logo
Blue Jays: Looking at who can challenge Jeff Hoffman for the closing job
alt
Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Dec 30, 2025, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 30, 2025, 12:20 EST
Comments
There are still a handful of prevailing questions surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays entering the New Year.
One of which is who will close? Last off-season, Jeff Hoffman was brought in to be the team’s closer, and despite some good, the 32-year-old had an ERA of 4.37 in 68 innings pitched. Had he gotten those final few outs in Game 7 of the World Series, this wouldn’t be a question, but, well, you know what happened.
Barring a trade or an addition to their middle-relief core, the Blue Jays bullpen for 2026 is nearly set in stone. They’ll have four main high-leverage relief options, Hoffman, Yimi García, Tyler Rogers, and Louis Varland, with Braydon Fisher also being a potential option.
The question is, will anyone be able to replace Hoffman?

Looking at Jeff Hoffman’s 2025 season

Signed to a three-year, $33 million deal (worth potentially more), Hoffman had shown to be an effective high-leverage reliever with the Philadelphia Phillies in the two prior years. In 2023, Hoffman posted a 2.41 ERA and 2.57 FIP in 52.1 innings pitched, with a 33.2 K% and 9.1 BB%. He was even better in 2024, authoring a 2.17 ERA and 2.52 FIP in 66.1 innings pitched, with a 33.6 K% and 6 BB%.
So expectations were high when he agreed to terms with the Jays. While he completed 33 saves in 40 opportunities, it was far from a perfect season for Hoffman. Over 68 innings pitched, he had a 4.37 ERA and 4.90 FIP, with a 29.3 K% and 9.4 BB%.
More worrisome was the fact he was prone to the longball. Last season, Hoffman gave up 15 home runs, the second-most for any reliever in the big leagues, only behind Washington Nationals’ reliever Jackson Rutledge. No closer was even remotely close to Hoffman either, as Emilo Pagán’s 10 home runs was the next most for any closer with 30 or more saves.
For 11.1 innings, Hoffman silenced doubters in the postseason. Heading into Game 7 of the World Series, Hoffman had given up just one earned runs over his first 11 innings, striking out 16 batters for a 37.2 K%. Two of his four walks were of the intentional variety, and he closed out both the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Series and the Seattle Mariners in the American League Championship Series.
We need not go over what happened next, but had Hoffman gotten Miguel Rojas and Shohei Ohtani, there would be far less questions. Instead, let’s take a look at his competition for the closer role in 2026.

Hoffman’s competition

Losing Yimi García as early as the Blue Jays did last season was a big loss. When he was healthy, the 35-year-old authored a 3.86 ERA and 3.85 FIP in 21 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher’s K% was down from the year prior, while he had a career-worst 13.3 BB%, but there’s no telling how much the injury played a role in that.
García was the best reliever in the 2024 Blue Jays’ bullpen, posting a 2.70 ERA and 2.67 FIP in 30 innings pitched, with a 36.5 K% and 7 BB%. Before the 2024 trade deadline, García was traded to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Jonatan Clase and Jacob Sharp, and ultimately returned to the Jays last off-season.
If Hoffman’s struggles continues into next season and García is healthy to begin the 2026 season and pitches like he did in 2024, there’s a possibility that García slides into the closer role.
After selling at the 2024 deadline, the Blue Jays were buyers at the 2025 deadline. Their biggest move was acquiring Louis Varland from the Minnesota Twins, giving up Alan Roden and Kendry Rojas in the process.
Like most pitchers, Varland is a former starter, and it wasn’t until a full-time move to the bullpen that he began to find success at the big league level. In 49 innings pitched with the Twins, Varland had a 2.02 ERA and 2.93 FIP, with a 23.9 K% and 6.6 BB%. When the Blue Jays acquired the Saint Paul native, it was a move no one was expecting as Varland also has years of control.
Varland’s first month and a bit didn’t go great, as he had a 7.36 ERA and 3.82 FIP in 14.2 innings pitched from Aug. 1 until Sep. 6. He returned to the Blue Jays’ circle of trust over the remaining seven games he pitched in, giving up one earned runs in nine innings of work.
The postseason is where Varland showcased his value, as he posted a 3.94 ERA and 5.01 FIP in 16 innings pitched. The 28-year-old appeared in 15 games, setting a record for most pitching appearances in a single postseason. In fact, Varland failed to appear in just three Blue Jays’ playoff games.
With a full season in the organization under his belt, expect Varland to pitch much better than he did in the first month after the trade, and maybe even push to close out a few games.
Lastly, Tyler Rogers is an interesting name as he was the Blue Jays’ big bullpen addition. Despite a fastball averaging in the low-80s, the submarine reliever is effective thanks to soft contact and ground outs. He’s also incredibly durable, pitching 70 or more innings in all of the last five seasons.
In 2025, Rogers finished the year with a 1.98 ERA and 2.88 FIP in 77.1 innings pitched, striking out just 16.1% of batters, but walking only 2.3% of batters. Rogers had an astronomic 62.1 ground ball percentage, one of the best in the league.
When called upon, Rogers has been used in closing situations in the past. Back in 2021, Rogers completed 13 saves, blowing just six of them (given a blown save can come far earlier in the game). That was really his only closing experience in any type of capacity, as he has just three saves in his past four seasons.
Instead, Rogers has been used as the set-up man the past five seasons, picking up 30 or more holds in four of his last five seasons. Perhaps in a new organization, Rogers will have more of an opportunity to close?
As it stands, Hoffman is their closer heading into 2026, but poor performance can change that rather quickly.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News