Now that the deadline has come and gone, how should the Toronto Blue Jays deploy their bullpen?
Before the deadline slammed shut on July 31, the Blue Jays made three moves, acquiring Seranthony Domínguez, Shane Bieber, and Louis Varland, with the inclusion of Ty France. That gives the Blue Jays two additional relievers in the bullpen, as well as the option for another one later in the season.
So what about the pressing question of who closes, who pitches the eighth, and who pitches the seventh? Moreover, what happens when Yimi García and Nick Sandlin return? Let’s find out.
How the Blue Jays should deploy the bullpen
One thing is certain about the Blue Jays bullpen: the closing role is Jeff Hoffman’s to lose. On paper, Hoffman’s 4.56 ERA and 3.98 FIP in 47.1 innings aren’t particularly great, but he’s converted 26 of 30 save opportunities. The 26 saves are the fourth-most saves in baseball, and he has fewer blown saves than Carlos Estévez and Andrés Muñoz, two elite closers.
Hoffman has also been pitching well for the last month and a half, authoring a 2.60 ERA and 3.05 FIP in 17.1 innings pitched since June 17th. In that span, he has a 30.4 K% and 4.3 BB% while going 9/10 in save opportunities.
Who comes in before Hoffman is a little bit murkier. Domínguez is an option, but his control is hit or miss, and his last time out against the Royals was a disaster, allowing five runs (three earned) while not recording an out. He has 15 holds this season and is, without a doubt, a high-leverage reliever, but maybe not in a setup role. Let’s say he’s their seventh-inning guy.
Varland is also an option for the setup role. In his four innings of work, he’s given up just one earned run, striking out four and walking two. That lone earned run was given up against the Royals in the series final, as Varland pitched in the eighth before Domínguez’s inning. The 27-year-old is an option for the setup role, but could see more middle relief.
Two other options have been on the Blue Jays’ roster since early in the season, Yariel Rodríguez and Braydon Fisher. Starting with Rodríguez, the 28-year-old has a 2.45 ERA and 4.06 FIP in 55 innings pitched this season, with a 23.1 K% and 9.4 BB%. He’s been nails since May 7, authoring a 1.33 ERA and 2.96 FIP in 40.2 innings pitched. Rodríguez has seen some time in a setup role, but also seems to inherit a ton of runners.
Fisher’s emergence as a key reliever is a big reason the Blue Jays have found the success they’ve had so far this season. Out of the bullpen, he’s given up just four earned runs in 33 innings of work, walking just eight batters while striking out 43 batters for a 33.6 K% and 6.3 BB%. Although Fisher should be pitching in a setup role, the Jays may use him in middle relief for the time being.
Their go-to left-handed reliever in leverage situations is Brendon Little. After giving up three earned runs without recording an out on Friday, Little’s ERA now sits at 3.24, a worrisome trend he’s had since the start of June, as he has a 5.32 in that period. Little may be their best lefty, but he has to start pitching better soon. Little is the team’s high-leverage lefty.
What about the other two relievers currently in the Blue Jays’ bullpen? Well, let’s take a look at that in the next section.
Who is off the roster when García and Sandlin return
The two odd relievers out are Mason Fluharty and Tommy Nance. After a great start to his big league career, Fluharty has hit a road bump, and his ERA now sits at 5.23 in 43 innings pitched. Since being recalled, Fluharty has fired a scoreless outing in six of his seven games, but gave up four runs in August 1st’s game against the Royals. While he certainly has a future with the team, he is one of just a few relievers in the bullpen that has options.
Nance doesn’t have options and has been solid so far since returning to the Blue Jays, posting a 0.84 ERA and 1.80 FIP in 10.2 innings. The stuff is good, and he’s struck out 26.3% of the batters he’s faced, but he just feels like the reliever the Jays would send down if both García and Sandlin return. Big if. Nance would more than likely be claimed off waivers.
On the first of September, the rosters expand from 26 players to 28 players, meaning the Jays get one additional pitcher. That opens up a whole other can of worms, because both Shane Bieber and Alek Manoah should be ready by that point. There are two options when it comes to Bieber: either he pushes Eric Lauer to the bullpen (giving the Jays a second lefty), or the team goes to a six-man rotation.
For Manoah, it seems like he’ll be optioned once healthy, as he needs regular starts. Trey Yesavage could also factor into the bullpen later in the season, as he came out of the bullpen on Friday evening.
All in all, the Blue Jays’ bullpen depth is in a good place. Even without García and Sandlin, they have six pitchers capable of pitching in high-leverage situations, while Nance has found success in low-leverage bulk outings. The bullpen will only get stronger before the start of the playoffs if everyone stays healthy.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.