Blue Jays make first offseason mistake as free agent reliever heads to open market

Five o'clock came and went on the East Coast, and the Major League Baseball free agent market opened up without any news from the Toronto Blue Jays. Monday's 5 p.m. ET deadline marked the Blue Jays' final chance to re-sign free agent reliever Ryan Yarbrough, their only free agent this offseason, before he hit the open market.

While Yarbrough technically became a free agent the day after the conclusion of the World Series, the Blue Jays had five days to bring the left-handed swingman back into the fold for another year or more without competition from other teams. Either they couldn't, or wouldn't, get a deal done.

Blue Jays make first offseason mistake by letting free agent Ryan Yarbrough head to the open market

Now that the market is open, Toronto has competition from other teams for Yarbrough's services next season. For a Blue Jays team with a real bullpen problem, re-signing the 32-year-old (he'll be 33 on Opening Day 2025), should have been considered a must on the front office's offseason to-do list.

Acquired at the trade deadline from the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, Yarbrough was money for the Blue Jays in his two months in Toronto. He pitched to a 2.01 ERA and 0.80 WHIP in 31 1/3 innings over 12 appearances out of the bullpen. The former starter's ability to throw multiple innings is a huge plus.

The seven-year veteran earned $3.9M on a one-year contract in 2024, and after posting a career-best 3.19 ERA between the Dodgers and Jays, is likely due for a slight raise. Spotrac puts his market value at $4.54M per year on a two-year deal, so $9.09M. For a steady bullpen arm like Yarbrough, the Blue Jays should have gotten an agreement done before Monday's deadline.

From Yarbrough's perspective, heading to the open free agent market is a smart move after the season he just had, especially with how strong he finished in Toronto's bullpen. With bullpens such a big part of the MLB game, he'll likely have plenty of suitors looking to acquire his services. Despite not having big strikeout stuff — he picked up just 65 in 98 2/3 innings this year — a reliable reliever who can throw close to 100 innings is an invaluable and rare commodity in today's game.

General manager Ross Atkins would do well to do what he can to entice Yarbrough back to the Rogers Centre bullpen, even though he'll now be encumbered by competition from other GMs. The Blue Jays could sure use Yarbrough again if they want to be competitive in 2025.