What the Blue Jays bullpen looks like after the Jeff Hoffman signing

With the announcement that the team signed All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman, bringing him back to the organization that originally drafted him, the Blue Jays bullpen now stands in a much better place then it did at the beginning of the offseason. But what will it look like?

According to Ross Atkins, Hoffman will get the bulk of closing opportunities. Chad Green will also be in play here as well as acting as the primary set-up man. Yimi Garcia and Erik Swanson will also be involved in the late innings.

Middle relief options will likely be side-armer Nick Sandlin, returnee Zach Pop, and the deserving Brendon Little, with the latter getting an opportunity to break camp with the team after a strong 2024 campaign.

That leaves one spot left among a group that includes Ryan Burr, Easton Lucas, Tommy Nance, and JJosh Walker. That's if the Blue Jays decide to keep Yariel Rodriguez in the rotation.

And while the Blue Jays could maximize length by having Rodriguez the long man out of the pen, after the addition of Hoffman, it seems Rodriguez may stick to the rotation, at the least for the time being.

Out of the names mentioned, Burr probably has the inside track on the final bullpen spot. He pitched in 34 games for the Blue Jays last year, can go multiple innings, and even acted as opener a few times. If the Jays ever utilize a bullpen day Burr, and possibly Little, would be the candidates for an opener.

There is an outside chance that someone like Eric Lauer could wind up the 8th man in the pen, but he has been a starter his whole career and the Blue Jays would do well to keep him in the minor leagues for depth.

While the Blue Jays pen may not be perfect, it is certainly in better shape than it was just a few months ago.