The Toronto Blue Jays have been busy this offseason, but could still be looking for additions to their bullpen, even after signing Tyler Rogers.
The Blue Jays have signed Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce this offseason. Those additions could move one of their starters from last season out of a starting role, so they may not need bullpen help after adding Rogers. However, there is no such thing as too many talented arms in the bullpen.
Jeff Hoffman was the Blue Jays’ closer last year, but he was inconsistent. He also blew the Blue Jays’ ninth-inning lead in Game 7 of the World Series. He had stretches of strong play, and outside of one pitch in the World Series, he was fine in the postseason. However, the Blue Jays could benefit from having another option to close games. Sports Illustrated’s Tobey Schulman urged the Blue Jays to sign Kirby Yates.
Yates is a free agent after spending last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He dealt with back and hamstring injuries last season. He did not have his best year and did not pitch in October. However, he was solid in his first 21 outings, posting a 2.95 ERA and he is just one year removed from an All-Star season.
In 2024 for the Texas Rangers, Yates had a 1.17 ERA in 61 games and recorded 33 saves. He has been an All-Star twice in his career, and both times were the only times he has been in the closer’s role for a full season. He led the league in saves in 2019. However, on the Dodgers, he was not needed as a closer thanks to the team signing Tanner Scott in the offseason.
The Blue Jays could land Yates on a cheap deal and have him compete for the closer job with Hoffman. At the very least, he could be a solid arm to stash in the bullpen and turn to if Hoffman struggles.
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