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Blue Jays 2025 free agent target: Steven Matz

Originally posted on Bluejaysnation
By Matthew Spagnuolo | Last updated Nov 12, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Steven Matz is no stranger to the Blue Jays organization, as he was traded to Toronto ahead of the 2021 season and spent a full campaign north of the border.

Now, four years later, both sides have an opportunity to reunite via free agency this upcoming winter, albeit under some different circumstances. With how things looked on the pitching side north of the border this past season, Ross Atkins has already stated that he has some plans brewing through both free agency and the trade market.

When Matz was with the Blue Jays in 2021, he posted a 3.82 ERA across 29 starts, producing a 2.2 WAR in the process. He also earned 14 wins, tying Hyun Jin Ryu for the most on the team that season, before signing with the St. Louis Cardinals that following winter.

Fast forward to today, Matz has turned from a starter into a reliever, and an effective arm at that.

2025 Season Stats

Matz began the 2025 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, the team he joined after signing a four-year, $44 million deal in the winter of 2021. He was later traded to the Boston Red Sox at the trade deadline in exchange for minor leaguer Blaze Jordan.

As a Cardinal, Matz had his strongest season since signing with St. Louis, going 5–2 with a 3.44 ERA in 32 appearances (two of those being starts). After joining Boston, he excelled out of the bullpen, posting a 2.01 ERA in 21 relief appearances for the Red Sox.

The Boston Red Sox are finalizing a trade to acquire left-handed reliever Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals, sources tell ESPN. The deal is agreed to and pending medical review.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 31, 2025

Matz features a four-pitch mix of a sinker, curveball, changeup, and slider. Since his 2021 stint with Toronto, he has adjusted his arsenal, now using his curveball as his primary secondary pitch while slightly reducing his changeup usage. His career FIP of 4.21 shows that he’s capable of getting key outs in big situations. Batters hit just .197 against his curveball this past season, a noticeable improvement from .256 in 2021. While his whiff rates have declined compared to earlier in his career, he compensates by inducing more ground balls—his ground ball rate increased to 47.5% in 2025, up from 46.3% in 2021.

Although Matz’s postseason experience is limited—he’s appeared in the playoffs only twice over his 10-year career (with the Mets and Red Sox)—he has performed well, posting a 3.24 ERA across five games with 15 strikeouts over 16⅔ innings.

Do they fit on the Blue Jays?

After the 2015 season, the Blue Jays reunited with another former left-handed pitcher, J.A. Happ, who went on to win 20 games and finish sixth in Cy Young voting. While no one is suggesting Matz would replicate that kind of season—especially since he’s now likely to serve as a bullpen arm—a reunion wouldn’t be entirely out of the question.

With Brendon Little’s rough second half and postseason, the emergence of Mason Fluharty among left-handed options, and the dependability of Eric Lauer in 2025, the bullpen could get a bit crowded. However, given that Pete Walker remains the team’s pitching coach and has worked with Matz before, the idea of bringing him back isn’t as far-fetched as it may seem.

Is it likely? Your guess is as good as mine. With Yimi García returning after his 2024 trade departure and Isaiah Kiner-Falefa rejoining for the postseason stretch in 2025, nostalgia might just play a role in shaping the 2026 roster. There’s always the possibility that the team moves some bullpen arms to make room for new faces—but for now, we’ll have to wait until the winter meetings in early December to see how things unfold.

This article first appeared on Bluejaysnation and was syndicated with permission.

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