The Toronto Blue Jays could pursue a starting pitcher in free agency to strengthen their rotation in 2027, especially because there are still some questions surrounding the status of pitchers such as Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber , as it is not yet known whether they will return.
We also cannot forget that Trey Yesavage had to recover from injuries, and the cases of Cody Ponce and Jose Berrios continue to generate a lot of uncertainty.
Still, there is time to make some adjustments there. Either way, looking toward the bullpen would not be a bad idea , especially if the Blue Jays can pay attention to some interesting arms we will see in the World Series.
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher JoJo Romero (33). Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If there is a bullpen model to follow in baseball today, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers deserve all the credit in the conversation.
Both teams have not only earned that recognition by reaching the World Series this year, but they have had it for a long time. The key lies in the extensive work they have done, from their farm systems to the pieces they have recovered, but above all, in their work strategy.
They do not have major gaps in their bullpens , with a mix of pitchers who perform very specific roles, combining both left-handed and right-handed specialists. That ability to have the ideal pitcher for any situation, sometimes needing a strikeout or a ground ball to get a double play, is what has turned both teams' bullpens into an almost unbeatable group.
That has not been the case with the Blue Jays, especially over the last two seasons, when they have tried to solve their pressure situations with left-handed pitchers.
xFIP, one of the metrics that helps us most in recognizing how well a pitcher can prevent runs without the constant help of the defense, reveals that Toronto ranks 12th in the league with a 4.20 xFIP from its left-handed relievers with runners in scoring position.
That is not the worst news, since the group of five pitchers who have had that responsibility combines for a .343 BABIP allowed, the second-highest mark in all of Major League Baseball-only behind the Athletics' relievers, who allow .351-while their 1.84 K/BB ranks 21st out of 30.
Left-Handed Blue Jays Relievers With Runners in Scoring Position (2025-26) | FanGraphs.
Joe Mantiply's impact (2.85 xFIP) has been the most dominant, although he faced only 31 situations with runners in scoring position since 2025.
However, Eric Lauer (3.83), Brendon Little (4.19), Mason Fluharty (4.49), and Adam Macko (6.86) were much less consistent and went through many struggles.
Remember that Lauer and Macko did not finish the season as part of the team, while the Little and Fluharty duo was often the most used by the Jays when they needed to face left-handed hitters.
At this point, it is clear that none of them has offered the stability the bullpen needs, so there is an option Toronto needs to analyze during this World Series, and that is left-hander JoJo Romero. There are two key things about him. First, I am not going to tell you that he is the most outstanding of the left-handed relievers teams will pursue on the market.
He has had a somewhat concerning regression this year, when he fell from the 63rd to the 24th percentile in Whiff%, and from a solid 84 and 74 to just 26 and 27 in xSLG and xBA allowed, respectively.
Even so, his mix of fastball and changeup remain above the league average, and if you are wondering what the Brewers saw in him, I am sure the answer is not difficult to find.
Romero is an experienced left-hander who can provide many outings out of the bullpen-he has averaged 60 relief appearances and a 151 ERA+ over the last two campaigns-with a mix that has allowed him to challenge hitters from the same side, and who still retains one of the main strengths that has allowed him to survive, his ability to induce ground balls.
JoJo Romero pitcher 2026 | PastTheEyeTest | Savant + FanGraphs
That is the point where Romero's value changes the conversation. He is not a central piece of the bullpen, and we have seen that throughout this postseason, but ahead of Aaron Ashby, he has been able to put together some good relief outings and offer Milwaukee the opportunity to move forward in the game.
That is all Toronto needs from Romero, who has widely been one of the left-handed relievers with the best results with runners in scoring position over the last two seasons, finishing with the fourth-lowest BABIP allowed (just .196) among left-handed relievers with at least 100 batters faced.
Romero will be a free agent at the end of the season, and he could be an interesting piece for more than just the Blue Jays.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/bluejays/onsi as One World Series Player Who Would Be a Perfect Fit for the Toronto Blue Jays .
