4 internal candidates that could fix the Blue Jays bullpen

Mason Fluharty

Fluharty's path to the majors is quite simple. If another left-handed reliever is sent down or gets injured, he should be the first guy to receive the call. Fluharty has been having a strong season out of the Buffalo Bisons bullpen, posting a 2.80 ERA in 35.1 innings, with just two home runs allowed in that span. Fluharty is also 22-years old, so opting to go for younger players over the journeymen within their system might be the proper execution going forward. The Jays currently have three left-handed relievers in their bullpen, so it's unlikely that Fluharty would be a fourth, but instead would swap him for one of the others. The Jays have gotten fairly poor production out of their lefties this season. They have a 5.15 ERA, -0.7 fWAR, and 4.4 K-BB%, all of which are ranked dead last in MLB. A fresh arm like Fluharty could be their best course of action, rather than running out the same names from this point on.

Andrew Bash

Bash in an interesting name to consider. He has been the Bisons' most consistent and dependable starter this season. He leads the club in innings pitched (53.2) and strikeouts (53), and has only given up four home runs this season.

Bash uses a four-pitch mix to get hitters out – a four-seam fastball, changeup, slider, and sweeper. Since moving from the bullpen to starting rotation, he has been one of the better success stories that the Jays pitching farm system has had. The Blue Jays could consider calling upon him to help flesh out the current state of the bullpen, and Bash does have professional experience in those spots as well. The team could argue that they don't want to disturb the current developments Bash has been making in the minor leagues, however at 27-years old, this could be Bash's best opportunity to contribute at the major league level.

Adam Macko

Macko was acquired in the trade for Erik Swanson, in exchange for Teoscar Hernandez. The 6-foot left-handed pitcher has started off his season in Double-A, and is currently on a great stretch. In his last six starts, here are Macko's stats: 32 IP/2.81 ERA/46 K/7 BB/0.91 WHIP.

Macko is one of the best left-handed pitching prospect outside of Ricky Tiedemann in the Jays farm system. He's another potential candidate to make his MLB debut this year, and if he continues down this dominant stretch, he may end up forcing the Blue Jays' hand. There is a possibility that the team would prefer not to disrupt his development, and would only want him called up when he is prepared to be an MLB starter, but with how the state of the bullpen has been to this point, being flexible enough to allow him to face stronger competition as the season goes on could make all the difference for both Macko and the Blue Jays.

Hagen Danner

Danner is a name that the Jays have called upon before. He made his debut in 2023, however his outing was done after just one out, as he was removed from the game with an oblique strain. Danner was seen as a possibility to join the Opening Day roster, but ultimately began the season in Triple-A.

He throws a high-90s fastball with excellent ride, effectively pairing it with a sharp slider that tunnels well with his heater, and mixes in a curveball to keep hitters off balance. Danner is currently on the injured list, but is not expected to be out of commission for too long. He's one of the more major league-ready options available for the Jays, so it's just a matter of staying healthy for him to really get a chance to contribute.