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Which relievers on the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster will be on the 2025 team?

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The 2024 season was one to forget for the Toronto Blue Jays.

A big reason for that was because of their bullpen, which went from one of the strongest in 2023 to arguably the worst in all of baseball in 2024. In total, 28 players pitched in relief, three of which were position players and one (Bowden Francis) moved into the starting rotation.

Overall, 24 actual relievers pitched at least an inning for the Jays in 2024, with 14 of those relievers still remaining on the 40-man roster. The players we won’t look at in this article are José Cuas, Paolo Espino, Yerry Rodríguez, Wes Parsons, Mitch White, Tim Mayza, Yimi García, Nate Pearson, and Trevor Richards.

In this article, we’ll look at 14 relievers who pitched for the 2024 Blue Jays and determine whether or not they have a spot in the bullpen on the 2025 team (or have the option years to be stuffed in the minor leagues). Moreover, we’ll look at two additional relievers on the 40-man roster who deserve a mention, despite not pitching with the Jays in 2024.

We’ll start with the locks, move to the probables, and then to the maybes, before looking at the relievers that will soon designated for assignment.

The locks

There are eight spots up for grabs in a bullpen, and if all remains the same, there are four relievers who pitched in 2024 that will be a lock for the 2025 bullpen.

Jordan Romano

One of four locks for the 2025 Toronto Blue Jays bullpen, Jordan Romano had a tough season dealing with elbow injuries and was roughed up over his last five appearances.

However, the Canadian closer was terrific from 2021-2023, never having an ERA above 3.00 and striking out tons of batters. His 95 saves in those three seasons rank fourth in the league behind only Emmanuel Clase, Kenley Jansen, and Josh Hader.

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According to MLB Trade Rumors, Romano is expected to make $7.75 million in his final season of arbitration, the same contract he had last season. As long as the elbow is healthy, he’ll be with the 2025 Blue Jays in some capacity.

Erik Swanson

Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano had similar trajectories, at least at the start of the season. Both were injured in Spring Training and both pitched poorly to begin the season.

Swanson was even optioned during the season, something that didn’t seem possible when the team acquired him for Teoscar Hernández after the 2022 season. However, once he was recalled to the Blue Jays in late July, Swanson finished the season posting a 2.55 ERA and a 4.95 FIP in 24.2 innings pitched, along with a 27.6 K% and a 10.2 BB%.

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Swanson is expected to make $3.2 million in arbitration and he’s a lock for the 2025 bullpen with an unknown role.

Génesis Cabrera

Of any reliever in the Blue Jays bullpen in 2024, Génesis Cabrera saw the most action, pitching in 69 games (nice), or 62.2 innings pitched. Overall, he finished with a solid 3.59 ERA, with a 5.13 FIP, an 18.5 BB%, and a 10.7 K%.

After being hit around a little to start the season, the left-handed pitcher had a 2.80 ERA and a 4.76 FIP in 54.2 innings pitched from April 24 until the end of the season. With Tim Mayza being designated for assignment, Cabrera may very well be their only lefty in the bullpen next season.

Like Romano and Swanson, Cabrera has arbitration this off-season and is expected to make $2.5 million. After the 2025 season, he’ll become a free agent.

Chad Green

With Romano injured and Yimi García traded, Chad Green became the defacto closer for the Blue Jays over the final couple months of the season. It was a good season for the 33-year-old righty, as he finished the year with a 3.21 ERA and a 4.29 FIP in 53.1 innings pitched, along with a 21.9 K% and a 6.7 BB%.

Moreover, he had 20 save opportunities, picking up 17 saves while blowing just three games. Before becoming the team’s de facto closer, he also had seven holds, but he was hit around quite a bit in the final month of the season, posting an 11.42 ERA in 8.2 innings in September.

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Of any reliever signed by the current Blue Jays regime, Green’s two-year contract worth $21 million is the highest total. Next season, he’ll make $10.5 million.

The probables

In this section, we’ll look at the relievers that have a high probability of remaining in the organization in some capacity, even if they’re not on the 26-man roster.

Brendon Little

The Blue Jays acquired left-handed reliever Brendon Little in a November trade last season from the Chicago Cubs. With the Blue Jays, he posted a solid 3.74 ERA and a 4.90 FIP in 45.2 innings pitched, along with an 18.7 K% and a 9.8 BB%.

Little had a cup of coffee in the big leagues at the end of April/beginning of May, but became a full-time reliever for the Jays once Romano was placed on the Injured List. From June 1 onward, Little had a 3.19 ERA in 42.1 innings pitched.

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While he may not make the Blue Jays 26-man roster outright, he’ll have an additional option year remaining for the 2025 season, meaning he’s a good depth option for the Jays.

Ryan Burr

Like Little, Burr was in the Blue Jays bullpen before the season went to crap, with the Jays acquiring him through trade in May 2024.

Burr had several two-game stints with the Blue Jays in June but eventually became a regular in July. For the season, the 30-year-old finished with a 4.13 ERA and a 3.07 FIP in 32.2 innings pitched. Moreover, his 32.8 K% was the second-highest for any Blue Jay reliever, trailing just Yimi García.

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However, Burr will need to make the Blue Jays roster out of Spring Training, as he has no option seasons remaining. It’s not hard to envision him in a Trevor Richards-type role though, as he started four games as an opener for Toronto in 2024 and is a high-strikeout arm in low-leverage.

Brandon Eisert

Brandon Eisert was selected in the 18th round of the 2019 draft by the Blue Jays. He finally made it to the big leagues in 2024, pitching 6.2 innings with a 4.05 ERA and a 4.37 FIP, along with a 7.7 K% and a 15.4 BB%.

His numbers in Triple-A were much better, registering a 3.86 ERA and a 4.09 FIP in 53.2 innings pitched, along with a 29.1 K% and a 9.3 BB%. Removing his first game of the season in Buffalo, his ERA drops to 2.72, along with a 3.59 FIP, a 29.8 K%, and a 9.2 BB%.

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Having been added to the Blue Jays 40-man roster for the first time mid-season, the left-handed pitcher will have an option year in 2025. The only way he won’t be on the Jays 40-man roster is if they try and remove him and he gets claimed, or the Jays trade him.

Hagen Danner

Hagen Danner’s story is well known. He was drafted as a catcher in 2017 but eventually converted to a pitcher for the 2021 season. After finding success in 2021 with a high-90s fastball, Danner was added to the 40-man roster and is out of option years in 2025.

The 26-year-old has only pitched a third of an inning in his big league career before an oblique injury ended his 2023 season. This past year in Buffalo, the right-handed pitcher had a 3.15 ERA and a 4.24 FIP in 34.1 innings pitched, along with a 23.3 K% and an 8.9 BB%.

With all that being said, the Blue Jays are in a tough spot with Danner, as he’ll almost certainly be claimed off waivers if he doesn’t make the Blue Jays roster out of Spring Training.

The maybes

Every player we’ve looked at so far was in it for the long haul, joining the team before they decided to sell off pending free agents. The maybes, on the other hand, will feature quite a few waiver claims that the Blue Jays made towards the end of the season.

Ryan Yarbrough

I wanted to include left-handed long-man Ryan Yarbrough in the probables section, but realistically, I have no idea if he’ll re-sign with the Jays.

In a plot twist for the ages, the Blue Jays acquired the pitcher who dominated them before the 2024 trade deadline, trading Kevin Kiermaier to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for the left-handed pitcher.

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After the trade, Yarbrough had a 2.01 ERA and a 3.49 FIP in 31.1 innings pitched, along with a 22.2 K% and a 6 BB% for a 0.3 fWAR. The 32-year-old usually pitched bulk innings after an opener, harkening to the much simpler days of 2019.

Yarbrough is set to become a free agent in a few weeks, and the Blue Jays seem to be interested in the swingman.

Dillon Tate

The carousel of waiver claimants begins, starting with Dillon Tate.

On September 1, the Blue Jays claimed Tate from their American League East rivals, the Baltimore Orioles. Tate only pitched 3.1 innings with the Jays, allowing two earned runs in that span. Overall, he finished with a 4.66 ERA and a 3.71 FIP in 36.2 innings pitched this season between the two bird teams.

Tate has had success in the big leagues before, though. In 2022, he posted a 3.05 ERA and a 3.48 FIP in 73.2 innings pitched and had a 3.24 ERA and a 3.55 FIP in 16.2 innings pitched in 2020.

All that seems reasonable for Tate to be a candidate to make the roster, especially considering he has an option year remaining. However, he’s a non-tender candidate as he’s expected to make $1.9 million in arbitration.

Nick Robertson

Of any of the Blue Jays’ waiver claims, Robertson has the highest potential of any of them. He only pitched an inning with the Blue Jays this season but had a 4.05 ERA and a 4.44 FIP in 13.1 innings pitched, most of which came with the St. Louis Cardinals.

At only 26 years old, the stuff is intriguing, as he sat a tick below 95 mph with the heater in 2024 that was paired with a changeup and slider. Moreover, Robertson will have an option year in 2025, meaning the Jays can try their best to unlock his potential while having flexibility.

Easton Lucas

Easton Lucas was claimed by the Jays from the Detroit Tigers in August and didn’t have a fun time in the big leagues with Toronto. In 4.2 innings, he allowed six earned runs for an 11.57 ERA and a 7.67 FIP.

I included him in the maybe section for two reasons. For starters, he pitched well in Triple-A, posting a 1.37 ERA and a 2.50 FIP in 19.2 innings (three starts in six appearances), with a 28.8 K% and a 6.8 BB%. There may be something there as a AAAA starter.

Equally important is the fact that Lucas has two more option years remaining.

Tommy Nance

In early August, the Blue Jays acquired Tommy Nance from the San Diego Padres for cash. Nance pitched quite a bit for the Blue Jays in the remaining two months of the season, posting a 4.09 ERA and a 3.98 FIP in 22 innings pitched, along with a 20.4 K% and a 9.7 BB%.

However, Nance has no option years remaining in 2025, meaning he’ll need to be designated for assignment if he doesn’t make the roster out of Spring Training. With the Blue Jays wanting to contend in 2025, they’ll need to rebuild their bullpen, and it doesn’t seem likely Nance will be a part of that unless they can get him through waivers and allow him to pitch in Triple-A.

Emmanuel Ramírez

The Blue Jays acquired Emmanuel Ramírez in early September, but the 30-year-old never pitched for the big league team.

Instead, he pitched 4.1 innings with the Bisons, where he gave up four earned runs while striking out 23.8% of batters and walking 4.8% of batters. In the big leagues with the Miami Marlins, Ramírezhad a 6.97 ERA and a 4.62 FIP in 20.2 innings pitched, with a 22.9 K% and an 8.7 BB%.

He could be a depth piece for the Jays in 2025, as he has two option years remaining.

Zach Pop

Zach Pop has all the tools to be a successful reliever in the big leagues but just hasn’t been able to figure it out with the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays acquired Pop, along with Anthony Bass and prospect Edward Duran from the Miami Marlins for Jordan Groshans before the 2022 trade deadline. At the time, this trade looked great, but Bass said some pretty uncool things while Pop’s career has fizzled out the past two seasons.

Pop became a regular for the Jays in 2024, pitching 48.1 innings with a 5.59 ERA and a 5.53 FIP. Despite a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, he only struck out 15.8% of batters, often generating a ground ball instead, coming in with a 54.6 GB%.

The stuff is there, but Pop has no option years remaining and I fear he may be designated for assignment.

The “soon-to-be-designated-for-assignment”

Baseball is a tough sport and at the end of the day, it’s a business. As it stands, the Blue Jays currently have 40 players on the 40-man roster, 39 if you don’t include Yarbrough. On top of that, they’ll need to add Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano, Daulton Varsho, and Will Wagner back to the 40-man as they all sit on the 60-day Injured List at the moment.

Not just that, but the Blue Jays will need to clear up spots to add one or two prospects to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft, and of course, any new acquisitions this off-season will also need a spot.

There’ll be a handful of players in the “maybe” section that’ll be designated for assignment or even traded, but here are the two players that I believe are a lock to not make the Jays roster in 2025.

Luis Frías

The Blue Jays claimed Luis Frías from the Arizona Diamondbacks in August, and his tenure in the big leagues with the Jays wasn’t great. In 3.1 innings pitched, he gave up eight earned runs for a 21.60 ERA and finished the year between the two teams with a 13.97 ERA.

He had a solid season in 2023 with the eventual National League pennant winners, posting a 4.06 ERA and a 4.67 FIP in 31 innings pitched, but on top of his poor showing in the big leagues, Frías has no options remaining.

Brett de Geus

Brett de Geus was claimed off waivers in September and pitched 2.1 innings with the Jays, giving up four earned runs for a 15.43 ERA and a 4.88 FIP. As a whole in the big leagues, he had a 7.15 ERA and a 3.78 FIP in 11.1 innings pitched, not bad, but probably not enough to give him a 40-man roster spot over the winter.

It’s worth noting that de Geus also has two more option years remaining and the Jays may be able to sneak him past waivers, but it won’t be shocking if he’s designated for assignment this off-season.

As always, you can follow me on Twitter @Ryley_L_D.