Can the Newest Arm in the 2026 Blue Jays Bullpen Save Toronto’s Pitching Staff?
Amidst the comings and goings of many members of their pitching staff from the injured list, a familiar face has returned to the Blue Jays bullpen. On Wednesday, Connor Seabold, who spent Spring Training with Toronto, was acquired from the Detroit Tigers for LHP Juanmi Vasquez. This latest move on the team’s quest to overcome pitching injuries is most likely a response to the loss of relievers Joe Mantiply and Tommy Nance. The righties joined the IL within days of each other, just after Eric Lauer was designated for assignment. Mantiply is out with left knee inflammation and will have a scope surgical procedure, which shouldn’t be season-ending. Meanwhile, Nance has right forearm discomfort and is progressing well enough to throw a bullpen session in Florida on Friday. The Jays have also pulled up many of their Minor League relievers, including Adam Macko, Yariel Rodríguez, and Austin Voth.
So what is this bullpen currently in need of? The obvious answer is just healthier arms. The injury problem has affected almost every position in Toronto’s lineup so far, but the pitching staff has been most heavily impacted. The problem has, unfortunately, mostly been with the starters, currently including José Berríos, Shane Bieber, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer, and now Dylan Cease. With all those pitchers out, the bullpen is more important now than ever because they now have spot starts to worry about. The few times they have done this were successful when bullpen stars Braydon Fisher or Mason Fluharty opened for Spencer Miles, who stretched to four and one-third innings in his past two outings. Other key relievers include submarine-style pitcher Tyler Rogers and closer Louis Varland, who currently has the lowest ERA in the league. One weaker spot in the bullpen would be former closer Jeff Hoffman. The 33-year-old was blowing saves, more than earning them earlier this season, which was why Varland took over. Hoffman and other relievers are played when these stars are unavailable, which is where Seabold should fit in.
It is clear, however, that the starting rotation has more dire needs. Seabold had started 19 games in his career, mostly for Colorado in 2023 and in his Minor League appearances since then. The key is that, like Miles, the 30-year-old has the potential to be stretched for a spot start. On May 18th, he pitched almost three full innings for Detroit, and relievers who can go multiple innings are valuable since less of the bullpen needs to be used when they pitch. Seabold has pitched two or more innings in four of his 11 games so far this season. The righty also rarely walks batters, only giving that free base to five out of the 69 batters he has faced in 2026. The Blue Jays now have two slots for spot starts, with only three starters left, and the next one is coming up on Friday. Could Seabold be a key member of the next bullpen takeover?
