3 Blue Jays pitchers who've taken full advantage of spring training opportunities

The Toronto Blue Jays made several headlines this offseason with some notable additions to their pitching corps. From Max Scherzer to Jeff Hoffman to Yimi García, it's clear that Toronto general manager Ross Atkins made adding pitching depth a priority this offseason

While the rotation pieces look to be a lock with four very dependable veterans in Scherzer, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos and Kevin Gausman, along with the promising Bowden Francis, there could be some movement within the bullpen thanks to a few players turning heads turning heads this spring.

Note: All stats are through Friday's games.

3 Blue Jays pitchers who've taken full advantage of spring training opportunities

The first reliever who's turned heads this spring is Brendon Little. A former first-round pick of the Chicago Cubs, Little is 28-year-old lefty who pitched in 49 games for the Blue Jays in 2024 — his first full year in the big leagues.

The Blue Jays acquired Little from the Cubs for cash considerations in him November 2023 and he was called up three separate times during this solid showing last year before finally sticking in June.

He held hitters to a .237 batting average against in 45 2/3 innings with 36 strikeouts.

His numbers from last year look even better if you throw out his first four appearances where he gave up seven earned runs in just 4 1/3 innings. Little's carried his strong performance from last year into the spring, as he's allowed just three hits with five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.

And Little's not the only lefty impressing the in the bullpen. While left-hander Mason Fluharty has never pitched above Triple-A, he's shown himself to be an effective pitcher at every level in the minors since Toronto drafted him in 2022.

He spent all of last season with the Buffalo Bisons last year and had 76 strikeouts in 67 innings with a 10.2 K/9 mark. He also held opponents to a .218 batting average against.

Getting relievers who can make guys whiff is essentially a requirement for every relief arm in MLB, and Fluharty has been doing just that this spring with eight strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings of work. He's allowed just three hits and one earned run.

The last reliever who fits this category is a familiar face. While Ryan Yarbrough didn't sign with the Blue Jays until February, it seems like he hasn't missed a step. The 33-year-old veteran signed a minor league contract with Toronto in February and has done everything he can to make sure that turns into a major league contract soon.

Yarborough has thrown 5 1/3 innings this spring with seven strikeouts and has allowed just one run on four hits.

He was in a tough spot last season as he was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Kevin Kiermaier. Yarborough went from a team with World Series aspirations to a team that was not going to make the playoffs but he still did his job. He ended up eating up 31 1/3 innings out of the bullpen and allowed just seven earned runs with 26 strikeouts.

The Blue Jays lack experienced lefty options in the bullpen which gives Little and Yarborough the inside track to an Opening Day roster spot, but Fluharty could also play an important role in the Blue Jays bullpen this season.

After a season where Toronto's bullpen was among MLB's worst, it looks like it could be a strength this year.