Blue Jays grades at the quarter mark: Relief pitchers

The Toronto Blue Jays’ biggest area of strength so far this season has been their bullpen.

While the bullpen’s ERA of 4.06 ranks in the middle of the pack, their 3.62 FIP ranks as the eighth-best in the big leagues. The expected numbers paint the relief core in an even better light, as their 3.35 xFIP is the best in baseball, and their 3.57 xERA is fifth.

About two months into the season, the Blue Jays’ strikeout rate of 25.3% ranks tied for third and their 8.9 BB% ranks tied for fifth-best, but they’ve surrendered 22 home runs, 10th-most in the big leagues.

There are a lot of positives to take away from their relief pitching early in the season, and we’ll grade relievers currently on the 26-man roster, a few on the injured list, and Brendon Little. This article will exclude Lázaro Estrada, Josh Fleming, Austin Voth.

As noted in the grades for the starters, these grade aren’t just based on performance, but also on expectations. Let’s dig in!

Louis Varland

Grade: A

Louis Varland’s A+ doesn’t need much explaining. In his 23 outings this season, Varland has surrendered just one earned run over 24.2 innings pitched, giving him a 0.36 ERA. At this point, a scoreless inning drops his ERA by two hundredths, that’s how dominant he’s been.

In terms of FIP, he’s issued just nine walks, hasn’t given up a home run, and struck out 35 batters, which translates to a 1.37 FIP. That’s good enough for 35.7 K% and 9.2 BB%. He’s been so darn good that he’s become the Blue Jays’ closer.

Here’s a list of relievers with 20+ innings pitched who have a better ERA than Varland heading into Wednesday’s game:

However, there are three relievers with a lower FIP than Varland with the same sample size, including Mason Miller, widely considered the best reliever in baseball. Varland’s K% also ranks fifth-best in Major League Baseball.

Tyler Rogers 

Grade: A

Signed to a three-year deal worth $37 million in the off-season, Tyler Rogers has come as advertised.

Appearing in 22 games for the Blue Jays this season, the submarine pitcher has a 1.69 ERA and 2.79 FIP in 21.1 innings pitched, with a 15.9 K% and 8 BB%. While he doesn’t strike out many batters, no reliever in baseball with more than 20 innings pitched has a better ground ball percentage than Rogers’ 69.7%.

Rogers and Varland had been competing for who could have the lower ERA for a while, but Rogers gave up two earned runs over a two game span on May 5th and May 9th. That’s the only thing stopping the veteran righty from having an A+ grade.

Joe Mantiply

Grade: A

This is a case of expectations upping a grade, even though Joe Mantiply has been fantastic for the Jays. Signed to a minor league deal before the start of the season, the Blue Jays’ injury woes forced them to add Mantiply to the 26 and 40-man rosters.

Since then, he’s authored a 2.04 ERA and 2.89 FIP in 17.2 innings pitched. The left-handed pitcher has also struck out 22.5% of the batters he’s faced with a solid 5.6 BB%. His resurgence has given the Blue Jays a high-leverage lefty, a role that Mason Fluharty and Brendon Little couldn’t capture.

Unfortunately, Mantiply was placed on the injured list recently, a big blow given his performance this season.

Spencer Miles

Grade: A-

It’s not often you see a pennant winning team select a player in the Rule 5 draft just a month after a World Series appearance. The Blue Jays went against the grain during the winter meetings, selecting Spencer Miles from the San Francisco Giants.

What makes this selection even more surprising in hindsight is that Miles hurled just 14.2 innings in the minor leagues following being drafted in 2022. A strong Arizona Fall League no doubt played a part in the Blue Jays’ decision to select Miles, and oh boy, has it ever paid off.

The right-handed pitcher has appeared in 13 games so far this season, authoring a 2.55 ERA and 3.15 FIP in 24.2 innings pitched, with a 23 K% and 7 BB%. Lately, he’s been serving as a bulk pitcher during the Blue Jays’ bullpen days, going six and two-third scoreless innings in his last outings.

It seems improbable that the Blue Jays would wish to take him off the 26-man roster, but the same rules apply, he’d first have to clear waivers, then be offered back to the Giants. 

On June 25th, Miles will be active for 90 days of service time. That’s notable because if he’s injured, something that would be bad news for the Blue Jays given his performance, he’ll be optionable next season. But with how he’s trending, Miles is here to stay.

Tommy Nance

Grade: B

Since joining the Blue Jays via a trade with the San Diego Padres in the summer of 2024, Nance has consistently posted good numbers. Following the trade, he had a 4.09 ERA and 3.98 FIP in 22 innings pitched to end the season, one of the only relievers the Jays traded for/claimed off waivers to stick around following the 74-88 season.

Called up in the second half of the 2025 season, Nance appeared in 30 games, authoring a 1.99 ERA and 1.87 FIP in 31.2 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher was one of just 14 relievers with a sub-2.00 ERA who pitched over 30 innings.

So far this season, Nance has a 3.86 ERA and a 2.50 FIP in 21 innings pitched, with a 29.4 K% and 9.4 BB%. He’s their go-to reliever in low-leverage spots, a spot where he’s excelled in the last two seasons. Unfortunately, Nance was placed on the injured list on Sunday.

Braydon Fisher

Grade: B

Fisher was another pitcher who pitched 30+ innings out of the bullpen and finished with a sub-2.00 ERA. Acquired for Cavan Biggio after the Jays DFA’d the utility player,  Fisher joined the Blue Jays shortly into the 2025 season. 

Overall, he finished with a 2.70 ERA and 3.02 FIP in 50 innings pitched. Five of the 15 earned runs he surrendered in 2025 came in his one and only start, while Fisher didn’t give up an earned run on the road.

Fisher has been good this season, authoring a 3.08 ERA and 3.65 FIP in 26.1 innings pitched, but not great like he was last year. His K% is down from 30.7% to just 23.8% this season, while his BB% has risen from 9.4% to 9.9%.

Still, he has made himself an option to pitch in medium leverage situations.

Adam Macko

Grade: B-

Acquired in the Teoscar Hernández trade following the 2022 season, Adam Macko has finally made his big league debut.

He hasn’t given up a run in his two outings, facing six batters with a strikeout and a single allowed. But since he’s currently on the active roster, he needs to be graded. The left-handed pitcher gets a B- thanks to fine numbers in Triple-A.

Serving as a starter every season before 2026, Macko finally became a full-time reliever, where he had a 4.50 ERA and 4.91 FIP in 18 innings of work in 13 games out of the bullpen. Macko’s command has always been a concern, and he walked 11.1% of the batters in Triple-A, but also had a 26.4 K%.

He’s had a solid beginning to his big league career, at least.

Mason Fluharty

Grade: C+

Mason Fluharty has had a weird year. In his 24 outings, or 17.1 innings pitched, the left-handed reliever has a 4.67 ERA. But diving deeper into the stats, he has a 1.87 xERA, 2.42 FIP, and 3.30 FIP, thanks in part to a 31.1 K% and 9.5 BB%.

Two of the nine earned runs he gave up weren’t even his fault. In his season debut, he was hit with back-to-back comebackers to lead off an inning, and was forced to leave after the second one. Both runners came into score when Brendon Little relieved Fluharty.

These numbers will normalize over the course of a full season, but it’s been an odd one for the 24-year-old lefty. I gave him a C+ grade, but he realistically could be a B.

Jeff Hoffman

Grade: C

Jeff Hoffman is having an even weirder year than Fluharty. The bad: he had a 5.75 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched, blowing three of his six save opportunities and losing the closing role. After giving up that home run, these aren’t positive numbers.

But once you dive deeper into his stats, this season may be one of the unluckiest on record. Batting average on balls in play (BABIP) is a stat that measures batted balls in play that result in a non-home run hit.

Right now, hitters have a .500 BABIP off Hoffman, excluding the three long balls he’s surrendered. Want to know the list of pitchers who finished the season with 20+ innings pitched and BABIP higher than Hoffman? Martin Malone in 1872, who had a .560 BABIP in 27 innings.

It’s fair to be critical of Hoffman’s 5.75 ERA and three blown saves in six opportunities as results matter, but the results will turn around.

Chase Lee

Grade: C

The last three pitchers to be graded have all spent the majority of their season with the Bisons.

Starting with Chase Lee, he was acquired a few hours before the Jays signed Rogers. The side-armer has only appeared in two big league games this season, authoring a 5.40 ERA and 13.31 FIP in an inning and two thirds. He’s walked two of the eight batters he’s faced.

Lee has had better success with the Bisons, posting a 1.83 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 19.2 innings pitched over 15 outings, all while picking up three saves. Lee’s command hasn’t been great this season, walking 11.9% of the batters he faced in Triple-A.

Yariel Rodríguez

Grade: D+

After the Blue Jays outrighted Yariel Rodríguez following the conclusion of the 2025 season, the Cuban righty began his season in Triple-A. Over 13.2 innings pitched, Rodríguez had a 2.63 ERA and 2.06 FIP, with an incredible 43.1 K%, but high 15.5 BB%.

Rodríguez replaced Eric Lauer after the left-handed starter was designated for assignment, with the Jays needing to add Rodríguez back to the 40-man roster. He’s appeared in three games since then with varying levels of success.

Against the Tampa Bay Rays, he threw a scoreless outing with two strikeouts and a walk. In his next outing against the Tigers, Rodríguez allowed an earned run and struck out a batter over an inning and one third. But in his last outing on Monday, Rodríguez surrendered four earned runs thanks to two long balls. He was tagged with the loss.

Had Rodríguez not struggled on Monday, he would’ve been graded higher thanks to his strikeout rate in Triple-A.

Brendon Little

Grade: D

Brendon Little was the main reason why the Jays’ bullpen struggled to begin the season. When he was sent down in early April, Little was tagged for 10 of the Blue Jays’ 17 earned runs at that point, allowing three more inherited earned runners to score.

Little has shown he’s capable of pitching at a big league level, look no further than the first half of the 2025 season. But with his early season struggles, the Blue Jays made the right decision by optioning the lefty.

His tenure with the Bisons has been okay. A 1.17 ERA is terrific no matter how you slice it, he’s getting results. But it’s basically the inverse of what Hoffman has done this season, as Little also had a 4.37 FIP thanks to a 20.9 BB%. Before he’s called up again, his walk rate will need to drop.