Brendon Little’s Redemption Plan: Learning from October, Reloading for 2026
**DUNEDIN, Fla. ** - Brendon Little still thinks about that pitch.
The sinker that didn’t sink, the one Cal Raleigh launched into the night during Game 5 of the ALCS - tying the game and shifting the momentum away from the Blue Jays. But for Little, the regret runs deeper than just one mistake over the plate.
What haunts him more is what led up to it.
Little had a good idea of who he’d be facing that October night - the Mariners’ power core, starting with Raleigh. Toronto trusted his groundball-heavy profile to neutralize that part of Seattle’s lineup.
So he got loose. And then he got loose again.
And again. By the time his name was called, Little had thrown five separate bullpen sessions that day.
His arm was cooked. His velocity dipped.
His pitches flattened out. And Raleigh didn’t miss.
“I should have been like, ‘I’ve thrown way too much,’” Little admitted from the Blue Jays' spring training clubhouse. “That was my fault.”
Now, heading into 2026, Little’s focused on making sure history doesn’t repeat itself. He’s not just trying to bounce back - he’s trying to evolve. With two new pitches in his arsenal and a revamped pregame routine, the left-hander is aiming to be sharper, fresher, and more unpredictable when the lights are brightest.
A Heavy Workload and a Tale of Two Halves
Little was a workhorse in 2025. He led the American League with 79 appearances, then added six more in the postseason.
In the first half, he was one of the most effective lefties in the game - a 2.03 ERA and a 2.32 strikeout-to-walk ratio told the story of a reliever in full command. But the second half?
That’s where things unraveled.
His ERA ballooned to 4.88. Strikeouts dropped.
Walks climbed. Hitters started sitting on his stuff - and they weren’t guessing wrong.
Little admitted he became too predictable. In hitter-friendly counts, he leaned on his sinker.
When he was ahead, batters knew the power curve was coming. Those two pitches made up 92% of his repertoire.
That’s a lot of familiarity for hitters who are trained to punish patterns.
By season’s end, the league had adjusted. Little didn’t have a counterpunch.
Reinventing the Arsenal
Late in 2025, he dabbled with a cutter, hoping to add something to keep hitters honest. But it never quite clicked.
This spring, though, he’s got two new weapons: a slider and a refined four-seam fastball. Both, he says, feel more natural and easier to command - a critical detail for someone who posted the highest walk rate (15.3%) among qualified relievers last year.
The goal isn’t just to throw strikes. It’s to offer something different - to keep hitters off balance, to avoid becoming a two-pitch pitcher in a league that punishes predictability.
If the command holds and the new pitches stick, Little could become a more complete version of himself - not just a groundball guy, but a lefty who can navigate a dangerous pocket of hitters with more than just grit.
Managing the Marathon
The other part of Little’s transformation is about preservation. He’s not just trying to survive the grind of a 162-game season - he’s trying to peak when it matters most.
That Game 5 experience wasn’t the first time he’d overcooked it in the bullpen. He’s been guilty of ramping up too hard, too often, before even stepping on the mound.
This spring, he and the Jays’ pitching staff are making adjustments. His catch play will be dialed back to around 70 percent effort.
Bullpen sessions will hover closer to 80 percent. It’s all about saving bullets.
These changes might not show up in April or May box scores. But come September - or October - they could be the difference between a gassed arm and a game-changing out.
Rogers to the WBC, Berríos Hopes to Join
Elsewhere in camp, the Blue Jays are seeing some of their arms gain international recognition. Tyler Rogers, the submarine reliever who signed a $37 million deal with Toronto this offseason, has been added to Team USA’s designated pitcher pool for the 2025 World Baseball Classic. He’s expected to join the team after the preliminary round, marking his first shot at representing his country on a big international stage.
Jeff Hoffman was also added to Team USA’s pitcher pool and expressed interest in joining if the opportunity arises. Meanwhile, José Berríos is in Puerto Rico’s pitcher pool, though insurance hurdles have kept him from getting the green light to participate - a common issue for several players this year. Still, Berríos remains hopeful he’ll get the chance to suit up for his homeland.
Chase Lee and Toronto’s Sidearm Strategy
Toronto’s bullpen makeover didn’t stop with Rogers. Just hours before inking that deal, the Blue Jays traded a prospect to Detroit for Chase Lee - another sidearm specialist with an unconventional path.
Lee’s story is one of resilience and reinvention. After getting cut from Alabama’s baseball team as a freshman, he studied YouTube clips of Steve Cishek and Darren O’Day, dropped his arm slot, and dominated intramurals. That earned him another shot, and eventually, a sixth-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft.
When Lee saw the Jays sign Rogers right after trading for him, it felt like a clear signal: Toronto values different looks out of the bullpen. Manager John Schneider confirmed as much, highlighting how both Lee and Rogers’ ability to limit hard contact plays well with the club’s elite infield defense.
Lee will likely start the season in Triple-A, given his minor-league options. But his excitement about Rogers’ deal goes beyond bullpen strategy.
For sidearmers like Lee, Rogers’ $12.3 million-per-year contract sets a new bar. Cishek and O’Day, despite long and productive careers, never cracked $8 million annually.
“It’s cool that it’s being rewarded,” Lee said. “(Rogers) gets so many outs, he could throw with his feet and he should still get rewarded.”
Looking Ahead
For Brendon Little, 2026 is about turning pain into progress. He’s reshaping his approach, retooling his arsenal, and recalibrating his workload.
The goal? To be ready - physically and mentally - when the next big moment comes.
Because if the Jays are going to make another deep run, they’ll need arms like Little’s to be sharp when it counts. And this time, he plans to be ready.