DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays’ bullpen is complicated. We’ll find out if that’s a good or a bad thing when the real games begin, but for now, it’s complicated.
A year ago, the Blue Jays added aggressively, first with Jeff Hoffman as the new closer and later with Louis Varland and Seranthony Domínguez at the Trade Deadline. Pair this offseason’s big splash, Tyler Rogers, with some internal options taking a step forward, and you’ve got a fine group to open the season.
Where this gets sticky, though, is the overlap between the Blue Jays’ rotation and the bullpen. Looking ahead, these are the five biggest factors in the Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2026:
1. Carrying six (or seven?) starters
Eric Lauer is destined for the bullpen. He’d rather be starting, and understandably so, but there’s still a very clear path for him to pitch 100 innings and be a crucial piece of this team’s success. Carrying a true swingman? That’s easy.
The Blue Jays need to roster Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage, Max Scherzer, Cody Ponce and José Berríos. That’s six, and whether the Blue Jays kick the big decision down the road by opening with a six-man rotation or simply bump another pitcher to the bullpen, the same challenge remains. There’s one less spot for a traditional reliever.
As of today, Yesavage (Toronto's No. 1 prospect, No. 12 overall) is on track to be ramped up for the season, albeit with a lesser workload to begin. Scherzer plans to be ready, too. This rotation has the potential to be great, so manager John Schneider will shed no tears over this wealth of talent, but it still creates a puzzle from week to week, especially if one or two are pitching in a hybrid role.
“The challenging part is keeping that length built in,” Schneider said. “You never know what the game state is going to be. It’s about keeping that balance between keeping a couple of innings and 40 pitches in the tank, or an inning here and there.”
In a perfect world, the Blue Jays could schedule this out and maintain harmony all season long, but games in the AL East are just too important for that.
2. Rogers the rubber arm
Earlier this spring, Schneider called Rogers a “manager’s dream.” The 35-year-old made 81 appearances last season, and if anyone can top 80 again, it’s him.
“I was joking with him after he came out, ‘Probably 75 more of those this year,’” Schneider said, “and he said, 'No. Probably more.'”
If the Blue Jays are going to be stretched thin in terms of traditional one-inning relievers, Schneider needs reliability more than ever. Rogers is the very definition of that. Schneider’s only challenge here will be giving Rogers the odd day off.
3. 'Now warming in the Blue Jays’ bullpen… Louis Varland'
We heard that 15 times in 18 postseason games last October. It’s an absurd number, but the Blue Jays had every reason to feed Varland.
Varland had already made 74 appearances in the regular season, though, a major change for the former starter. If there’s one reliever the Blue Jays could use the “workload management” tag on this spring, it’s Varland.
“He likes the ball, so we’ll see,” Schneider said. “You’re targeting the guys you want in there quite a bit, and I’m not going to put a number on it, but 70 innings or appearances between him, [Brendon] Little, [Mason] Fluharty, Rogers? They could be in there quite a bit.”
4. Brendon Little
How we remember Little’s 2025 season has been colored by a couple of rough outings in the postseason, perhaps unfairly so, but he’s come back with a new four-seam fastball that’s touched 98 mph in camp. If he can land that pitch at the top of the zone? Goodnight.
If Little is in the zone, he can overwhelm hitters. Walks have made it look less dominant, but his 3.03 ERA with 11.99 K/9 last season were impressive.
5. Use them or lose them
Tommy Nance, 34, has come into camp in great shape and was quietly very valuable to this bullpen last season. Angel Bastardo, the 23-year-old Rule 5 pick from a year ago, is pumping 96-98 mph and flashing tantalizing talent, but if he doesn’t crack the Opening Day roster, he’ll need to be offered back to the Red Sox.
All of this starting pitching is great, but it puts a squeeze on the bullpen depth and the Blue Jays will need to think long-term about the 15-plus relievers they could use in 2026, not just the first seven or eight.