The Blue Jays have just one pending free agent and he must be brought back

At this year's trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays understood the assignment: trade away all rentals and any controllable assets who can net strong enough returns. They did just that, moving every single player on an expiring contract and a pair of players with additional control that saw notable prospects, who are already performing well in Toronto's system, come back the Blue Jays' way in return.

One trade in particular saw the Blue Jays trade a rental ... to acquire another rental? Defensive wizard Kevin Kiermaier got moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers, which will give him one last shot at earning that World Series ring before he hangs it up at the end of the year. Sure enough, the Dodgers made the playoffs, now it's just a matter of making it to the big dance.

Coming back to the Blue Jays in this one-for-one swap was long-time swingman Ryan Yarbrough, who for years tortured the Jays as a member of the division rival Tampa Bay Rays. Kiermaier continued to struggle offensively in L.A., but Yarbrough quietly blossomed into an ultra-reliable part of the Blue Jays' pitching staff.

Ryan Yarbrough must be re-signed by the Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have a to-do list this offseason that's ... about a mile long. They're going to need another catcher, a power-hitter to insert somewhere into their lineup and about four relief pitchers. Maybe even another starting pitcher to add as depth.

There's going to be a ton of work to do if the Blue Jays want to even sniff contention next year. One of the most obvious moves they'll need to make is re-signing Yarbrough on a low-cost, one-year deal. He's not going to demand a whole lot of money, but having him on hand in 2025 as a swingman-type of arm is going to be extremely valuable.

In a total of 44 outings this year, the left-hander posted a 3.19 ERA - the lowest of his seven-year career - with a 123 ERA+ across 98.2 innings. Throwing nearly 100 innings without making a single appearance as a starter says a lot about his workload and usage. He's strictly a reliever, but he's also one that's capable of going two, three, four, even five innings at a crack. That type of flexibility out of the bullpen is very valuable.

Yarbrough made it into 12 games for the Blue Jays after the trade. He went 31.1 innings, posting an impressive 2.01 ERA along the way. He's never going to be much of a strikeout pitcher as velocity is not exactly his strong suit. Instead, he relies on a deceptive windup and a significant amount of movement on his off-speed pitches. Yarbrough doesn't fit the mold of a typical reliever, which does nothing but hammer home my point: the Blue Jays could use him back in their bullpen for another year.