The Toronto Blue Jays could be moving on from a veteran reliever after a tough 2025 season.
Toronto’s bullpen was a major question mark throughout the season and the playoffs. The Blue Jays also didn’t have a go-to lefty as Brendon Little was the high-leverage left-hander, but he struggled in the second half of the season and in the playoffs.
Little ended up losing the trust of manager John Schneider, and many wondered if Toronto would move on from him. However, he’s still under team control and has another option year left, so he could remain a key part of the bullpen.
Yet, Blue Jays analyst Mitch Bannon of The Athletic said Little is fighting for a job in the bullpen in 2025.
“Little finished the 2025 season with a 3.03 ERA and 91 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings,” Bannon wrote. “He was, at times, one of the best left-handed relievers in baseball. Little could still return to those heights and be Toronto’s top bullpen southpaw again next year, but he’ll have to earn his way back into the circle of trust.
“Little posted a 4.88 ERA after the All-Star break and 11.25 ERA in the postseason. He went from John Schneider’s most-used bullpen weapon to an exclusive emergency option. Opposing batters stopped chasing Little’s knuckle curve as the regular season went on, forcing him to unsuccessfully challenge hitters in the zone (as shown by the Baseball Savant chart below). Finding a way to bring back that elite chase will be the key to Little’s 2026.”
Little will likely need to have a good spring training and prove his command is better to earn a roster spot in Toronto in 2026.
Blue Jays Manager Defends Little During Playoffs
Little struggled in the second half of the season and in the playoffs, but Blue Jays manager John Schneider defended him.
In the bottom of the eighth inning of Game 5 of the ALCS, Little gave up a home run to Cal Raleigh and walked two others, which led to a Grand Slam by Eugenio Suarez. After the loss, Schneider defended Little and claimed he still had his trust.
“Wanted that part of the lineup to see different guys, we talked about it all series, ” Schneider said. “Little’s been one of our best pitchers in big spots. Tough guy to elevate, Cal’s a really good hitter. …
“I trust every single guy on this roster. It’s hard, no one feels worse than Little, no one feels worse than Ser(anthony) right now, or me,” Schneider added. “But I trust every single guy on this roster. Today it didn’t work out, but we’ve won two games in a row a whole lot this year.”
Although Schneider said he still trusted Little, the left-hander was only used once in the World Series, in the 18-inning game when he was the last reliever to pitch.
Toronto Makes Bullpen Additions
The Blue Jays have been active in making pitching additions.
Toronto has added Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce to the rotation, while the Blue Jays also signed Tyler Rogers to the bullpen. Rogers is a high-leverage reliever who can compete with Jeff Hoffman for the closer role.
Toronto also acquired Chase Lee in a trade, who can add some depth to the bullpen.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Blue Jays Impact Reliever Given Bad News After Tough 2025 Season appeared first on Heavy Sports.