TORONTO -- The Blue Jays’ rotation rebrand is off to a record-setting start, but the bullpen played its own role in striking out 50 A’s batters over opening weekend.
The additions of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to the rotation, plus the potential for a fuller season of Trey Yesavage, put that group further into the “rebrand” category, something this organization has consciously chased. The bullpen, outside of the addition of Tyler Rogers, needs to develop more naturally.
In 2025, this bullpen sat in the middle of the pack, ranking 16th in the Majors with a 3.98 ERA. The group’s strikeout rate was more encouraging, though, ranking third in MLB at 9.7 K/9, which fits in with this club’s new mantra. The ‘26 Blue Jays want to miss bats and strike people out, period. That’s where the upside lives. That’s where the “something different” lives in their pursuit of another World Series.
Checking in with an early stock watch, there have been some early clues:
Hoffman with some early juice
Yes, Jeff Hoffman allowed a home run on Opening Day. Yes, it came with one out in the ninth inning to tie the game. Yes, that felt like it was an overwritten script after how Game 7 of the Fall Classic went for Hoffman.
Toronto manager John Schneider wouldn’t entertain the idea that any of that was a carryover, though, from the 15 home runs Hoffman allowed during the 2025 season.
“He was great in his first outing. He struck out four,” Schneider said. “I’m a firm believer in getting guys back out there. We want Jeff to pitch a bit more regularly than we had him pitch last year. He was coming in even if it was a four-run lead, just to keep him going.”
By “regular” here, Schneider means better pacing. The Blue Jays want to keep Hoffman in a good rhythm this season, never letting him grow stale or have his tank drain empty. At his best in 2025, Hoffman was downright dominant. Other times, the ball left the yard.
Everything other than that home run ball has looked extremely impressive so far, though. His fastball has a little extra life and he struck out six batters in his two innings of work against the A’s. The ball needs to stay in the yard, but there are some very encouraging signs here.
“My delivery is in a really good spot and my body is moving really well,” Hoffman said. “When I’m at my best, there’s not really much thought that goes into my mechanics. It’s being free and being easy. If everything is going what it’s supposed to be doing, it comes out good. As long as I can keep myself feeling the way I am right now -- and that’s a priority for us, to not fall into that lull we did last year -- and if we can keep it consistent throughout the year, it’s going to be a much better year.”
Bigger plans for Fluharty
Behind Rogers, Mason Fluharty might be the other Blue Jays reliever who could push 75-plus appearances.
After leaving Game 2 of the season on Saturday, when he took back-to-back comebackers off his knee, Fluharty found Schneider at breakfast the next morning and insisted he was ready to pitch again. On Sunday afternoon, he came in for a big moment and struck out Nick Kurtz.
Fluharty added some muscle over the offseason and it’s working. His cutter is up close to 2 mph and his sweeper is showing some extra life, too, a trend that’s carried over from a strong spring. Schneider trusts Fluharty and won’t hesitate to run him out there as often as Fluharty can handle it. If it’s up to Fluharty, he’d pitch every day.
The big variable: Brendon Little
Don’t expect to see Little make 79 appearances this season, like he did in 2025. Add in six more in the postseason, which was not Little’s finest hour, and that was a massive workload for the hard-throwing left-hander. Here, less is more.
Little’s debut went poorly, though, as he gave up a grand slam and struggled to stay in the strike zone. Yes, it’s encouraging that he’s added a new four-seam fastball which can sit 96-98 mph, representing a huge velocity bump for him, but that pitch needs to find its home on the top edge of the zone. Then, Little’s big breaking ball could really give hitters fits.
Expect Schneider to keep running Little out there, but the marching orders are simple. Strikes, strikes, strikes. The Blue Jays are big believers in Little’s talent, but they need to see that progress.