Staring down a bullpen crisis with Opening Day just a week away, the Toronto Blue Jays may have found an answer in the most unlikely of places. 

“I like seeing guys come up who aren’t really under-the-radar guys. He is a hidden gem,” said Nick Gosse on his recent Jays Digest video.

The internal solution that Gosse is excited about is 30-year-old RHP Connor Seabold. The Blue Jays originally signed him this January for the Buffalo Bisons with an invite to the major league’s spring training. Seabold is making use of the opportunity with a 96 mph velocity and impressive whiff. 

“And all of a sudden now the Jays have a pretty interesting option and opportunity here for Connor Seabold, which sounds crazy,” Gosse said. 

Seabold spent his last season as a depth arm split between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Atlanta Braves. He struggled in the Triple-A with a 6.07 ERA. While his short stint for the Rays was good, the pitcher’s performance saw a significant dip while playing for the Braves. 

That’s why his improvement in the spring training seems so impressive.

His average fastball went from 92.4 to 96.4 mph, with 97 being the fastest. His whiff rate was below 22% during his 2025 MLB run. And now, he is the second-highest in MLB with a 46.8% whiff. He is also leading the Blue Jays training camp with 13 strikeouts. 

Seabold has also added a mid-80s slider to his arsenal. That translated his ‘bulk’ reputation to a genuine contender for a high-leverage bullpen spot for the Jays. 

“He continued to develop himself, worked with Pete Walker, got his fastball ticked up, got a new slider, got some really good changeup,” Gosse sounded quite confident about Connor Seabold making the roster. 

Back in 2020, when Robbie Ray was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, he struggled significantly with control and efficiency. Then, he arrived with the Toronto Blue Jays and started working with long-time pitching coach Pete Walker. From a 6.62 ERA in 2020, Ray had a CY Young season in 2021, leading the AL in ERA (2.84) and MLB in strikeouts (248).

That’s the kind of elite stuff Walker trains his pitchers with.

Plus, Seabold is also a low-risk, high-upside depth piece for the Blue Jays. Toronto can stabilize the back-end rotation if his performance continues this way. And given the concerns about the roster, he can easily be an alternative to one of the Jays’ most veteran RHP relievers. 

Connor Seabold’s spring surge offers a timely boost for the Blue Jays amid Yimi García’s uncertainty

Yimi García underwent right elbow surgery last September. He threw his first pitch of the season on March 14, and that is a huge milestone in his recovery. But the club has confirmed that he is not at his 100% and will not be included in the Opening Day roster. 

García is the late-inning setup for closer Jeff Hoffman. Although the Blue Jays expect him to return in the early season, there is no certainty. 

The pitcher is in the second year of his two-year contract.

He recently confirmed, “I feel good right now, I feel better than last season.”

Yet, it is not easy for a 35-year-old pitcher to be back with his full strength. Jays will probably be cautious and limit García’s innings.

They have already decided to take the same path with Trey Yesavage. The young prospect is expected to start slowly with 3-4 innings in the early season. 

Meanwhile, the Blue Jays’ rotation is infested with injuries.

Ricky Tiedemann (after a 2024 TJ, he has been briefly shut down due to left elbow soreness), Shane Bieber (right forearm fatigue/inflammation), and José Berríos ( stress fracture in his right elbow) are still recovering. Bowden Francis is out of season due to his TJ. 

All these uncertainties point to Connor Seabold being a huge opportunity for the club. He can be the perfect piece for the thin end of their rotation.

The timing is perfect for both Seabold and the franchise. They can both capitalize on his spring surge.