Bold Predictions: Blue Jays run it back with the bullpen and make no significant adds

The bullpen was a major point of contention for Toronto Blue Jays fans during the 2025 season. Jeff Hoffman's struggles were a major lowlight, and there were serious concerns about the closer entering the postseason.

Unfortunately for Hoffman, the playoffs would've proven all of the doubters wrong if he hadn't come up two outs short of finishing the job and closing out the World Series. Instead, the lasting memory of Hoffman this season was the game-tying home run from Miguel Rojas in the top of the ninth in Game 7.

The Blue Jays' bullpen woes were a bit overblown from a statistical standpoint. They were in the middle of the pack with the rest of the league, owning a 3.98 ERA. Four teams made the postseason that had worse bullpen ERAs, including the Los Angeles Dodgers. As Blue Jays fans know, those Dodgers used a strategy of deploying all their starters into various roles to compensate for their bullpen deficiencies.

Toronto also had the third-worst bullpen ERA in the entire postseason. However, there aren't too many bad moments that stand out. Game 7 of the World Series wasn't the best ending, with three solo home runs over the final five innings, but two of those were given up by starters Trey Yesavage and Shane Bieber.

Blue Jays' 2025 postseason gave hope for bullpen's future

The Blue Jays still have all of their high-leverage relievers from the postseason under team control for 2026. Hoffman and Yariel Rodriguez still have years remaining on their deal, while Louis Varland, Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher, and Brendon Little are still under team control.

Fluharty and Fisher didn't have the greatest performances in the postseason, but John Schneider continued using them, especially Fluharty, in higher-leverage moments. Fluharty's success against Shohei Ohtani this season shows that he has what it takes to be a lefty specialist against some of the league's best.

The fans also can't forget that the Blue Jays lost Yimi Garcia after only 22 appearances. The right-hander went down with an elbow injury, but the team believes he will be ready for spring training. That is another massive piece that Toronto could've used in the postseason, and will continue to utilize into 2026.

Varland also emerged as the bullpen's workhorse and seemingly improved in every appearance. By the time the World Series began, he was nearly a lock to appear in every game in a big spot against the Dodgers' best hitters. After allowing two earned runs in his first appearance of the final series, he settled in and allowed just one earned run over 4.1 innings.

Does Chris Bassitt return in a bullpen role?

Chris Bassitt made it clear that he wanted to return next season in an emotional post-Game 7 interview. He was left off the ALDS roster after an injury kept him out of the later part of the regular season, leaving him not stretched out enough to be of use as a starter. Instead of pushing him back into a starting role in the ALCS, the Blue Jays converted him to a reliever, and he ended up being the team's most reliable arm out of the pen.

The Blue Jays may not have much room or interest in bringing Bassitt back to the team as a starter. Bieber, Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios are four of the likely options, and it'd be shocking if the front office didn't go big-name hunting for another top-of-the-rotation arm. It leaves Bassitt out of the running if he wants to return to that role.

Depending on Bassitt's interest around the league as a starter, the Blue Jays might like to have him for a full season out of the pen. It's hard to deny how much he excelled in that role in the postseason, and you must assume that the veteran will only become more effective as he learns the reliever routine over a full season.

Suppose Little returns to his regular season form, the rookies Fluharty and Fisher take another step forward, and Bassitt stays in Toronto in a different role. Would that be enough for a competent bullpen? With so many other holes to fill, the front office might take a chance on running the bullpen back with all the same faces and improving instead in different areas of need.