There are still a handful of prevailing questions surrounding the Toronto Blue Jays entering the New Year. One of which is who will close? Last off-season, Jeff Hoffman was brought in to be the team’s closer, and despite some good, the 32-year-old had an ERA of 4.37 in 68 innings pitched. Had he gotten those final few outs in Game 7 of the World Series, this wouldn’t be a question, but, well, you know what happened. Barring a trade or an addition to their middle-relief core, the Blue Jays bullpen for 2026 is nearly set in stone. They’ll have four main high-leverage relief options, Hoffman, Yimi García, Tyler Rogers, and Louis Varland, with Braydon Fisher also being a potential option. The question is, will anyone be able to replace Hoffman? Signed to a three-year, $33 million deal (worth potentially more), Hoffman had shown to be an effective high-leverage reliever with the Philadelphia Phillies in the two prior years. In 2023, Hoffman posted a 2.41 ERA and 2.57 FIP in 52.1 innings pitched, with a 33.2 K% an
