TORONTO — The biggest compliment you can give a big league bullpen in July is, “We haven’t talked about them much.”
At this point two years ago, the Blue Jays’ bullpen was handing out free wins to whoever wanted them, becoming a weakness for keeping MLB’s most dominant lineup out of the postseason. It was considered the story of the season for a period, and when the substitutes are the big story, it’s never good news.
However, this group of 2023 is drastically different. More than just “solid,” which best describes 22’s bullpen, Toronto’s relievers have stubbornly kept the door open to offense, a task that takes some patience in a season where every game seems tight. They did so again in Saturday afternoon’s 5-2 win over the D-Backs at Rogers Center – long enough for the bats to get their second wind and give the club their seventh win in eight games.
“They feed each other,” manager John Schneider said. “They really know what they are doing and take pride in what they do. When you have a good team and a good bullpen, it’s a luxury to put those guys out there. We love our appetizers too, but we love how they motivate each other.”
EPOCH: 3.58 (5th)
K/9: 10.09 (3rd)
BB/9: 2.87 (1st)
What went right?
All of the above.
The Blue Jays’ bullpen ERA shows how good this group was overall, but it’s the walk and strikeout numbers that are most impressive. For years, this group lagged behind the rest of MLB when it came to speed and swings-and-miss, but they’ve finally closed that gap.
Jordan Romano has put himself in position to surpass Duane Ward’s franchise record of 45 saves (1993) despite recent fears of lower left back discomfort, which the Blue Jays now describe as “commonplace” after he was in the win on Saturday not available. Also, the Swanson trade worked as planned, not only adding a top end bullpen arm, but expanding that back end group even further to cover days like this.
Then you have a fantastic season from Trevor Richards, a recent turnaround from García and the rise of Pearson, who, apart from a few stumbles, has been dominant. In many ways, Pearson represents what the Blue Jays have been looking for.
But let’s not forget the most underrated contributor on this list: Tim Mayza.
Mr Automatic
Mayza has a 1.17 ERA with 32 strikeouts and just five walks over 30 2/3 innings this season, serving as the lone left-hander of the bullpen. Most of these innings also occur in the seventh and eighth tight games when every out counts.
“I feel like left-wing helpers, if you’re not closer, they’re often overlooked,” said Schneider. “There’s a good handful in the league that do that job really well. Timmy has an elite year. I know saves are recognized as relievers or strikeouts and the like. He just quietly goes about his business and comes out. I can’t stress enough how important he was to us.”
Next… the trade deadline
No bullpen is ever “good enough,” especially when the postseason is upon us. Good teams are closer to you. World Series teams have a handful of these.
The Blue Jays should bring Chad Green back within a month as he will soon be able to return to the live game following Tommy John’s surgery a year ago. But there is still room for more. Toronto could be chasing up with a back-end arm or opting for balance by looking for another left-hander. Both Swanson with his splitter and Richards with his move can neutralize left-handers, but Mayza has been the only left-hander all season.
“Many teams are structured differently and have several left-handers,” said Schneider. “If that were to be the case, it would be a great luxury. They could win a man in the sixth inning ahead of Tim Mayza in the eighth. We’ll see how it goes, but for now we’re comfortable. Of course, the workload will eventually pick up, as it did with Swanson, but when it does, we’re prepared for it.”
Any addition would be a luxurious addition to a rare Blue Jays bullpen that is talked about for all the right reasons.