The Blue Jays’ bullpen was one of the biggest weaknesses for the team in 2025 and will likely require some tinkering heading into next year.

Toronto’s 3.98 bullpen ERA in the regular season ranked in the middle of the pack across baseball, and the lack of shutdown relief arms led to some blown games in the postseason. The Blue Jays bullpen posted a 4.44 ERA and 1.44 WHIP in their 18 playoff games, with a whopping 17 home runs given up. Left-handed relief was a particular concern due to Brendon Little’s October struggles. Despite the emergence of rookie reliever Mason Fluharty, a veteran addition is likely in the cards heading into 2026.

One reliever that could be of interest is Danny Coulombe.

Coulombe isn’t a name that will be featured on many top free agent lists, but could be an underrated signing for a contender this offseason. The 35-year-old has played for five different teams across 11 seasons, emerging as a difference-maker in the 2022 season with the Twins, posting a 1.46 ERA in a 10-game sample. He then emerged as one of the best left-handed relievers in the game, producing sub-3.00 ERA seasons from 2023-25, including two great seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before returning to Minnesota last year.

Over the last four seasons, Coulombe’s 2.33 cumulative ERA across 158 games ranked second in all of baseball among southpaw relievers. The 5-foot-10 veteran produced those impressive numbers with a five-pitch mix that keeps batters off balance. Despite just a 90.3 average velocity on his fastball (sixth percentile), he generates elite chase rates with his cutter, sinker, four-seam fastball, sweeper, and occasional curveball. He also has shown he is comfortable coming into games in tough spots, possessing a near 80% left on base rate over the last five seasons.

Coulombe had himself a career year with the Twins in 2025, which was particularly impressive based on the recent seasons he had put forth. In 40 games with Minnesota, he put together a 1.16 ERA (2.01 FIP), without allowing a homerun and generating 1.6 bWAR. His underlying numbers were in line with those from the previous few seasons, leading to interest at the trade deadline. He was eventually moved to the Texas Rangers for pitching prospect Garrett Horn.

Things went off the rails a little bit after Coulombe was traded. In 15 relief appearances, he produced a 5.25 ERA, giving up three home runs while his walk rate ballooned to 6.75 BB/9. It’s worth mentioning that six of the seven runs he gave up post-trade were in just two outings, one of which came against the Blue Jays, in which he failed to record an out. He hit the injured list at the beginning of September, returning in time to make four scoreless appearances before the season’s end. Despite the rough numbers with Texas, his final 2025 numbers were still solid: 2.30 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 9.00 K/9, 3.77 BB/9.

The addition of a veteran like Coulombe will depend a lot on how the Blue Jays feel about their in-house options.

Fluharty will undoubtedly be a guy that the Jays believe in going forward, but it remains to be seen what kind of role Little may have after falling out of the circle of trust of John Schneider in the playoffs. Justin Bruihl is the only other lefty relief option with major league experience, without considering Eric Lauer, who will likely return to a starting or long relief role. This almost guarantees that they will bring in some further competition.

Despite not possessing overwhelming stuff, Coulombe has proved over the last five seasons that he can be one of the very best southpaw relievers in the game. Due to his age and less-than-desirable strikeout stuff, it probably won’t break the bank to sign a pitcher like him, but the dependability that he offers could make a big difference for the 2026 Blue Jays.