This Blue Jays high-leverage reliever will keep closer Jeff Hoffman honest in 2026

Hoffman, 32, had one of the regular seasons of all-time. Measuring his success (or lack there of) depends on how you frame his stats.

Hoffman posted a 4.37 ERA across 68 innings for the Blue Jays this past season.

While he is a heavy strikeout pitch, his strikeouts per nine innings were 11.1, his 1.191 WHIP was not ideal for a closer.

His ERA+ was 98, his lowest since 2020 and a significant drop compared to the 194 he put up in his final season with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Looking at Hoffman's season from a glass-half-empty point of view, a closer probably shouldn't have a 4.37 ERA and 4.90 FIP.

His numbers ballooned in high-leverage compared to last season, but more worrisome was the long ball.

Hoffman gave up 15 home runs in 2025 the second-most for any reliever, and only one fewer than Jackson Rutledge.

The good news is that Fangraphs' Steamer expects Hoffman to rebound, maybe not to the level he was at with the Phillies, but to the point where there won't be discussions about moving him away from the closing job.

It projects he'll have a 3.47 ERA and 3.49 FIP in 63 innings pitched, with a 29 K% and 8.6 BB%, while his home run total is projected to drop to just eight.

If Hoffman gets of to a shaky start in 2026, the Blue Jays may have an internal option for the closers role.

Louis Varland, who clearly earned the trust of John Schneider and company as he made 15 appearances during the playoff run last season.

The 27-year-old has the kind of power repertoire that most teams will feature in the 9th inning these days, with the ability to pitch into the upper 90s, and even touch triple digits once in a while.

He ramped up his strikeout rate once landing with the Blue Jays, and did a great job of limiting free passes during the postseason, putting up a 17-3 ratio over a post season record 15.0 innings.

While there's still some room for refinement in the right-hander's game, it wouldn't be surprising to see him take another step forward in 2026, and he'll continue to be counted on in high leverage for his first full season as a Blue Jay.

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