Ranking the Blue Jays’ best bullpen fits in free agency

Heading into 2027, the "sure locks" for the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen are Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, Braydon Fisher and Mason Fluharty. Brendon Little and Jake Bloss are out of options, meaning the Blue Jays would have to expose them to waivers. That takes up potentially six spots in the bullpen, not including Spencer Miles, which potentially leaves a spot or two available for the taking.

While the Blue Jays have a lot of internal options available, headlined by Ricky Tiedemann, it would not hurt to add from outside the organization and be flexible with their depth. Based on the arms available, there are some that free agents who should be considered a priority and others as back up options.

All of these arms would make an already strong Blue Jays' bullpen even stronger

Tier 1 - top targets

Morejon would be valuable as either a starter or a reliever. The same can be said with Vesia as he would make a great complement to Fluharty as another reliable lefty for John Schneider's bullpen.

Admittedly, Abreu did have a down year in 2026 but he throws hard and generates lots of swing and miss. In the previous four seasons before 2026, he never had an ERA higher than 3.10 so a bounceback in 2027 is definitely on the table for the hard-throwing righty.

The fit with Bednar may not be as easy as he will most likely want to remain a closer. With Louis Varland cemented as the closer, there is no opportunity readily available. The same can be said with Iglesias, though at 36 he may look for the best place that he can win a championship and be open to setup opportunities.

Tier 2 - the backups

Though Soto can generate lots of swing and miss, he has average command which makes him hard to trust in high-leverage situations. The lowest walk rate he has registered over his career was 8.6% back in 2025.

Phillips missed most of 2025 and 2026 due to Tommy John surgery but looked like his old self upon return. Unlike Soto, the righty can generate a lot of swing and miss while maintaining his command. Phillips and Rogers could share the eighth inning duties depending on the situation.

Newcomb is valuable for his ability to take on many roles and that versatility is something the Blue Jays like in the arms they deploy. Okert does not offer that same versatility but has unlocked his command since joining the Astros in 2025.

The Blue Jays are very familiar with the former Yankee Loáisiga. He will not generate strikeouts, but he will use his bowling ball sinker to get a lot of ground balls. With the infield defense of Gold Glove winners Andrés Giménez and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the righty would not have to worry about groundballs getting past the infield.

Tier 3 - serviceable depth

Should the Blue Jays miss out on the the lefties in the above tiers, these arms would be good options as well. Minter, Burke, and Romero would be great in mid-late game situations though Burke would be the better option of the three as he has above average velocity from the left side compared to the other two.

Kittredge has experience in the closer role throughout his career, but he would settle in nicely as a sixth or seventh inning man for the Blue Jays. He shows an ability to generate a lot of chase and can limit hard contact.

In 62 games this past season, Blackburn threw 85 innings which would make him a great long/multiple outs reliever for the Blue Jays. That would give them another arm to pair with Miles who can give the bullpen some extra length to save on arms.

Tier 4 - low risk

Jiménez and Puk have not pitched much, if at all, over the last two seasons as injuries have sidelined them. Both arms would make great one-year bounce back candidates for the Blue Jays. Both arms have experience with closing which could make them useful high-leverage arms after gradually building them back up for those situations.

The Blue Jays already have familiarity with Sewald and he was decent with them. He posted a 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings, although a 4.01 FIP does not paint a pretty picture. Sewald could return and operate in the same role he had with the Blue Jays.

Suter would make a great multi-inning arm similar to Blackburn. In 54 games, he pitched 91 innings which would a good backup option if the Blue Jays miss out on Newcomb or Blackburn.

Alvarado had the worst year of his career as he had a 5.86 ERA and 1.65 WHIP so he falls into the low-risk, one-year deal tier. The flame-throwing lefty has struggled with command throughout his career but perhaps the Blue Jays can unlock something with him.

Tier 5 - last resort

At 38 years old, Treinen could run out of gas at any moment. Since coming back from shoulder surgery in 2024, his velocity fluctuate but managed to post a respectable season in 2026.

Adam is someone the Blue Jays should avoid until after exhausting all other options. Outside of generating weak contact, there is not a lot to be excited about with Kinley but would make a decent middle-late game option.

Despite both being lefties, Raley and Hill diametrically oppose each other. Raley gets his outs through lots of weak air contact while Hill is a groundball machine though they get hit hard. Regardless, both would provide insurance to the bullpen.

The Blue Jays will have plenty of free agent relief pitching options to comb through. The good news is they are starting with their bullpen as an area of strength and it doesn't have to be their main focus. Still, if they want one of the major names, they should react sooner than later.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow