Blue Jays and Erik Swanson agree to a one-year, $3 million deal to avoid arbitration

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Swanson was expected to make $3.2 million in arbitration, which left some to speculate that Swanson was also a non-tender candidate. That was because of his tough season, finishing the year with a 5.03 ERA and a 6.06 ERA in 39.1 innings pitched.

After a tough start to the season, Swanson was optioned to the Triple-A, but upon his return to the Blue Jays on July 20, he finished the season with a 2.55 ERA and a 4.95 FIP (3.54 xFIP) in 24.2 innings pitched. Moreover, he had a 27.6 K% and 10.2 BB%. It’s safe to say that over the course of the final two months, Swanson lived up to the expectations the Jays had when they acquired him for Teoscar Hernández.

Although the Blue Jays re-signed Swanson, hoping he pitches like he did to end the 2024 season, there’s still a ton of work to do on their bullpen. On top of Swanson, the Blue Jays are projected to have Chad Green, Ryan Burr, Brendon Little, Zach Pop, Tommy Nance, Hagen Danner, and Nick Robertson in relief. Obviously, that’s not nearly good enough if they plan to contend.

There has been talk of the Blue Jays signing a starting pitcher, which would move Yariel Rodríguez to the bullpen while also strengthening the rotation. Even then, Toronto has to do a lot more, not just with the bullpen, if they want to contend in 2025.

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