Brendon Little’s Evolution: Can the Jays’ Lefty Reliever Take the Next Step in 2026?
Brendon Little’s 2025 season was a tale of two halves - and possibly a turning point in his career. The 29-year-old left-handed reliever, acquired by the Blue Jays from the Cubs back in November 2023, came into the fold with just a sliver of big-league experience.
But what Toronto saw was a ground-ball machine with untapped potential, and they were betting that his sinker-heavy arsenal would pair nicely with a strong infield defense. So far, the returns have been... intriguing.
Let’s start with the numbers. Little logged 68.1 innings last season, a significant jump from the 45.2 he threw in 2024.
His strikeout rate spiked from 18.7% to a robust 30.8% - a leap that put him in the 92nd percentile league-wide. That’s elite swing-and-miss stuff.
His whiff rate? Top of the charts.
Literally. 100th percentile.
But for every step forward, there was a step back. His walk rate ballooned to 15.3%, up from 9.8% the year before, landing him in the dreaded 1st percentile.
That’s a red flag for any reliever, especially one being leaned on in high-leverage spots. And while his ground ball rate remained strong - 59.0% in 2025 after a ridiculous 70.9% in 2024 - hitters were squaring him up more often.
His hard-hit rate sat in the 2nd percentile, and his barrel rate, while better, was still only in the 80th percentile.
The contrast between his first and second halves of 2025 was stark. In the first half, he was lights out: a 2.03 ERA, holding hitters to a .177/.305/.234 slash line over 44.1 innings.
But in the second half, fatigue seemed to catch up with him. His ERA jumped to 4.88, opponents hit .230/.355/.345, and his command started to wobble.
Then came the postseason - and it wasn’t kind. Two home runs allowed in the playoffs, matching the two he gave up all regular season.
So what happened?
According to Little himself, it wasn’t just the innings or the pressure. It was the warmups.
In a recent interview, he admitted to overcooking his pre-game and in-game bullpen sessions. He said there were times he threw in the pen three separate times before actually entering a game - and that was before the playoff appearance where he gave up a critical homer to Cal Raleigh.
That kind of workload behind the scenes doesn’t show up in the box score, but it absolutely shows up in performance.
Little’s solution? Smarter warmups.
He’s planning to dial it back - 70% effort pregame, 80% in-game - to conserve energy and stay sharper deeper into the season. It’s a mature adjustment from a pitcher who’s clearly learning the rhythm of a full MLB campaign.
But that’s not all he’s tweaking.
Little is also expanding his pitch mix. Last year, he was essentially a two-pitch guy: a knuckle curve (46%) and a sinker (45.6%), with the occasional cutter (7.8%) mixed in.
That worked early on, especially with the curveball diving out of the zone and inducing chases. But hitters caught on.
Once they realized the curve was rarely landing in the strike zone, they stopped swinging. The result?
Fewer whiffs, more walks, and more hard contact.
This year, he’s adding a slider and a reworked four-seam fastball - two pitches designed to give him more weapons in the zone. The goal: keep hitters honest and reduce the reliance on the curveball as his primary out pitch. If he can land the slider for strikes and elevate the four-seamer effectively, it could be a game-changer.
So where does that leave Little heading into 2026?
Well, barring any major roster moves, he’s got a clear path to high-leverage work again. He and Mason Fluharty are the only left-handed relievers currently on the 40-man roster, and while Eric Lauer could transition into a bullpen role, Little’s experience and upside give him a leg up. Steamer projects him for 54 appearances with a 3.41 ERA and 10 holds - a solid, if slightly conservative, forecast given the 30 holds he racked up last year.
The tools are there. The strikeout stuff is real.
The ground balls are still coming. But the next step for Brendon Little is all about control - both in terms of command and managing his workload.
If he can find that balance, the Jays may have a reliable lefty they can trust late in games. And if the new pitches click?
He might just become a bullpen weapon Toronto can lean on deep into October.