The Toronto Blue Jays didn’t just miss out on Ryan Helsley; they missed out on their best chance to fix their bullpen! And he landed squarely in the hands of a $1.9 billion division rival, the Baltimore Orioles. This has really put Toronto in a spot, but there may be an option.

Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo suggest, “With Ryan Helsley off the market, Pete Fairbanks might be the next closer to sign. The Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins are among the teams interested in him, according to industry sources briefed on his market.”

But then, you might be questioning – will the Jays really sign him? Raisel Iglesias and Phil Maton were also connected to the Jays, and they signed elsewhere. And now so did Helsley.

This gets even more concerning for the Toronto Blue Jays, especially when they have winning dreams. Their bullpen was mediocre all season – just a 3.98 ERA, dead middle of the pack – and even worse in October. Now, even their best option has left for a $28 million deal with the Orioles.

Meanwhile, Rosenthal mentioned Fairbanks, and he is a decent option.

He faced the Toronto Blue Jays several times. In 27 career innings against them, he held their hitters to a .130 batting average.

Now, could this be the Jays’ strategy to give Helsley a miss, given his record hasn’t been the best lately?

It could be.

But the most frustrating part is that before landing with the Mets and hitting a rough 9.60 ERA over 18 games, Helsley was a force with the Cardinals. Jays simply guessed wrong on whether he was worth the risk.

Then there is 23-year-old Ricky Tiedemann, too.

If you see just pure stuff, he looks like he could close games tomorrow. In 2023, he struck out 82 batters in 44 innings. The problem is that he hasn’t pitched above Double-A for more than 13 innings and is recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Yet, the biggest elephant in the room is how much Fairbanks will be worth and whether the Jays should bite the bullet.

But what is Pete Fairbanks expected to get in free agency?

Fairbanks might demand a solid multi-year deal: one that resembles what Ryan Helsley eventually signed.

Pete Fairbanks hit the market after the Rays declined his $11 million club option and opted for a $1 million buyout. It’s a classic cost-cutting move by the Tampa Bay Rays. And it was not about the performance at all.

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He is coming off a strong season as a Tampa Bay Rays full-time closer. He put together a 2.83 ERA over 60 innings and a career high of 27 saves. For a team that’s working with a tight budget, that kind of reliable energy becomes expensive fast. No wonder the Rays let him walk.

Given that the markets of Diaz, Williams, and Suarez are still developing, Fairbanks now stands as the better, under-the-radar option available. According to insiders, he is expected to command a deal worth around $28 million.

Given that the Jays spent a huge amount on the Dylan Cease deal and want to get back Bichette, it’s doubtful that they would go for this number.

The Blue Jays right now seem less committed to Jeff Hoffman, their longtime closer. After all, they came within two outs of winning the WS, only for Hoffman to surrender the game-tying homer in the bottom of the ninth in the last game.

That hurt the front office – and made a wrong impression. And Ross Atkins didn’t hide the possibility of a change either.

“Talking about the cohesion and team approach of the Jays, he epitomizes that. I think he would be open to anything that makes us better.”

Hoffman was not bad, but maybe it’s time for the Jays to move on.