Division rivals are swiping all of the best relievers away from the Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays are having an interesting offseason thus far. After cutting popular closer Jordan Romano loose and missing out on Juan Soto (neither of which came as a big surprise), the Blue Jays front office made some moves at the Winter Meetings last week to let us know they aren't asleep at the wheel.

They brought back reliever Yimi García on a two-year deal and then traded for three-time Gold Glove second baseman Andres Giménez and reliever Nick Sandlin.

With the two bullpen additions of García and Sandlin, the relief corps looks better than it did a couple of weeks ago. Whether they are done adding there, who knows?

Division rivals are swiping all of the best relievers away from the Blue Jays

Unfortunately for Blue Jays fans, the additions haven't been of the "big splash" nature we'd like to see. Especially for a top relief arm. Instead, the Jays AL East rivals have been busy loading up on some of the best relievers available.

The Boston Red Sox went first, signing veteran fireballer Aroldis Chapman to a one-year, $10.5M deal. The 36-year-old left-hander may not be the same guy he was 10 years ago, but he still racks up the strikeouts. He finished 2024 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.35 WHIP but logged 98 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The New York Yankees went next, trading for elite closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. The 30-year-old right-hander is vicious on the mound, with a career 1.83 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 39.4 percent strikeout rate.

He missed the first half of 2024 with a back injury but dominated when he returned, posting a 1.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 38 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. He'll be a free agent after the 2025 season, but in the meantime, Blue Jays hitters will have a fun time facing the Yankees in save situations next year.

The last division rival to add a live arm is the Tampa Bay Rays, who acquired right-hander Joe Boyle from the Athletics on the weekend in the Jeffrey Springs trade. The 25-year-old Boyle has elite stuff but has had trouble harnassing his command.

Boyle went 3-6 with a 6.42 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 40(!) walks in 47 2/3 innings over 13 games (10 starts) for the A's in 2024. According to MLB.com, Boyle’s 97.7 mph average four-seam fastballs was the seventh-highest in the majors.

We don't know how the Rays plan to deploy Boyle, but with a rotation projected to feature Shane McClanahan, Taj Bradley, Ryan Pepiot, Zack Littell and Shane Baz, the newest Rays arm could very well likely end up in the bullpen. That will be trouble for the Jays, especially if Tampa can reign in his command. If any team can do it, it's the Rays.

While Boyle could be in Tampa for a while, the good news is that both Chapman and Williams could be gone from the AL East after the 2025 season. At least our fingers are crossed that's the case.

As for the Blue Jays, there are still plenty of top relievers on the market. With names like Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Kenley Jansen, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez all still available, there's still time for the Jays to join the AL East arms race. Whether they do remains to be seen.