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

Taylor Rogers – LHP

It’s no secret that the Blue Jays have a dearth of left-handed relief pitchers. Tim Mayza is really the only reliable one on the team, and you may remember, he struggled mightily when he entered Game 2 of the wild-card series.

Taylor Rogers is a veteran bounce-back candidate. He’s coming off the worst season of his career but will be motivated to prove he’s still got it. The lanky lefty started with San Diego last year and ended up on the Brewers in the trade that saw Josh Hader go the other way. He was also moved just before the start of the season, from Minnesota to San Diego along with Brent Rooker in exchange for Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagan.

He was moved twice in quick succession partly due to his pending free agency and because he’s considered a valuable commodity around the league.

Three free agent relievers the Blue Jays could pursue this offseason

Last season, Rogers made 66 appearances and went 4-8 with a 4.76 ERA between the two teams. He was named an All-Star in 2021 but his best season was in 2019 when he pitched to a 2.61 ERA over 69 innings with a 1.00 WHIP.

Over the last four seasons, Rogers has had a strikeout percentage of over 30%, well above the league average of 22.3% and he also has a career walk rate of just 6.1 percent, far below the MLB average of 8.5.

Rogers would give whoever’s in charge another viable left-handed option, and one that can avoid contact and pitch in the late-game situations. The Jays may be able to get Rogers on a value-deal, prove-it type of contract.

Trevor May – RHP

Trevor May is another example of a pitcher whose best years came in the Twin Cities and who is looking for a resurgent year in a new uniform.

Between 2018 and 2021, May had an average ERA of 3.39 although staying on the field has been an ongoing issue. He underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the 2017 season and missed the entire season. Before that, his 2016 season ended with a back injury that turned out to be a stress fracture.  Since 2020, the right-hander has dealt with back and elbow ailments, although he had a solid 2021 campaign with a 3.59 ERA over 62.2 innings.

When healthy, May can be dominant. He’s averaged over 12 K’s per nine innings since becoming a full-time reliever in 2016 and he’s just the type of strikeout artist the Blue Jays bullpen has lacked in recent years.

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

May pitched just 25 innings last year and had a 5.04 ERA so there may not exactly be a bidding war for his services. That could help the Jays to sign him to a reasonably team-friendly deal, quite possibly less than the two-year, $15.5 million contract he received from the Mets and mega-millionaire Steve Cohen before the 2021 season. His four-seam fastball can generate a lot of swings and misses. During the truncated 2020 season, his four-seamer resulted in a whiff rate of 46.9, the highest in the majors.

Trevor May would arrive in The Big Smoke with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove after an injury-plagued and ineffective year in New York. If he can turn things around, he may be the missing piece to unlocking the bullpen’s full potential.

Mychal Givens – RHP

Unlike the first two pitchers on this list, Mychal Givens is coming off a decent performance in 2022. After going 6-2 with a 2.66 ERA in 40-plus innings with the Cubs, Givens didn’t have as great results in the pressure cooker that is New York.

Givens slipped to a 4.79 ERA in 19 games with the Mets, but his overall numbers were respectable; 120 ERA+, 1.32 WHIP, and 10.4 K’s per nine innings.

Jays fans know Givens well, he spent the first six years of his career coming out of the bullpen for the Baltimore Orioles and had his best season in 2017 when he went 8-1 with a 2.75 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a 2.3 bWAR.

Givens has shown an ability to close out games throughout his career and has piled up 31 saves in that time, including a high of 11 in 2019. The Blue Jays don’t really need another closer but adding a pitcher who has experience closing out games would be a smart move.

He has a career strikeout percentage of 28.4, well above average, and, during his time with the Mets, also produced a ground ball rate of 46.7% and a low walk rate of just 6.8%. His hard-throwing, submarine-style delivery would allow for just enough contrast from Cimber to really confuse opposing hitters.

All three of these pitchers may benefit from a return to the American League and some more familiar settings and ballparks.

None of these potential signings would create a ton of buzz, but all three could help push the bullpen to the next level.