DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays’ bullpen is complicated. We’ll find out if that’s a good or a bad thing when the real games begin, but for now, it’s complicated.\n\nA year ago, the Blue Jays added aggressively, first with
Where this gets sticky, though, is the overlap between the Blue Jays’ rotation and the bullpen. Looking ahead, these are the five biggest factors in the Blue Jays’ bullpen in 2026:\n\n**1\\. Carrying six (or seven?) starters** \n
As of today, Yesavage (Toronto's No. 1 prospect, No. 12 overall) is on track to be ramped up for the season, albeit with a lesser workload to begin. Scherzer plans to be ready, too. This rotation has the potential to be great, so manager John Schneider will shed no tears over this wealth of talent, but it still creates a puzzle from week to week, especially if one or two are pitching in a hybrid role.\n\n“The challenging part is keeping that length built in,” Schneider said. “You never know what the game state is going to be. It’s about keeping that balance between keeping a couple of innings and 40 pitches in the tank, or an inning here and there.”\n\nIn a perfect world, the Blue Jays could schedule this out and maintain harmony all season long, but games in the AL East are just too important for that.\n\n**2\\. Rogers the rubber arm** \nEarlier this spring, Schneider called Rogers a “manager’s dream.” The 35-year-old made 81 appearances last season, and if anyone can top 80 again, it’s him.\n\n“I was joking with him after he came out, ‘Probably 75 more of those this year,’” Schneider said, “and he said, 'No. Probably more.'”\n\nIf the Blue Jays are going to be stretched thin in terms of traditional one-inning relievers, Schneider needs reliability more than ever. Rogers is the very definition of that. Schneider’s only challenge here will be giving Rogers the odd day off.
**3\\. 'Now warming in the Blue Jays’ bullpen…
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**5\\. Use them or lose them** \n