leverage spots and being trusted when the game was on the line.

For years, the Blue Jays had been searching for internal bullpen success stories since Jordan Romano and Tim Mayza a few years ago. Aside from that, it’s been a parade of quantity and not quality arms from the minor leagues for the Blue Jays. But that all changed last year when Fluharty and Fisher established themselves as big league staples.

Not that the Blue Jays should take their foot off the gas in any pursuit of bullpen upgrades, whether it’s via trade or free agency, but they’re probably feeling a lot better about their footing thanks to Fluharty and Fisher showing they could be contributors to the roster.

Of the eight relief pitchers listed on the Blue Jays depth chart, most would feel comfortable bringing back at least eight of them this coming season. Both Little and Rodriguez raised some red flags with their performances at the end of the season, but there’s still Hoffman, Garcia, Varland, Fluharty, Fisher and Sandlin, who all deserve to get playing time in 2026.

A new setup man or a top-tier closer would make this bullpen that much better, but with guys like Fluharty and Fisher to hopefully rely upon, it’s not a make-or-break for the Blue Jays to have success next season. But hell, it wouldn’t hurt.

Take $20 off your first Vivid Seats order of $200+ using promo code JAYSNATION (new customers only, $200 USD minimum before taxes & fees)