Blue Jays reliever is a finalist for AL Comeback Player of the Year Award

The Toronto Blue Jays are entering a crucial offseason for the state of their franchise as a whole. Coming off of a truly disappointing 2024 campaign, all eyes will be on Ross Atkins and Co. as they attempt to lure in a big fish or two (or three, or four...) this winter.

As we await the World Series, which will feature a plethora of former Blue Jays on both sides, to come to a close, the Blue Jays are already drumming up some headlines before the offseason even commences.

Rumor has it that they're going to pursue Juan Soto this winter. They have also brought aboard a new hitting coach, swiping a promising talent from the coaching free-agent market after the Twins foolishly let him go. Now, the most important note of all: Chad Green has been named a finalist for 2024 AL Comeback Player of the Year.

Chad Green is a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year Award

If you're a bit surprised that Green is in the running for such an award, you're certainly not alone. The right-hander missed the vast majority of last year as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and he didn't have many stress-free outings during the second half of the 2024 campaign either.

To his credit, the 33-year-old filled in admirably for Jordan Romano, who also spent a ton of time on the shelf this season. Green made 53 appearances and notched 17 saves while posting a 3.21 ERA, 4.29 FIP and 126 ERA+. He was a fine reliever who the Blue Jays relied upon a ton, but the fact that he's up for such an award speaks volumes to the quality of players that were eligible for such an honor in the first place.

Moving forward, Green's role is up in the air, but it's already been established that he'll be back on the squad next season. Romano is not locked in to take back his role as the team's closer in 2025, so it's entirely possible that we've only just seen the beginning of Green as the Blue Jays' closer.

Also up for the Comeback POTY will be White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet and Canadian Red Sox outfielder Tyler O'Neill. This award seems to be Crochet's for the taking, as he took to a brand new role as a starting pitcher and promptly made the All-Star Game, started on Opening Day for the Sox and struck out over 200 batters. The award is his, but it's nice to see Green earn the recognition, even if it's a bit of a surprise that he did.