Jeff Hoffman had an up-and-down first season with the Blue Jays as their closer in 2025, and while they haven’t yet signed another 9th-inning arm, there could be some internal challengers for the closer’s role, especially if he gets off to a shaky start in 2026.

The 33-year-old fireballer managed to record 33 saves in his first season, good for fourth in all of baseball behind Carlos Estevez (42- KC), Robert Suarez (40- SD), and Andres Munoz (38- SEA), but the results of the leaderboard are a little deceiving. Hoffman was charged with seven blown saves during the regular season and posted an underwhelming 4.37 ERA and a 1.191 WHIP across 68.0 innings of work. When he was on his game, he looked the part of an elite stopper, but there were far too many nights when he looked like a different pitcher altogether, including Game 7 of the World Series when Miguel Rojas homered against him to break the hearts of Blue Jays fans all across the country.

To his credit, Hoffman took the blame square on his own shoulders after the devastating loss, even if that one fateful pitch was far from the only mistake that left them painfully short of the third championship in franchise history.

While Hoffman performed quite well throughout the playoffs in 2025, giving up just that one run over 10.0 innings between the ALCS and World Series, it’s understandable that the Blue Jays wanted to look at their options as they headed into the off-season. They were linked to some of the best on the market, including Edwin Diaz, Robert Surarez, Pete Fairbanks and more, but they have yet to bump Hoffman down the depth chart, and as of this writing, the assumption is that he’ll have an opportunity for redemption in 2026.

That said, for a team that has aspirations of returning to the Fall Classic and finishing the job this time, it wouldn’t be surprising if the decision makers in Toronto had a lot less patience the second time around, and I’m sure even Hoffman understands that.

They did end up signing Tyler Rogers to a 3-year, $37 million pact to join their bullpen, but the 35-year-old is far better suited to be an elite, high-usage set-up guy.

Since 2020, the former San Francisco Giant has led the National League in appearances as a reliever during four seasons (2020-21, 2024-25), and he relies on an arsenal that induces weak contact rather than the high strikeout rates teams usually look for when dispatching their closer. He’s an excellent arm to have in the bullpen, but he would be miscast as the 9th inning guy. So if not their shiny new piece, who could challenge Hoffman for the job?

The first name that comes to mind is Yimi Garcia, who has quietly been one of the most trusted arms for the Blue Jays since 2022, other than a brief stop in Seattle when he was traded at the deadline during the 2024 season.

He has enough swing and miss in his skillset that he could fit the description, striking out 204 hitters over 178.0 innings in his four-ish seasons as a Blue Jay. He’s been more of a fireman for the Jays than anything, so high-leverage situations are nothing new to him. The biggest question for the 35-year-old is what he’ll look like coming back from the injuries that plagued him last year, eventually leading to a season-extending clean-up procedure on his elbow. The hope is he’ll look like his old self, and if that’s the case, then I’m sure he’ll be right back in the late-inning mix for manager John Schneider, one way or another.

The second option that comes to mind would be Louis Varland, who clearly earned the trust of John Schneider and company as he made 15 appearances during the playoff run last season.

The 27-year-old has the kind of power repertoire that most teams will feature in the 9th inning these days, with the ability to pitch into the upper 90s, and even touch triple digits once in a while. He ramped up his strikeout rate once landing with the Blue Jays, and did a great job of limiting free passes during the postseason, putting up a 17-3 ratio over 15.0 innings. While there’s still some room for refinement in the right-hander’s game, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him take another step forward in 2026, and he’ll continue to be counted on in high leverage for his first full season as a Blue Jay.

The third name I’d like to highlight would likely have a much longer road to the 9th inning than the first two, but I can’t help but think “future closer” when I watch Braydon Fisher take the mound.

The 25-year-old was a pleasant surprise in 2025 and turned in a quietly crucial contribution with a 2.70 ERA across 50 appearances as a rookie, covering 52.0 innings. He punched out 62 hitters against just 19 walks, and posted an 11.2 K/9 rate while earning some down-ballot votes for AL Rookie of the Year. While he didn’t have a huge role to play during the postseason, it’s expected that Fisher will get plenty of opportunities again in 2026, and don’t be surprised if he works his way into the late-inning mix again sooner than later. He doesn’t throw quite as hard as Varland, but he’s got plenty of velocity on his heater to find success in the big leagues, and I believe he could be a future closer. I’m confident that others would get the first crack at the job if Hoffman falters going forward, but the future looks bright for the Texas native.

At the end of the day, the Blue Jays are hoping that they get the best of Hoffman in 2026, and hopefully, the veteran can shake off the sting of a missed opportunity in last year’s World Series.

If he struggles again for a prolonged period, the Blue Jays have a talented enough group of relievers that they could look to other in-house options, or perhaps they’ll explore the trade market again in July. Here’s hoping it doesn’t come to that, but at least there should be some quality depth in place or 2026, and another place for Schneider to turn if need be.

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