The Toronto Blue Jays have already signed one of the top starting pitchers on the free agent market. Now, as the Winter Meetings get underway, one noted baseball insider and former GM, Steve Phillips, tells us that the Jays are laser-focused on signing one of the top closers on the market. Speaking on The Front Office show on MLB Network Radio, Phillips says it’s going to be either Edwin Diaz, Robert Suarez, or bust for the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays know that the rest of the team was championship calibre except the ninth inning. And I think that’s a lesson to be learned. I never wanted to be championship caliber on my roster and then just hope that the ninth inning was good enough. And I think they got burned by it. So I think there’s a commitment there to get, whether it’s going to be Suarez or Diaz. One of them I think is going to go to Toronto.
To be frank, this is something that Jays fans talked about all season long in 2025. And then when GM Ross Atkins went out and nibbled around the edges of the bullpen market at the trade deadline, it just wasn’t good enough. And, as Phillips alluded to, it was their undoing in the 9th inning of Game 7 of the World Series, just two outs from victory.
Jeff Hoffman serving up this game-tying homer to the No. 9 hitter Miguel Rojas will not soon be forgotten by Blue Jays fans. Let’s hope that Phillips is correct, the Jays’ front office has learned its lesson, and they won’t be leaving that aspect of the roster incomplete this offseason.
Edwin Diaz & Robert Suarez are the top closer options for Blue Jays
The Jays have already met with Diaz’s representatives, back at the GM Meetings last month, so the cast is dye. But make no mistake, it’s going to cost a pretty penny to get Diaz locked up to a deal. He’s expected to get anywhere around $90 to $100M on a five-year deal.
In recent days, Phillips’ colleague on The Front Office Show predicted that the Jays’ division rival, the New York Yankees, would swoop in and steal Diaz from their crosstown rivals. But the Mets have not thrown in the towel, either, on bringing him back, despite their recent signing of another closer, Devin Williams, away from the Yankees.
Bowden also predicts that Suarez—who led the NL in saves with 40—will take his closing duties to the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 5-year, $80 million pact, pushing Roki Sasaki back into the rotation.
Needless to say, if the Blue Jays are going to nab either of those top-tier closers, they’re going to have to spend close to $100M. Add that to the $240M they’ve already spent on Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce for the rotation, and you have to wonder, how much is left to spend on hitting? Another couple of pricey bats are in their crosshairs, in their own Bo Bichette and top outfielder Kyle Tucker. And it sounds likes it’s an ‘either-or’ proposition on that front.
The Winter Meetings are just getting underway, expect some fireworks throughout the week.
