The Blue Jays have a lot of work to do this offseason – power bats, a starting pitcher, and some bullpen arms are all needed to help this team. While the Jays did not do much last winter to improve their relief corps, the bullpen has been at the forefront of the agenda for improvement this offseason. Relievers are a priority for the Jays, as the team needs to find some arms to join the already depleted crew.

The 2024 Blue Jays pitching staff in its entirety ranked 11th in the American League with a 4.29 ERA last season, putting them 22nd overall across the MLB. Mid-season, the club was ranked 27th of 30 for bullpens and by the end of the year, they finished dead last in the AL with their collective 4.82 ERA.

Recently, the Jays did a good and bad deed. The club brought back reliever Yimi Garcia on a two-year $15M contract. Garcia was traded to the Seattle Mariners at the deadline last summer for two prospects and struggled to stay healthy down the stretch. Garcia brings some depth to the bullpen with the potential to be reconsidered for the set-up role, similar to last season when he stepped in at times to be the go-to reliever.

The bad deed? The Jays allowed their closer, Jordan Romano to walk. He is now the closer for the Philadelphia Phillies. Where do the Jays go from here? Replenishment and reconstruction must be actioned.

Sewald remains a free agent this winter. In 2024, he was the closer for the Arizona Diamondbacks to start the year but he struggled towards the end of the season and got bumped from the role before ending the campaign on the IL. Sewald sat on the lower end of the league’s closer performance scale, only based on how the team played.

He is ranked 27th of 30 closers this past season with his 16 saves (minimum 30 innings). Sewald pitched in 39 and 2/3 innings and posted a 4.31 ERA with four blown saves. While his command was sharp (2.3 BB/9), he saw a slight decrease in his K/9 numbers (9.8) and was a bit home run heavy, a trait that has followed him at times throughout his career.

He’s an eight-year veteran with a three-pitch mix. Like most closers, he is fastball dominant which has downward movement which forces a ton of hacks. The sinking action generates swings and misses, as well as groundouts. The fastball holds his highest put-away percentage. Sewald also features a sweeper and changeup. As a closer, Sewald doesn’t meet the present-day standards of velocity, as he averages between 91-93 mph but he crafts strikeouts, sitting 43 batters versus only 10 walks.

The right-hander was signed for a one-year, $7,350,000 in 2024 and could be hovering around the same value if not lower this winter. It likely is in the same ballpark as Garcia’s recent deal and as a bounce-back candidate with a solid track record, Sewald is one right-hander to keep an eye on.

One of the most effective relievers on the market hails from the Texas Rangers.

Right-hander José Leclerc is a reliable and dominant arm who is now a free agent and looking for a home for 2025. Leclerc has eight years in the major leagues, all with the Rangers. He averaged just under 45 innings per season and in 2024, he pitched 66 and 2/3 innings – a shade under his career-high mark set back in 2019. In relief last season, Leclerc finished with a 6-5 record, 13 games finished through 64 outings.

Leclerc faced 288 batters, struck out 89 hitters and walked 32 hitters to the tune of a (4.3 BB/9). He runs a five-pitch repertoire with a strong four, employing a four-seam fastball, slider, cutter, changeup, and sinker. His sinker is the least used pitch, thrown over 85 times this past year. His four-seam fastball and his slider are his two main go-to pitches. His four-seam dices up to 96 mph with a 32% WHIFF and a tamed .176 batting average against. The slider is his out pitch, valuing a 29.7% put-away rate. It has a 36.6-inch vertical drop and moves glove-side at 9.3 inches.

His repertoire is used effectively and his composure keeps his pitch-tempo and command in check. Leclerc is dependable on the mound and could work mid-late relief for an average of three innings per game. He also has experience in the ninth inning, racking up 41 saves throughout his career while boasting a 1.216 WHIP and a 3.44 FIP through 350 appearances.

Leclerc ended a four-year, $14,750,000 contract and is looking for another multi-year deal this winter. The Blue Jays could add the right-hander for some late-inning depth to go along with Garcia, Erik Swanson, and Chad Green if needed.

The former Yankee reliever was a key part of their bullpen this year. He found success in the Bronx in short relief, working effective innings in competitive scenarios. Kahnle threw 42 and 2/3 innings this season through 50 appearences, finishing with a 2.11 ERA. He had a rough outing in June that spiked his numbers but he bounced back well, eventually sitting below the 2.00 ERA threshold for a good portion of August and September. Where does Kahnle find success? By utilizing a very deceptive changeup. His changeup moves vertically at 34.5 inches and 12.7 inches arm-side movement and holds a +10 for his offspeed run value.

The changeup plays a 21.8% put-away rate and keeps a .157 batting average, lower than the fastball numbers. He’s recorded more strikeouts with the changeup than any other pitch in the repertoire. His pitch mix forced a 59.8% ground-out rate and a low 6.3% barrel percentage. According to Baseball Savant, Kahnle’s pitch selection resembles Yu Darvish and Will Smith. His mix strives within shorter appearances, working well against both sides of the place.

Kahnle came off of a two-year $11,500,000 contract and is looking for a new deal towards the twilight years of his career.