Blue Jays: Three free agent relievers the team could pursue this offseason

The Toronto Blue Jays fell short of the significant expectations put on them this season and will look to upgrade their team this offseason.

One of the main departments where the team is lacking is relief pitching. Although attempts have been made over the past two years to address the need, it’s clear more needs to be done to improve this vitally important element.

Trevor Richards and Adam Cimber were brought in during the 2021 season. Zach Pop and Anthony Bass were acquired at this year’s trade deadline. Yimi Garcia was signed as a free agent before the start of the 2022 season. All have had varying levels of success and have improved the bullpen. However, more needs to be done if the Blue Jays are to be considered legitimate World Series contenders.

That quintet, plus closer Jordan Romano, appears to be part of the solution going forward, but the club should also consider looking at the upcoming pool of free agents to further fortify a middle-of-the-pack unit. It’s also not a guarantee that Bass is back, although he has a $3 million club option for next year and he didn’t pitch well in the elimination game against Seattle, so that will be something to keep an eye on.

There are many pitchers that could be considered to bring in to help the bullpen. The top names are all closers, which isn’t necessarily what Toronto needs. Adding to the depth of arms that could be relied upon to pitch high-leverage innings and targeting guys that have swing-and-miss stuff appear to be the objective.

Obviously, there is much to be decided between now and the start of next season, but here is a short list of free-agent relievers that the Blue Jays brass could consider signing sometime over the following few months.