Toronto Blue Jays desperate for left handed pitcher
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Toronto Blue Jays still need a left-handed leverage reliever, because Brendon Little can't own every late inning alone.
Toronto already patched obvious holes, signing submariner Tyler Rogers for three years and $37 million. Shane Bieber's $16 million opt-in and the Kazuma Okamoto deal made the roster feel mostly set.
Ryley Delaney at BlueJaysNation argued the next fix is a true late-inning lefty, not just another middle reliever. Little posted a 3.03 ERA, 2.92 FIP, and a 30.8% strikeout rate in 68.1 innings, but he also walked 15.3% of hitters.
Toronto Blue Jays chase left-handed leverage relief
I hate watching the bullpen hunt matchups without a trusted southpaw waiting in the seventh. Little's heavy ground-ball profile, about 59%, plays, yet high-leverage walks turn one bloop into a crooked number.
Toronto leaned on Little in October, and the margin for error showed when the tightest games demanded perfect command. That is why a second lefty, one who can take the scariest pocket of hitters, matters as much as any bench bat.
The free-agent list is thin, but Danny Coulombe is the cleanest fit after a 2.30 ERA and 3.30 FIP in 43 innings last season. He is 36, so Toronto would be buying skill and health more than projection.
If the front office prefers a trade, St. Louis Cardinals lefty JoJo Romero put up a 2.07 ERA in 61.0 innings with a 57.1% ground-ball rate. His 21.6% strikeout rate is modest, but the sinker keeps rallies from lifting off.
There is also an internal dream, Ricky Tiedemann's electric fastball playing up in one-inning bursts. Still, the Blue Jays are better off adding a proven lefty so Little can be used earlier.
Source: Blue Jays Nation
Outside a big bat, the Blue Jays' biggest need is a left-handed leverage reliever
Outside a big bat, the Blue Jays' biggest need is a left-handed leverage reliever
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