Blue Jays continue to put pressure on Yankees with latest bullpen rumors

The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays finished with identical 94-68 records in 2025. That might make the two clubs appear to be on even footing, but the way things played out certainly proves that there was a gap.

Toronto took the tie-breaker over the Yankees to win the AL East crown. During the regular season, New York was just 5-8 when facing off against their Canadian rivals. And, of course, the Blue Jays dispatched the Yankees from the postseason proceedings with relative ease and then went on to take the AL pennant.

Aaron Boone might have you believe that the gap between the two clubs isn't all that wide, but anyone who paid attention last season knows that's some optimistic spin at best. As the winter unfolds, the gap is only widening as well.

The Blue Jays made the offseason's first splash signing when they inked Dylan Cease, making the Yankees' lives miserable in more ways than one. They quickly doubled down on improving their rotation by taking an intriguing flyer on KBO star Cody Ponce, all while the Yankees have sat on their hands.

Now, rumor has it that they're looking for more.

The Blue Jays' interest in star closer Robert Suarez is further turning up the heat on the Yankees

The latest reports are that the Blue Jays have former San Diego Padres star closer Robert Suarez in their crosshairs as they look to address another major weak spot from their 2025 roster.

Coming off a dominant 2025 campaign in which he led the NL with 40 saves, Suarez has established himself as the best non-Edwin Diaz option to anchor a bullpen on the market. Going into his age-35 season, he also represents a more cost-effective option than Diaz (who just signed a three-year, $69 million contract with the Dodgers), though he's still expected to make a pretty penny.

This all cuts two ways for the Yankees. First, Suarez is exactly the type of arm that would look nice in the back end of their bullpen as a partner for David Bednar in high-leverage situations.

Second, the Blue Jays closing in on him threatens to take their bullpen from an average-ish unit — they ranked 16th with a 3.98 ERA in 2025 — to an upper-echelon one, which will make them that much harder to beat.

The more moves Toronto makes while the Yankees sit on the sidelines, the more the pressure is going to build. Cease and Ponce weren't realistic targets for the Yankees, but Suarez should be.

Combine that with the fact that the Blue Jays hosted Kyle Tucker for a visit prior to the Winter Meetings, and their rumored interest in Cody Bellinger as well as other prime players on the Yankees' wish list, and it becomes clear that they're moving into phase two of their pressure campaign, threatening to steal away the players who would represent the greatest improvements for the Yankees.

If Brian Cashman doesn't get moving soon, Toronto could cause him to make an unforced error. The other possibility is that their aggressiveness forces the Yankees out in the cold this winter as the market dries up. Whatever the case may be, the Yankees need to respond to these threats quickly.