Tyler Rogers gave the Blue Jays’ bullpen much-needed stability in year one of contract

One of the Toronto Blue Jays’ goals last offseason was to find a high-leverage reliever. They found it with Tyler Rogers, signing him to a three-year, $37-million deal in December.

Rogers is one of the most unique pitchers in MLB, and one of the most reliable. He’s a submariner with a minus-61-degree arm angle, the lowest in MLB by far. Kevin Kelly has the second-lowest arm angle at one degree. His slider averages 73.5 MPH, which is over two MPH slower than the second-slowest in MLB (Tim Hill: 75.9 MPH). He also has the slowest slider in MLB, averaging 83.2 MPH. His unique approach works for him. Rogers has a 2.62 ERA over his career and has had at least 30 holds each season since 2023.

For the Blue Jays, 2026 was a year defined by a lack of reliability. Whether due to injuries or slumps, there wasn’t much consistency in the Blue Jays’ roster or performance. However, Rogers was a steady presence for the team in his first season as a Blue Jay.

Rogers didn’t come to the Blue Jays wanting to be a star, which he told manager John Schneider after signing.

“He was just like, ‘Skip, if you talk to me too much, it means I’m not doing my job,'” Schneider told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson about Rogers in March. “I want to be boring. I don’t want to talk to you for a couple weeks at a time. I’m low maintenance.”

Boring is one word to describe Rogers in 2026. Dependable is probably more appropriate.

In the first month of the season, Rogers posted a 0.59 ERA while giving up two runs, one earned. That was his strongest month of the season, but not by much. Rogers posted an ERA under one in three of the six months in the regular season. The only months he gave up more than one earned run were May (six) and August (four).

May was Rogers’ weakest month. He posted a 4.76 ERA over 13 appearances. Most of the damage was done in two games. He gave up two runs to the Tampa Bay Rays in a 4-3 loss on May 5 and three runs to the Miami Marlins in an 8-2 loss on May 25.

Throughout the season, Rogers had the occasional game where he gave up multiple runs, but for the most part he was extremely reliable for the Blue Jays. That’s not surprising given that his game relies on generating a lot of weak contact as opposed to strikeouts. Rogers has a 63.2 per cent ground ball rate, which is in the 100th percentile. That leads to a lot of routine plays, but it can also result in the occasional bloop hit.

Rogers posted a 1.77 ERA on the season, which was the sixth-lowest among qualified relievers. True to his desire to be boring, Rogers was one of the best relievers in MLB, but went a little under the radar compared to his teammate Louis Varland, who had the lowest ERA among relievers (1.27).

If Rogers has a weakness, it’s that he’s not a closer. He did have the second-most saves on the Blue Jays with four, but he also had four blown saves, which tied with Jeff Hoffman for the most on the team. Although that is also due to him having the most save opportunities aside from Varland (37) and Hoffman (nine).

Rogers doesn’t need to be a closer since the Blue Jays have a very good one in Varland. It also doesn’t seem to be a role he’s interested in, since he has his eye on a piece of baseball history.

“He said he wants to be the all-time holds leader, which is about as reliever-ish as you can get,” Schneider told Matheson about Rogers before the season.

Rogers made a good amount of progress on that goal in 2026. He tied with Kevin Kelly for the most holds last season with 33, also his career high. That brings his total to 187, putting him 11th all-time and 59 behind Tony Watson for the lead.

It’s the fourth straight season in which Rogers has had at least 30 holds and the fifth time in his career. If he continues at this pace, he’ll reach his goal during the 2028 season.

The Blue Jays couldn’t have asked for more from Rogers in his first season with the team. The core players in the bullpen were all used heavily throughout the season, and Rogers was no exception. He pitched 71 innings over 74 games in 2026.

Despite a heavy workload, Rogers delivered on his promise to be low maintenance. He wasn’t quite as flashy as Varland, but he was almost as reliable. Between those two, plus Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty, the Blue Jays bullpen is set up very well for the next few seasons. Spencer Miles was another key reliever for the Blue Jays in 2026, though he may have a chance at a rotation spot for 2027.

Rogers wasn’t the biggest signing for the Blue Jays last offseason, and he wasn’t the most talked about in 2026. That’s exactly what he was looking for, and what the Blue Jays needed.

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