Blue Jays: Ranking the offseason checklist priorities

4- The Bullpen

There’s no doubt that the Blue Jays could use some bullpen reinforcements this offseason, but I’m more than comfortable with them addressing the other areas first.

I say that for two reasons. The first is that the Jays are starting from a fairly decent spot to begin with. They’ll return a group that includes Rafael Dolis, Jordan Romano, Ryan Borucki, Shun Yamaguchi, and likely A.J. Cole. There are also plenty of other arms in the organization that will contribute to the bullpen next year, so the cupboards aren’t totally bare.

The other reason is that I’ve grown to trust Atkins and the front office when it comes to finding low-cost relievers. Whether it was guys like Dolis, Cole, or Anthony Bass in 2020, or others like Daniel Hudson, David Phelps, Justin Shafer, or Jason Adam from the year before. They’ve had a good eye for acquiring low-cost relievers, and it has often come late in the offseason.

In an ideal world the Blue Jays would bring back someone like Bass to help shore up the back of the bullpen, and maybe even add another elite arm to the mix. I believe in Romano’s ability as a closer and Dolis handled the role fine in 2020, but someone like Brad Hand would give them some nice depth to work with, especially from the left side.

However, if the Blue Jays decide to leave the bullpen to the bottom of their priority list for now, I certainly understand. There are more important areas to address.