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Blue Jays: Looking at who fills what role in the bullpen
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Photo credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Dec 22, 2025, 07:00 ESTUpdated: Dec 21, 2025, 20:55 EST
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One area of strength for the Toronto Blue Jays heading into the 2026 season is their bullpen.
Earlier this month, they made one of their biggest free agent signings, agreeing to terms with Tyler Rogers, thus essentially locking in how their bullpen will look to begin the 2026 season. 
Things can certainly change and a bullpen can always get better. You never know if an injury can occur, but let’s break down bullpen roles for the 2026 season assuming every pitcher is healthy.

High-leverage

Starting with high-leverage, it looks like the Blue Jays will have three relievers dedicated to high-leverage situations. The bullpen is great if Jeff Hoffman can pitch like he did in 2023 and 2024.
It wasn’t a great 2025 for the 32-year-old, as he had a 4.37 ERA and 4.90 FIP in 68 innings pitched, with a 29.3 K% and 9.4 BB%. More worrisome was his home run rate, as the closer gave up 15 home runs, the second-most for any reliever. That said, Hoffman converted 33 of 40 saves.
His most notable home run was the one you’re thinking of, but Hoffman actually had a great postseason. In 12.1 innings pitched, the right-handed pitcher had a 1.46 ERA and 2.73 FIP, with a 37.5 K% and 8.3 BB%. Hoffman picked up some of the biggest outs in franchise history.
Filling in as the setup man will be the aforementioned Rogers. No reliever in baseball has been more durable than the submarine pitcher, as he’s pitched 70 or more innings in the past five seasons. Last season, Rogers had a sub 2.00 ERA, finishing with a 1.98 ERA and 2.88 FIP in 77.1 innings pitched.
In his career, Rogers only has 19 saves, with 13 of them coming in 2021. Last season, he didn’t even pick up a save, instead matching a career-high with 32 holds. He doesn’t get a ton of strikeouts, but Rogers generates plenty of soft contact and balls on the ground. 
Lastly, Yimi García will hopefully be back by the start of next season. Last season when healthy, the 35-year-old had a 3.86 ERA and 3.85 FIP in 21 innings pitched, with a 27.8 K% and 13.3 BB%. His walk rate is unusual, never reaching above 8.3% before last season, while his K% was down from the 32 K% he posted in 2024, but more in line with his career numbers.
If healthy, García will be the guy that the Blue Jays turn to in high leverage if they need a strikeout.

Long-man role

The Blue Jays have a long-man problem. As of right now, the Blue Jays have six starters signed, with one of José Berríos or Cody Ponce needing to move to the bullpen if the rotation remains healthy heading into 2026.
Toward the end of last season, Berríos moved into the bullpen for a brief time before ending up on the injured list, as he battled injuries in his elbow and bicep. It’s also worth noting that it’s been reported that the Blue Jays would be open to trading him.
Which makes sense, as the Jays already have a long-man in their bullpen in Eric Lauer. Last season, the left-handed pitcher was a legitimate contender for the team’s MVP, as he posted a 3.18 ERA and 3.85 FIP in 104.2 innings pitched after signing as a minor-league free agent.
Whether in relief or the rotation, Lauer did whatever was asked and found success. He’s out of option years, meaning he’ll need to remain on the 26-man roster. It seems improbable the Jays will carry two long-men in 2026, so barring injuries, you have to assume something has to budge.
Bowden Francis is also an option for this role, a role in which he excelled in when he filled it in 2023 and parts of 2024. He has an option year for the 2026 season.

Medium-leverage

There are also three relievers who are locks, as they’ll mainly pitch in low to medium leverage with the ability to pitch in high leverage. Acquired ahead of the 2025 trade deadline, Louis Varland posted a 2.97 ERA and 3.14 FIP in 72.2 innings pitched, but struggled in the first month of his Blue Jays’ tenure.
The 28-year-old eventually figured it out in September, returning to John Schneider’s circle of trust. That allowed the right-handed pitcher to break the record for most postseason outings for a pitcher, as he posted a 3.94 ERA and 5.01 FIP in 16 innings pitched over 15 outings.
Fellow right-handed pitcher Braydon Fisher is another reliever who’ll pitch in medium leverage with the opportunity to see some high-leverage innings. Of any qualified reliever, Fisher’s 1.85 ERA out of the bullpen ranked sixth-best in the league. Funnily enough, that ranked better than Rogers, as well as a handful of other notable names like Jhoan Duran, JoJo Romero, and Josh Hader.
Five of the 15 runs that Fisher gave up in the regular season came in his one and only start on May 31. Sure, Fisher’s postseason didn’t go great, but the reliever coming out of nowhere helped the Blue Jays make the postseason, and even with an option year in 2026, he should be on the Opening Day roster.
Unless things change, Brendon Little will be the team’s left-handed reliever they turn to in leverage spots. At his best, Little is unhittable, as he posted a 1.37 ERA and 2.41 FIP in his first 26.1 innings pitched until the start of June. Teams started to lay off pitches, and his effectiveness dropped.
For Little, it’s all about being able to consistently get swing and miss, and he’ll surely get an opportunity to be the Blue Jays’ best left-handed reliever unless something changes.

Bubble relievers

There are quite a few relievers (or starters) on the bubble. First off is Tommy Nance, who is out of option years. Last season, he had a 1.99 ERA and 1.87 FIP in 31.2 innings pitched, with a 25.4 K% and 5.6 BB%. That was mostly in low-leverage, but those kinds of stats are hard to justify not making the Opening Day roster.
The Blue Jays also have two Rule 5 players currently on their 40-man roster. A player selected in the Rule 5 draft has to remain on the team’s 26-man roster, or they’re offered back to their original team. In this case, the Jays have to keep Angel Bastardo and Spencer Miles on the roster. The former was drafted in the 2024 Rule 5 draft, but spent the entirety of the 2025 season on the 60-day injured list.
Mason Fluharty is another interesting name. In almost any other bullpen, he’s a lock to make the Opening Day roster, but his option years may make him a reliever that goes up and down. He finished with a 4.44 ERA and 3.97 FIP in 52.2 innings pitched last season.
Acquired shortly before the Jays signed Rogers, the Blue Jays traded Johan Simon to the Detroit Tigers for Chase Lee. The right-handed pitcher has option years and could split his time between Major League Baseball and Triple-A.
Ricky Tiedemann and Adam Macko are two left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster looking to make their debuts in 2026. Ideally, both will remain as starters, but come September, it’s not impossible to see a hard-throwing lefty like Tiedemann come out of the bullpen. It’s the same case for Lázaro Estrada, although he’s a right-handed pitcher.
Finally, Paxton Schultz could be in a bulk relief type of role. Last season, the 27-year-old had a 4.38 ERA and 4.07 FIP in 24.2 innings pitched, with a 25.5 K% and 7.3 BB%.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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