Blue Jays continue fallen All-Star's comeback tour with latest bullpen signing

After all the additions made this offseason by the Toronto Blue Jays, the one area they seem to still be lacking is having a reliable left-handed pitcher out of the bullpen. Brendon Little, with his new fastball, looks to be earning a spot. Mason Fluharty, who had some clutch moments in 2025, is also vying for a role. And Eric Lauer, who wants to be in the rotation, will also figure into the mix.

Those are the three leading lefty candidates in what is becoming a crowded bullpen - a good problem to have as long as each of those guys are contributing. The Blue Jays have also added some depth left handers this year, picking up Josh Fleming, and Michale Plassmeyer on minor league deals. And their latest addition joins that group - former All-Star Joe Mantiply.

Blue Jays add a lefty to the bullpen mix as Joe Mantiply looking to return to the big leagues

This is technically a re-signing by the Blue Jays as Mantiply joined Toronto after being released by the Diamondbacks in June. He signed a minor legue deal shortly after the All-Star break and finished the season with Triple-A Buffalo. He made 14 appearances and pitched to a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched. He showed some dominant command of the strike zone as he struck out 19 hitters and walked none over those appearances.

Mantiply, 35, has spent eight seasons in the majors, with six of those in Arizona. In 250 games with the Diamondbacks he's posted a 4.32 ERA with 190 strikeouts in 210 innings pitched. His best season came in 2022 when he was named to the All-Star game. In 69 innings that season he pitched in 60 innings, struck out 61 batters and pitched to a 2.85 ERA.

He's always had a good feel for the strike zone as he's consistently had a BB/9 rate under 3.0 since 2022. However, with that comes the caveat of being susceptible to giving up a lot of hits and last season in 9.2 innings, he gave up 26 hits at the MLB level, while his career H/9 rate is 9.6. He's also allowed a .329 BABIP and opponents have a .743 OPS against him over those eight years.

Joining this late in camp likely means he won't make the Opening Day roster unless there are some severe injuries, and even then he's likely the third or fourth guy on the list being called up. However, he can change that perception by having a strong spring or a good first month of the season and work his way into Toronto's bullpen plans.