"With Yarbrough and his swingman ability no longer available, the Blue Jays should quickly pivot to another quality swingman that could potentially pay huge dividends. That former player is none other than Steven Matz. Back in 2021, Matz was a key starter for the Blue Jays in the back end of their rotation as he went a strong 14-7 with a 3.82 ERA along with 144 strikeouts in 150 2/3 innings pitched over 29 starts."
"Since then, Matz has slowly evolved into more of a shutdown bullpen arm in recent years with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. As a reliever, the 34-year-old left-hander has posted a solid 5-3 record with a 3.20 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, together with 83 strikeouts in 107 total innings over 74 appearances. More importantly, Matz has even developed into a dominant lefty specialist, as he held left-handed batters to just a .211 average and .584 OPS last year."
The Blue Jays look to retool their roster this winter under GM Ross Atkins with an eye toward a 2026 playoff run. Plenty of elite and solid free agents are available for both position players and pitchers. A handful of former Blue Jays could provide helpful reunion fits. Ryan Yarbrough removed himself from the market by signing with the Yankees, leaving other former players as priorities. Steven Matz stands out as a candidate, having been a reliable 2021 starter for Toronto and later evolving into a high-leverage left-handed reliever with strong recent numbers.
Read at Jays Journal
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