The Blue Jays may have their sights set on a Seranthony Dominguez replacement

Seranthony Dominguez had some high highs and some low lows with the Toronto Blue Jays after being acquired at the trade deadline, pulling in big strikeout totals and a 3.00 ERA while also wilting in some of the team's biggest postseason moments.

Add it all up, and it appears that the set-up man is likely to leave in free agency this offseason. That opens up a sizable hole in the back of the team's bullpen, and it appears that Ross Atkins and the front office have begun circling their top replacement option ahead of the Winter Meetings.

The Blue Jays have interest in Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, as The Athletic's duo of Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo corroborated. And it's more than just interest as they have cited the Blue Jays as one of the frontrunners in the right-hander's market.

Pete Fairbanks could be perfect Seranthony Dominguez replacement in Toronto

"The Jays, who are in agreement with free-agent right-hander Dylan Cease on a seven-year contract, continue to pursue late-inning relievers, and were in the mix for three who already signed – Helsley, Raisel Iglesias and Phil Maton," Rosenthal wrote. "Fairbanks, as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays, faced the AL East rival Jays often. In 27 career innings against them, he held Toronto hitters to a .130 batting average and .468 OPS."

Beyond his long-running domination of Blue Jays hitters, Fairbanks brings something to the mound that Dominguez has long struggled with: control.

Dominguez worked a problematic 14.0% walk rate down the stretch of the 2025 regular season, and that problem became exacerbated in October when that rate ballooned to 22%. In fact, Dominguez walked more hitters (11) than he struck out (10) during the Blue Jays' postseason run.

Suffice it to say, Fairbanks doesn't have the same issue. He walked just 7.4% of hitters in 2025, despite running a 97th-percentile fastball velocity. His strikeout rate has dipped in recent years, but as far as reliable relief options go, the 31-year-old is one of the more dependable bullpen arms on the marker.

He's also worked 75 saves as the Rays' primary closer over the past three seasons, which could prove important if the Blue Jays are having doubts about Jeff Hoffman after a mediocre debut campaign in Toronto. Even if not, that duo could form one of the better late-inning combinations in baseball.

Seeing as Tampa Bay declined a reasonable $11 million option on Fairbanks, he shouldn't command a ton in free agency. Getting a closer-caliber arm for cheap isn't necessarily a priority, but after giving Cease $210 million to front the rotation, it wouldn't hurt for the front office to secure a great reliever at a bargain price.