Would Blue Jays Risk Overspending To Bring In Two-Time Al...

By Shaun McAvoy

Contributing Sports Writer

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The Toronto Blue Jays have an interesting decision to make with their bullpen this offseason.

Despite a disappointing World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Blue Jays still have one of the league's most talented rosters, but it could still be improved. Last offseason, Toronto signed 32-year-old closer Jeff Hoffman to a three-year, $33 million contract, and during the postseason, he was great.

At other times, Hoffman was terribly inconsistent. The veteran reliever posted a 4.37 ERA this season, his worst since the 2021 season, allowing 15 home runs during the regular season. He also gave up the game-tying solo shot to Miguel Rojas in Game 7 of the World Series. With his inconsistencies, the Blue Jays may look to add another high-end hurler to improve their World Series chances.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly made a list of the top free agents who are most likely to be overpaid this offseason, and listed the Blue Jays as a potential suitor to sign New York Yankees closer Devin Williams.

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"On one hand, Devin Williams feels like an obvious bounce-back candidate," Kelly wrote Monday. "Yes, he struggled in what will be his only season with the Yankees, posting a 4.79 ERA. On the other hand, Raisel Iglesias just returned to the Atlanta Braves on a one-year, $16 million deal for his age-36 season.

"Given what Iglesias got, though, Williams might get closer to $20 million with how desperate teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, Blue Jays and New York Mets, among others, will be to try to have an elite ninth-inning guy. Will the two-time Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year bounce back in 2026? Probably. But at the price it's going to take to sign him, it will be painful for his next employer if he doesn't."

Williams struggled this season, but is a two-time All-Star who boasts a 2.45 ERA for his career. As Kelly mentioned, the 31-year-old reliever is likely to bounce back next season, and with his tremendous upside, would Toronto be willing to risk overspending on him? It will be interesting to see if the Blue Jays heavily pursue Williams this offseason.

More MLB: Insider Predicts Blue Jays Target Mets Reliever After Short Stint

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