Whit Merrifield, who made an All-Star Game with the Jays, is a big fan of the addition.
Last week, the Toronto Blue Jays came to terms with ace reliever Tyler Rogers, marking another significant move for the team this offseason. Earlier this week, we learned the terms of his contract.
His presence will give manager John Schneider another weapon in the bullpen, as he figures to pair with Jeff Hoffman, Yimi Garcia and Louis Varland at the back-end of games.
And there's still the chance the Jays could sign another reliever before the team reports to Dunedin, Fla.
What makes Rogers so good? His deceptive and extreme submarine armslot, for starters, which former Jays infielder Whit Merrifield discussed on his 6ix Inning Stretch podcast:
It is definitely unique. There's nobody that throws like him in the league that I've come across. It's so underneath. It's so hard to hit the ball hard off him, hit it squarely, just because it's coming from such a different angle. And that might not seem like much when you watch it on video. And trust me, as a hitter, watching him on video, I'm like, 'oh, 82 down the middle. Like, I don't care where it's coming from. No problem.'
It's a whole different world when when you step in the box, the ball gets on you. It just seems to like run away from your barrel. He throws a slider that he calls a rise ball that goes up, which is the craziest pitch I've ever seen. And he's not just a right-handed specialist. He can get both guys out. He's probably tougher on lefties, to be honest with you. So, it's a guy that's had success his whole career. Nobody's seemed to hit him hard six, seven years into his career. So I think it's a great sign. I think he's one of the least comfortable at-bats in the big leagues.
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About Tyler Rogers
The now 35-year-old is a seven-year veteran of the San Francisco Giants and New York Mets. Remarkably durable, he's made at least 68 appearances or more in each of the last five seasons and he's led his league in appearances in three of those years. And that doesn't include the COVID 2020 season when he led the National League with 29, appearing in nearly half of the games.
He went 4-6 this past season with a 1.98 ERA. He pitched in 81 games, which led baseball.
About Whit Merrifield
A nine-year veteran of the Kansas City Royals, Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, Merrifield hit .280 for his career with 218 stolen bases. He led the American League in steals three times and was a two-time All-Star, including with the Jays in 2023.
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