As it stands, Brendon Little is the Toronto Blue Jays best option for a high-leverage left-handed reliever.
This is Blue Jays Nation’s annual 40-man roster review ahead of the new season. If you missed the most recent article, we looked at Cody Ponce. In this article, we’ll look at Brendon Little.
Acquired after the 2023 season for cash considerations, Little’s first full season in the big leagues came on the struggling 2024 team. Over 49 relief outings, the left-handed pitcher had a 3.74 ERA and 4.90 FIP in 45.2 innings pitched, with an 18.7 K% and 9.8 BB%. Little’s ground ball percentage of 70.9% was among the league’s best in 2024.
On the American League pennant winning Blue Jays in 2025, Little had a 3.03 ERA and 2.92 FIP in 68.1 innings pitched over 79 games, with a K% that increased to 30.8% and a 15.3 BB%. Little still did a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, as he had a 59 GB%. In fact, the reason Little’s FIP was as good as it was despite the high walk rate is because he only gave up two home runs all season.
That said, it was a tale of two halves for Little in 2025. From the start of the season until July 25th, Little had a 1.90 ERA and 2.34 FIP in 47.1 innings pitched. Over his first 28 innings pitched, Little gave up just four earned runs, with three of them coming in a two-game stretch early in the season. That 28 inning stretch also saw Little post a 34.5 K% and 11.5 BB%, but his walk rate started to climb after those first 28 innings
Over Little’s final 21 innings from July 28th until the end of the season, he gave up 13 runs for a 5.57 ERA and 4.18 FIP, while his K% plummeted to 21.6% and his walk rate sat at 16.5%. Those struggles continued into the postseason, as Little gave up five earned runs over four innings of work for an 11.25 ERA and 11.89 FIP.
Granted, three of the five runs came in a situation Little should not have been in, as the lefty was brought into a high leverage situation in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. In the bottom of the eighth, Little gave up a game-tying home run to Cal Raleigh, allowing the next two baserunners to reach before being pulled. Both runners came in to score, as Seranthony Domínguez gave up a grand slam in a 6-2 loss.
Although Little struggled in the second half, there’s the potential to be a strong reliever; we have already seen it. If Little can find a way to lower the walk rate and keep his ground ball percentage up, he’ll be a legitimate high-leverage option. Adding a third pitch he could throw for a strike could be helpful in this regard.
Next season, Fangraphs’ Steamer projects that the left-handed pitcher will have a 3.43 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 54 innings pitched, with a 53.9 ground ball percentage, a 24.4 K%, and an 11.7 BB%. If the Jays use Little in high-leverage scenarios, he’ll need to be better than this.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.