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.

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.