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Where the Blue Jays bullpen stands heading into the 2026 season
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Photo credit: © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Aidan Sinclair
Feb 8, 2026, 14:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 8, 2026, 12:23 EST
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Looking back on the 2025 Blue Jays season, it’s hard to believe what they accomplished when examining the bullpen they assembled on Opening Day.
The likes of Richard Lovelady, Jacob Barnes, Chad Green, and Nick Sandlin were all a part of the 26-man roster for the Jays’ first series of the season against the Orioles. Lovelady didn’t make it out of that first series before being DFA’d, Barnes followed suit in mid-April, and Green was let go just before the trade deadline. 
Here is what the Jays’ bullpen looked like for Opening Day 2025, compared to where it stands now. 
2025 Opening Day                             Prospective 2026 bullpen 
Jeff Hoffman                                        Jeff Hoffman
Yimi Garcia                                           Louis Varland
Chad Green                                           Yimi Garcia 
Brendon Little                                      Tyler Rogers
Nick Sandlin                                         Brendon Little 
Yariel Rodriguez                                  Mason Fluharty 
Jacob Barnes                                        Braydon Fisher 
Dick Lovelady                                       Eric Lauer 
Heading into 2026, the bullpen has been drastically improved through both external acquisitions and internal developments. Tyler Rogers was signed earlier this offseason to a three-year deal and has posted a 2.76 career ERA, throwing more than 70 innings each of the last five seasons. He is not a flashy presence and will rely on inducing soft contact to get outs, but he excels at what he does in terms of the groundball outs. This plays right into the Jays’ hands, as one of the more sound defensive teams in the league, the past few seasons. 
Louis Varland was brought over at last year’s trade deadline and made an immediate impact, showcasing his elite fastball velocity and durability. 2025 was Varland’s first full season as a reliever in the big leagues, and the transition saw tremendous success, pitching to a 2.97 ERA across 72.2 innings for both the Minnesota Twins and Blue Jays. A full season of Varland will be instrumental to the success of the 2026 roster, given his potential as a fireman in high-leverage situations. 
Jeff Hoffman is likely to remain the Jays’ closer for 2026, barring injury or poor performance. Game seven was a blemish on what became an elite postseason run for Hoffman, who ultimately finished with a 1.46 ERA across 12 1/3 innings. Inconsistencies were apparent during the regular season, and with new back-end options, Hoffman may be at risk of losing the closer role. 
The lefty trio of Mason Fluharty, Brendon Little, and Eric Lauer emerged as a pleasant surprise in 2025 and played a key role in the eventual deep playoff run.
Fluharty pitched to a 1.96 ERA in his first 18.1 innings and became enticing enough to warrant regular playing time as the season went on, leading to big outs recorded during the Jays’ playoff run. Little was dominant in the first half of the season, though fatigue and command issues made him a tough watch during the second half. If he can regain control of his wipeout curveball, he’ll have an opportunity to be atop the leaders for both Whiff and Chase rates.
Lauer was deployed as a Swiss Army Knife after starting the year in Triple-A, starting multiple games and eating innings for the Jays before resorting to a bullpen role in the second half and being a reliable lefty option. 
Braydon Fisher made his debut in early May last year and never looked back, pitching to a 2.70 ERA across 50 innings, warranting a 10th-place finish in ROY voting. His over-the-top delivery is a deceptive weapon that makes the ball difficult to read for opposing hitters. Yimi Garcia will be returning from elbow surgery and is expected to be ready for Spring Training. When healthy, Garcia has been reliable for the Jays, pitching to a 3.49 ERA through 178 innings in four years with the club. Similarly to Varland, he has the potential to be used in high-leverage situations with a power sinker/slider combo. 
Tommy Nance will have the chance to make the Opening Day bullpen, though he will have to earn a spot in Spring Training.
He has no options remaining, and after being left off both the ALCS and World Series rosters, it appears unlikely he would be able to stick in the Jays’ bullpen for the entire season. Chase Lee, Spencer Miles, and Angel Bastardo are all currently on the 40-man roster and will have the chance to earn bullpen roles should they impress during Spring Training, especially Miles and Bastardo, who are Rule 5 selections.
Final Thoughts
As volatile as all bullpens are, the 2026 version shapes up to be much more reliable than many prior forms of Blue Jays bullpens. A new window of competition after the 2025 playoff run has been established, requiring a bullpen that will strike fear into opposing lineups.
Though it has already been drastically improved, don’t be surprised if Ross Atkins pulls a late trade trigger during Spring Training to deal from the surplus of outfielders currently on the roster. 

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