The Blue Jays have moved on from Justin Topa, releasing the right-handed reliever from his minor-league deal after he spent time with Triple-A Buffalo, according to his transaction log. Toronto signed Topa in late May, but the stint never turned into a longer stay.
Topa’s path back to the open market traces to Minnesota. The Twins let him go on May 23, four days after designating him for assignment, ending a run that began when they acquired him from the Seattle Mariners in the Jorge Polanco trade during the 2023-24 offseason.
Minnesota had reason to believe Topa could matter. After he was limited to just three appearances in 2024 because of left patellar tendinitis, he put together a mostly useful 2025 season, finishing with a 3.90 ERA and 3.04 FIP while striking out 18.3% of hitters and walking 6.7% across 60 innings. With the Twins having traded away nearly their entire bullpen, including Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Louis Varland, in last summer’s fire sale, Topa entered the 2026 season as one of the club’s more established and promising relief options.
That did not last. The 35-year-old struggled badly this year, logging an 8.05 ERA and 6.46 FIP with a 13.0% strikeout rate, 12.0% walk rate and .338 opponent batting average over 19 innings before Minnesota cut him loose. His sinker also lost steam, falling from a 95.2 mph average in 2023 to 93.2 mph in 2026.
At Triple-A Buffalo, Topa showed a little more life in the run prevention column, posting a 3.38 ERA in eight innings over eight appearances. Even so, the underlying numbers stayed rough: a 5.31 FIP, 13.0% strikeout rate, 12.0% walk rate and .338 opponent batting average.
A reunion with the Twins looks unlikely. Minnesota’s bullpen entered Sunday ranked 29th in ERA, so the need is obvious, but the club already released Topa earlier this season.
If he were willing to return on another minor-league deal, the Twins could use the depth at St. Paul, but he would still have a steep climb back to the majors without being on the 40-man roster.
The Twins also took a separate step to bolster the relief mix by acquiring right-hander Woo-Suk Go from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations, according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes. Go is set to join the roster on Tuesday despite not yet making his MLB debut.
In Double-A and Triple-A this season, he posted a 1.96 ERA over 41 1/3 innings with a 34.0% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. That addition makes a Topa return look even less likely.
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