Jays Journal
FanSided

How can the Blue Jays improve their bullpen?

By Josh Goldberg

Aug 21, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Members of the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen celebrate an out at home during the first inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 21, 2020; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Members of the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen celebrate an out at home during the first inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Mary Holt-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Blue Jays
SAN DIEGO, CA – AUGUST 11: Daniel Hudson #18 of the San Diego Padres pitches during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park on August 11, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

A Trio of Former Blue Jays

Daniel Hudson 

There are other less splashy relief options on the market than Iglesias and Jansen, including former Blue Jay Daniel Hudson.

Hudson was tremendous for Toronto back in 2019, pitching to a 3.00 ERA in 45 appearances before being dealt to the Washington Nationals, where he memorably recorded the final out of Game 7 of the World Series en route to Nats’ first championship.

After a strong 2019 season, it was a rough one in 2020 for Hudson as he saw his ERA skyrocket to 6.10 while posting a -0.4 fWAR in 20.2 innings pitched.

Hudson bounced back in a big way in 2021, pitching for both Washington and San Diego after a midseason trade to the Padres. He posted a career-best 13.06 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched, averaged 97 miles per hour on his fastball; the highest of his career, and had a 35.7% K%, which was 5% higher than his previous best.

Ryan Tepera 

CHICAGO – OCTOBER 10: Ryan Tepera #51 of the Chicago White Sox looks on during Game Three of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros on October 10, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images)
CHICAGO – OCTOBER 10: Ryan Tepera #51 of the Chicago White Sox looks on during Game Three of the American League Division Series against the Houston Astros on October 10, 2021 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/Getty Images) /

Tepera spent five seasons with the Blue Jays before being designated for assignment in November 2019 and picked up by the Chicago Cubs.

Tepera had a breakout 2020 season, amassing a career-best 13.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched while winning National League Reliever of the Month in May 2020 along the way.

Related Story. The Pros and Cons of Signing Chris Taylor This Offseason. light

He was able to build on that strong 2020 season in 2021 as Tepera had a career year with the Cubs and White Sox, pitching to a 2.79 ERA in 61.1 innings while accruing a career-best 1.6 fWAR.

Aaron Loup

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Aaron Loup #32 of the New York Mets pitches during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on September 17, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 17: Aaron Loup #32 of the New York Mets pitches during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on September 17, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Many Blue Jays fans don’t have the fondest memories of Aaron Loup’s time with the franchise as the sidearm tossing lefty had his share of ups and downs across seven seasons in Toronto.

Loup has found his groove over the past two years as he finished with a 2.52 ERA in 25 innings for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 before posting a career season in 2021 for the New York Mets, which saw him finish the year with a 6-0 record, a sparkling 0.95 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP in 56.2 innings.

You might think that most of Loup’s success came against left-handed batters, but in 2021 Loup more than held his own against righties as well.

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

With baseball’s move to the three batter minimum, Loup’s ability to get right-handed batters out at a solid clip makes him a much more desirable free-agent target.

Home/Toronto Blue Jays News