The Toronto Blue Jays bullpen isn’t getting enough credit

There was a lot of talk before the 2026 season about the Toronto Blue Jays’ identity. What would be their calling card? Many presumed it would be pitching—and they were partly right, albeit likely thinking more in terms of the starting rotation. 

This current Blue Jays team is built on the backbone of its bullpen. Louis Varland, Tyler Rogers, and Spencer Miles are the anchors, but the contributions of Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher, and the others shouldn’t be overlooked given their workloads, either. 

Yet, while most Blue Jays fans recognize the importance of this group, baseball fans at large don’t seem to consider Toronto’s bullpen amongst the league’s best. That’s their mistake, especially given how well they have performed lately. 

Just how good is this Blue Jays’ bullpen? 

Blue Jays relievers entered Friday with the eighth-best ERA (3.68) in baseball as a group despite having thrown the fourth-most innings (616). They’ve whittled that down to an even better 3.21 ERA since August 1st, somehow getting better as the season has progressed. 

For context, 25 of the 56 total earned runs they have allowed since that date were given up by four pitchers: Simeon Woods-Richardson, Matt Waldron, Chad Dallas, and Michael Lorenzen. All except Lorenzen aren’t on the team anymore, and none of them are prototypical relievers—they were ‘bulk’ guys tasked with eating innings. 

Varland and Rogers have been their usual excellent selves over that stretch, but it’s actually been some of the Blue Jays’ more under-appreciated names getting it done. 

Fluharty hasn’t allowed a single run in his last 13.2 innings, while Fisher has only given up one in his last 17.1. Paul Sewald has thrown 8.2 scoreless frames since joining the team. Even Brendon Little has been effective, giving up just three runs while racking up 23 strikeouts over his most recent 13 innings pitched despite persistent walk issues. 

There’s an argument to be made that the Blue Jays’ group of true relievers is the best in baseball, right up there with the Boston Red Sox and San Diego Padres. They have an enviable combination of top-end talent and quality depth in their bullpen.

It all amounts to a simple fact: the Blue Jays would probably be buried in the standings were it not for the efforts of their relievers. They’ve helped them win so many close games in which they only squeaked out a few runs, preserving late leads like clockwork. 

This bullpen is exactly why Toronto won’t be an easy out if they do manage to secure the final American League Wild Card spot. Teams use their relievers more willingly in October when the starting rotation shrinks from five to three or four starting pitchers. Whoever the Blue Jays play will have to deal with a whole lot of their bullpen—and that’s a tall task. 

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