This Blue Jays reliever should be worried as front office pursues bullpen help

The Toronto Blue Jays luckily haven't lost much production that got them to the World Series this past season. Whether to re-sign Bo Bichette is the glaring question, but they also need a back-end starting pitcher and/or reliever. The bullpen was a liability in the postseason, pitching 20 more innings than any team. They had the third-worst ERA (4.44) and WHIP (1.44), and allowed the most walks per nine innings (5.22).

The Blue Jays must target a bullpen arm to return to the Fall Classic. That could mean a new closer or middle reliever. Jeff Hoffman struggled last year, posting a 4.37 ERA in 68 innings with 15 homers allowed, but he had an 84:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio and converted 33 of 40 saves.

Several free agent relievers could upgrade the bullpen, including Edwin Díaz, Robert Suarez, and Devin Williams. Díaz impressed with a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves. Suarez posted a 2.97 ERA and 40 saves, while Williams had a down year with a 4.79 ERA but showed a strong track record in previous seasons.

Is the Blue Jays' pursuit of bullpen help bad news for this reliever

Suarez remained elite despite his second-weakest year in his last six seasons, posting a 2.97 ERA, 75:21 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 40 saves in 45 tries over 69.2 innings. Williams struggled in his Yankees debut, finishing with a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings, a 90:25 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and 18 saves in 22 chances. Although he lost his closer role midseason, he had sub-2.00 ERAs in the three prior years.

Ultimately, acquiring a bullpen upgrade means someone on the current staff must be traded. Identifying who will be affected is central to the Blue Jays' bullpen strategy heading into the new season.

The Blue Jays received solid production all season from Braydon Fisher, Brendon Little, Tommy Nance, Yimi García, and Yariel Rodríguez. Mason Fluharty struggled with a 4.44 ERA over 52.2 innings, but if Eric Lauer remains in the starting rotation, then Little needs help as the only other left-handed reliever.

Louis Varland struggled coming over from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline, but he was phenomenal the first half of the season, where he posted a 2.02 ERA over 49 innings in a setup role. The Blue Jays will hope he returns to his first-half form.

García will likely be the odd man out unless the team is fine with Little as the sole left-handed reliever, as happened after Lauer started games due to Bowden Francis’s injury. Fluharty, with two option years and at age 24, makes sense to send to Triple-A Buffalo, but the Blue Jays may opt to give their lefty more work at the major-league level since he's younger and has a future with the team.

That scenario would require García to be traded or released, since he is 35 and becomes a free agent after the upcoming season.

García battled injuries last season, going on the injured list at the end of May due to right shoulder impingement. Late August, he’d get shut down for the rest of the season due to needing surgery to clean up scar tissue pushing on a nerve in his right elbow. He's expected to be ready and healthy for spring training next season.

Making a complicated decision to improve a team is positive, but if you don't get it right, it could set a team back. It’ll be fun to watch how the next couple of months unfold, with the Blue Jays eyeing another World Series run.