Blue Jays may have found their next closer in bold trade proposal

That is the main takeaway from Heavy's trade idea linking Toronto to the Cardinals reliever. The Blue Jays are 12-15, Jeff Hoffman has already been pulled from the closer role, and Ross Atkins has shifted the club to a committee in the short term.

So this is not some random fantasy fit. Toronto has an open question at the back of the bullpen, and O'Brien has been one of the better relievers in the National League through the first month.

Heavy pointed to O'Brien after a Sports Illustrated trade-target piece did the same, and the appeal is obvious. He entered the weekend with a 1.26 ERA, 7 saves, and 16 strikeouts over 14 appearances.

That line gets even more interesting when you zoom out. MLB.com noted O'Brien also broke out in 2025, finishing 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA, 6 saves, and 45 strikeouts in 42 games for St. Louis.

For a Blue Jays club that has already had to stop pretending Hoffman's struggles were temporary, that kind of power arm would change the bullpen picture fast. MLB.com reported 3 days ago that Toronto formally removed Hoffman from the closer role after his rough stretch snowballed.

This is where the fit starts to look real on paper. O'Brien is not just posting clean numbers. MLB.com's recent feature on his season said the Cardinals' bullpen has a 5.17 ERA, and you could argue St. Louis would not even have a winning record without him.

That means Toronto would not be chasing a reliever hiding inside an easy role. O'Brien has already been putting out fires for a flawed bullpen and handling save chances in meaningful spots.

The catch is just as obvious. Heavy framed St. Louis as a possible seller because of its longer-term direction, but the Cardinals were 14-13 entering Sunday, and that record does not exactly force a trade today.

That is why this is more interesting than likely right now. Toronto can want O'Brien all it wants, but St. Louis would need to decide that selling high matters more than keeping its best late-game weapon.

Still, the Blue Jays have reason to watch this closely. Their bullpen plan changed the second Hoffman lost the job, and a contender trying to stay afloat in the AL East cannot live on committee talk forever.

If O'Brien keeps pitching like this and the Cardinals drift backward, Toronto should absolutely be in that conversation. The Blue Jays do not just need another reliever. They need someone who can make the ninth inning feel stable again.