The Toronto Blue Jays may not need to rebuild their bullpen from scratch, but they do need more certainty in it. With questions still hanging over Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber, and Trey Yesavage having to work his way back from injuries, the 2027 rotation picture is still cloudy. Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios only add to the uncertainty.
That’s why the bullpen deserves a close look, and the World Series is offering Toronto a useful template. The Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers have built the kind of relief groups other clubs chase: balanced, role-specific, and deep enough to handle just about any late-game mess. They’ve done it with a mix of lefties and righties who can be deployed for very specific jobs, whether the need is a strikeout or a ground ball for a double play.
Toronto, by contrast, has leaned on left-handed pitching in pressure spots over the last two seasons, and the results have been uneven. The Blue Jays’ left-handed relievers with runners in scoring position have posted a 4.20 xFIP, which ranks 12th in the league. The group’s .343 BABIP allowed is the second-highest in Major League Baseball, behind only the Athletics’ relievers at .351, and their 1.84 K/BB sits 21st out of 30.
Joe Mantiply has been the best of the bunch, turning in a 2.85 xFIP, though he did so across only 31 situations with runners in scoring position since 2025. The rest of the group has been shakier.
Eric Lauer finished at 3.83, Brendon Little at 4.19, Mason Fluharty at 4.49, and Adam Macko at 6.86. Lauer and Macko didn’t finish the season with the club, while Little and Fluharty were frequently the arms Toronto turned to against left-handed hitters.
That brings the focus to one left-hander in the World Series who fits the Blue Jays’ needs: JoJo Romero. He isn’t being presented as the flashiest name on the market, and his numbers this year show some regression. His Whiff% dropped from the 63rd percentile to the 24th, while his xSLG and xBA allowed slid from solid 84 and 74 marks to just 26 and 27.
Even with that dip, Romero still brings a fastball-changeup combination that grades above league average. He also brings experience, durability, and a profile that works in the middle and late innings. Over the last two seasons, he has averaged 60 relief appearances and a 151 ERA+.
His ability to get ground balls remains a major part of the package, and that’s where his value really shows up. He is not a bullpen centerpiece, and that has been clear in this postseason, but he has still given Milwaukee quality innings ahead of Aaron Ashby and helped them keep moving through games.
That kind of arm is exactly what Toronto could use. Romero has been one of the better left-handed relievers in run-prevention situations with runners in scoring position over the last two seasons, finishing with the fourth-lowest BABIP allowed among left-handed relievers with at least 100 batters faced at just .196.
Romero is set to hit free agency after the season, and he could draw interest well beyond Toronto.
In Other News...
Blue Jays Face One Crucial Middle Infield Decision This Winter
The Blue Jays are heading into the winter with one clear area to sort out, and it sits right in the middle of the diamond. Toronto is looking at both trade and free-agent routes to upgrade the infield, weighing players who could fit different versions of the roster and different price tags. The list includes a handful of very different names, from a power-speed threat to a contact-heavy hitter and a versatile Cubs infielder, which says plenty about how many ways the club could approach the problem.
CJ Abrams would be the splashiest swing, but also the most expensive one, while Luis Arrez looks like the sort of steadier, more attainable option that can still change the shape of a lineup. Matt Shaw brings versatility, though not much offense, so the Blue Jays have to decide how much they value range, bat-to-ball skill and overall upside in a middle infield that needs help without forcing the rest of the roster out of balance. For now, the front office is still in evaluation mode, and the real answer may come down to how much Toronto is willing to pay to make the fit work. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Suddenly Have A Real Shane Bieber Decision This Winter
The Blue Jays spent the 2026 season expecting their rotation to carry them, only to watch the year end without a playoff berth. Now one of the biggest questions on the winter board is whether Shane Bieber should be part of the answer. The former Cy Young winner is headed for free agency after a season defined as much by injury questions as by his talent, but Toronto also saw enough late to keep the conversation alive.
Biebers final stretch gave the Blue Jays a reminder of why he remains such a compelling bet if the price is right. For a club that wants more certainty on the mound next season, the decision is less about pedigree than whether the upside still outweighs the risk. Toronto has work to do across the roster, but what it does with Bieber could end up shaping the tone of the entire offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays Face One Offseason Pressure Point After Major Step Back
After getting so close to the World Series in 2025, the Blue Jays spent the next season trying to push their roster forward, only to watch the year end at 79-83. Toronto made several additions in response to that near miss, but the results left one clear offseason priority sitting at the top of the list: the starting rotation. General manager Ross Atkins now has a familiar winter task ahead of him, and the front office will need to decide how aggressively it wants to chase help on the open market.
The free-agent pitching class gives Toronto some intriguing options, with names like Tarik Skubal, Sonny Gray, Michael King and Shota Imanaga all in the conversation as possible fits. The list also includes a pitcher Blue Jays fans know well, though his 2026 season was not the kind that usually strengthens a reunion case. For a club that spent the previous winter trying to build on momentum, the next move on the mound may say as much about its ambitions as anything else this offseason. [Read more 🡒]