The Blue Jays have a few obvious places to attack this winter, and the Yankees’ pending free-agent class offers two pitchers Toronto ought to keep close tabs on: David Bednar and Paul Blackburn.
New York is staring at change after another ALDS exit, and the list of potential departures includes Jazz Chisholm Jr., Trent Grisham, Bednar and Blackburn. The Blue Jays probably don’t need to chase the position players in that group, but both arms make plenty of sense as targets.
That’s especially true because New York’s bullpen was more valuable than it got credit for in 2026, with Bednar and Blackburn doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Bednar looked like the same dependable late-inning force the Yankees believed they were getting when they dealt for him at the 2025 trade deadline. He finished with 35 saves, a 2.47 ERA, a 171 ERA+ and 9.9 K/9, a strong reminder that his rough 2024 season was the exception rather than the rule.
Blackburn found a new lane and thrived in it. After years as a fairly ordinary starter, he settled into a relief role and produced a 1.69 ERA and 1.094 WHIP over 85 innings and 65 appearances. His 3.75 FIP hints that there may have been some good fortune involved, but the results were still excellent and the versatility mattered.
For Toronto, either pitcher would raise the ceiling of a bullpen that was already strong in 2026. Bednar would come with closer money, though he might end up as the setup option for Louis Varland - or perhaps the Blue Jays would want him closing so Varland can be used more creatively. Either way, that kind of back-end pairing would be a problem for hitters.
The bigger question with Bednar is cost. Toronto should have room to spend, but not the kind of open checkbook only the Los Angeles Dodgers can lean on. At more than $10 million, Bednar could be the kind of reliever who makes more sense for another club than for a team that may need to prioritize offense.
Blackburn looks like the more flexible fit. He would give the Blue Jays another dependable arm ahead of Varland, Tyler Rogers and Spencer Miles, and there’s also the possibility a team signs him and tries to rebuild him as a starter. That would fit Toronto, too, given the lack of rotation depth.
He should also be far cheaper than Bednar, which matters. Blackburn could leave the Blue Jays enough financial room to add him, a major bat and a true starter. If Bednar is the choice, he might be the headline addition on the pitching side.
However the front office lines it up, both pitchers belong on Toronto’s radar. Each could wind up as a meaningful piece of the 2027 staff.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Fans Are Reliving One Of The Franchises Best October Runs
The Guardians rally from an 0-2 hole in their American League Division Series has put Toronto fans back in a familiar October headspace. Clevelands surge past the White Sox and into the American League Championship Series brought back memories of one of the Blue Jays signature postseason turns, the kind of comeback that still stands out as a defining moment from that 2015 run.
For Blue Jays followers, the connection is obvious enough even without drawing it all the way out. A team staring down elimination found a way to flip the series, lean on big swings and big pitching, and keep its season alive long enough to make the round feel bigger than the moment itself. It is the sort of playoff storyline that lives on in Toronto, and one that fans will recognize immediately even as the details of their own version remain the standard by which these October rallies are measured. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Linked To Playoff-Tested Upgrades Across The Roster
The Blue Jays are being tied to a familiar kind of offseason shopping list, the sort that blends proven depth with players who have handled October pressure before. Among the pitchers mentioned are Sean Newcomb and Foster Griffin, both of whom bring different looks and forms of versatility, while the broader theme is Torontos interest in upgrading the roster with arms who can fit multiple roles and survive high-leverage innings.
Freddy Peralta also comes up as part of the pitching discussion, underscoring how the market could offer both upside and playoff-tested experience if Toronto is willing to explore trades or free agency. The same logic applies on the position-player side, where the appeal is not just talent but adaptability, and the Blue Jays appear to be weighing a set of targets that could help across the roster rather than solving only one problem at a time. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Roster Crunch Puts Young Arms On The Clock
With the Blue Jays staring at another round of 40-man roster decisions, the next few weeks will be all about balancing protection with opportunity. Toronto has to make room for key additions while also shielding top prospects from the Rule 5 Draft, and that kind of squeeze tends to force some uncomfortable evaluations at the margins of the roster.
Among the players on the bubble, recent performance and injury history are doing most of the talking. Some young arms and depth pieces have put themselves in position to hang on, while others are suddenly looking vulnerable as the front office sorts out who fits the long-term picture and who may be the odd man out when the roster gets trimmed. [Read more 🡒]