The Toronto Blue Jays have pulled into the MLB Winter Meetings like a bull in a china shop. The AL champions are ready to make waves, which could come in the form of trading a starter for a positional upgrade. The Blue Jays are deep in the mix to land Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, or potentially both. They are also in the mix to land one of Edwin Diaz, Pete Fairbanks, or Robert Suarez on the free agent closer market.
Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers has left a bitter taste in the Blue Jays’ mouth. Unfortunately for Jeff Hoffman, his blown save in the biggest game of the year may have cost him the closer job in Toronto.
However, the latest insider prediction should have Blue Jays fans breathing a sigh of relief.
The Toronto Blue Jays & the New York Mets Will Land the Top Two Closers
This big sigh of relief comes in the form of Jon Heyman’s latest report. While making an appearance on the Straight Outta Flushing podcast, he discussed the New York Mets offseason plans and targets.
Specifically, Heyman detailed what the market conditions are for the top-tier of closers available.
“Toronto is a team that’s got money. They’re a team that is looking at the closer situation,” Heyman said on the December 7th episode. “There are other teams looking at closers. Detroit, although I’m not sure they’re going to spend that kind of money. I’m not even sure the Dodgers are going to spend that kind of money. So, I think Toronto is probably the main competition for the Mets at the moment, but there certainly could be others because, Diaz has been one of the best closers in baseball over the last several years.”
“It’s really Diaz and Robert Suarez. It wouldn’t be a shock if one ends up with the Mets and one ends up with Toronto.”
This prediction bodes well for the Blue Jays. Suarez’s 40 saves was the second-most amongst all relievers. On the other hand, Diaz is coming off his third Reliever of the Year award. If they walk into the 2026 season with either closer, fans should be jumping for joy.
Edwin Diaz or Robert Suarez: Who is Most Likely to Sign With Toronto?
When it comes to which of these elite closers will find themselves wearing a Blue Jays uniform in 2026, odds lean more one way. Heyman believes that the Mets have the inside track on Diaz. He also reveals a couple under-the-radar options for teams looking at adding another late-inning arm.
“I do believe they need Diaz back as well. He is the best closer out there and there’s no real debate over that,” Heyman continued. “Robert Suarez (is) very good but, he’s a few years older & doesn’t really have quite the stuff that Diaz has.”
“There are other closers on the market. Kenley Jansson, Brad Keller, (are) good backend guys, but they’re not in the category of Diaz or even Suarez.”
Ben Nicholson-Smith has also reported the Blue Jays interest in both Diaz and Suarez.
“They’ve been showing some interest in Robert Suarez, the top free-agent reliever not named Edwin Diaz, but it’s too soon to say whether there’s meaningful traction on that front,” Nicholson-Smith wrote on Decemeber 8th, 2025. “For now, include the Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets in a group of teams at least monitoring Diaz, Suarez and the high-end relief market. Whether that’s due diligence or more is the key question here.”
Diaz heavily depends on his four-seam fastball and a slider. According to Savant, he threw one other pitch (a change-up) only once in 2025. His four-seamer hit 97.2 MPH with a 39.4 WHIFF percentage. Additionally, his slider reaches speeds of 89.1 MPH with a 44 WHIFF percentage.
On the other hand, Suarez depends on his four-seam fastball, changeup, and sinker, with a cutter thrown twice. According to Savant data, he throws his four-seamer and sinker harder than Diaz (98.6 MPH & 98.5 MPH), and his changeup is over one MPH faster than Diaz’s slider.
However, Suarez’s best pitch at generating WHIFFs was his changeup, which had a 32.8 WHIFF percentage.
Regardless of which way things pan out for the Blue Jays, they are poised for one of the biggest offseasons in recent memory. Buckle up, Jays nation.
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