Blue Jays could be targeting more cost-effective options instead of Edwin Diaz

The 2025 MLB Winter Meetings got underway in Orlando, Florida on Monday and there wasn't a ton of juicy news that came out of day one. But there were certainly some tidbits sprinkled in throughout the day, including some about the Toronto Blue Jays.

While the Blue Jays have been linked to one of the most high profile relievers on the market in Edwin Diaz, one piece of news swirling around the Winter Meetings was that they are also looking at back end of the bullpen options that would cost them significantly less money.

Blue Jays could be targeting more cost-effective options instead of Edwin Diaz

FanSided's Robert Murray reported from the Winter Meetings that free-agent reliever Robert Suarez is drawing interest from a number of teams, including the Blue Jays. MLB Trade Rumors predicted Suarez to sign a three-year $48 million contract, which is far below the $100 million that Diaz is reportedly eyeing.

Suarez, 34, is a few years older than Diaz and didn't debut in the majors until he was 31-years-old, but in his four big league seasons he has been worth 5.8 bWAR, pitching 210 innings, with 219 strikeouts and a 2.91 ERA in 206 games. He's collected 70 saves over that time, including a league leading 40 last season with San Diego. He held batters to a .189 batting average against and .243 BABIP and gave up just six home runs all season.

Suarez is opting out of the final two years of his original five-year contract that would have paid him $16 million, but with his strikeout rate sitting at 27.9% and his walk rate at 5.9%, he's bound to earn more than that on the open market. The one knock would be his age, as he'll be 35 by the time Opening Day rolls around, but with a fastball that sits at 98.6 mph, it doesn't feel like he is slowing down any time soon.

Suarez would give the Blue Jays a formidable duo at the back end of the bullpen to go along with Jeff Hoffman. While Hoffman struggled at times during the season, he was the Blue Jays main go-to arm at the end of games, and having Suarez in that mix would only benefit Toronto at a cost that feels more up their alley than Diaz does.

While the Blue Jays have been rumored to be ready to raise payroll, they have rarely gone this deep into investing in the bullpen via the free agent market. Any team, even those with big pockets, would love to have Diaz as part of their bullpen, but when the Blue Jays are also trying to sign at least one, if not both, Kyle Tucker and Bo Bichette, the Suarez alternative does make more economic sense.