The Toronto Blue Jays are attacking the offseason with as much gusto as their bats had in the postseason. Heading into this winter, the Blue Jays wanted to improve their starting pitching and bullpen. The signings of Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce, as well as the surprising return of Shane Bieber, solidify their rotation. However, work still needs to be done with their bullpen.
While the Blue Jays potentially explore the trade market for their extra starting pitchers, they still need to land their big bat. Time will tell if that will be Bo Bichette, Kyle Tucker, both, or someone else entirely.
However, Jeff Hoffman’s blown save in Game 7 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers still stings. To ease the pain, a few MLB analysts predict the Blue Jays will replace Hoffman with the best closer available. Doing this would send a clear message to Hoffman and to the rest of the MLB.
Replacing Jeff Hoffman With Robert Suarez Makes the Blue Jays ‘Playoff-Ready’
While the Blue Jays nibble around the edges with some depth signings, fortifying their bullpen remains a top priority. Mitch Bannon of The Athletic predicts that the Blue Jays will sign Robert Suarez to fulfill their bullpen needs.
“Adding Tucker and closer Robert Suarez addresses the Jays’ final two needs with top-of-market All-Stars,” Bannon wrote on December 5, 2025. “They’d not only fill out Toronto’s roster but become significant figures on the Jays’ quest to get back to the World Series. Suarez, though 35, leaned on his 99 mph fastballs to lead the National League in saves last year.”
“He’d supplant Hoffman as Toronto’s closer, making the Jays’ bullpen playoff-ready on Opening Day.”
Bannon is not alone in predicting that Suarez will sign with the Blue Jays. Just Baseball has made a similar prediction.
“The best closer on the board is Edwin Diaz, but we already predicted that he is going to land with the Mets, so that is off the table. Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley have come off the board as well,” Ryan Finkelstein wrote for Just Baseball. “That leaves Robert Suarez as the next-best closer on the market, with Pete Fairbanks sitting just behind. Suarez has stretches where he is absolutely unhittable. And he can do so with a single pitch.”
That single pitch is Suarez’s four-seam fastball. Bannon referred to it above as his 99 mph fastball. According to Savant data, the 34-year-old threw his four-seamer 60 percent of the time. Savant also lists his fastball at 98.6 mph… so basically 99 mph if you round up.
Bannon has Suarez projected to receive a $54 million, three-year contract in this scenario.
Jeff Hoffman is Better Suited For a Different Role
Looking at Hoffman’s recent history, it’s easy to see why he was the Blue Jays’ closer this past season.
Hoffman had excellent numbers in the 2024 season. In 68 games, he threw 89 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings of work. That earned him a 2.17 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP to go along with 10 saves and 21 holds. Additionally, batters only hit six home runs off of him.
He made 71 appearances in 2025, but allowed 15 home runs. Ultimately, Hoffman battled through and recorded 33 saves in 40 opportunities.
By adding Suarez, they can utilize Hoffman in the best way possible. That means pushing him to the setup role he enjoyed for arguably the best year of his career (2024).
Suarez has 77 career saves under his belt. Last year, he ranked second in the MLB with 40 saves, behind only Carlos Estevez’s 42 saves. Hoffman ranked fourth in saves.
There is also the possibility of a Hoffman bounce-back season. If that is the case, the Blue Jays will be armed with two dominant closers, increasing their chances of a return visit to the World Series.
Blue Jays Have Other Options if They Strike Out on Suarez
Suarez isn’t the only closer option that the Blue Jays have been linked to.
The Blue Jays have been connected to Pete Fairbanks, who earned 27 saves in 2025. However, he has one lingering issue that is a major red flag.
“While he avoided the IL last season, he has a lengthy injury history,” Ken Rosenthal wrote in November. “Including Raynaud’s syndrome, which disrupts the blood flow to his fingers and affects his grip on the ball in cold weather.”
That sounds like bad news for the Northern-most team in the MLB.
Another backup option could take the form of a trade. The Blue Jays have recently been linked to southpaw Jojo Romero. He doesn’t have the lengthy closer history of Fairbanks or Suarez, but he has some impressive pitches and went 8-for-9 in save opportunities over the final 20 games of 2025.
The best option available to the Blue Jays is Suarez. However, if they can’t land him, they will need to get creative.
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