The Toronto Blue Jays are in the market for a late-inning reliever, but a deal with Ronald Belisario has reportedly fallen through, leaving the Blue Jays very much in search of bullpen help.
#Bluejays won't be signing Ronald Belisario - sides got very close, but deal has fallen through. The reliever remains a free agent. #Jays
— Mike Wilner (@Wilnerness590) January 30, 2015
Toronto has recently been linked to talks with free agent pitchers Francisco "K-Rod" Rodriguez and Rafael Soriano, while also being rumored to have had talks with the Philadelphia Phillies about their closer, Jonathan Papelbon.
#BlueJays in contact w/ reps for multiple free-agent relievers, including Francisco Rodriguez, Rafael Soriano, Burke Badenhop, sources say. - Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 29, 2015
Belisario would not have been a lock to serve as Toronto's closer. The deal they had been working on was a minor-league contract, and although he recorded eight saves for the Chicago White Sox in 2014, he also blew four chances. He ended the 2014 season with an ugly 5.56 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, although a .339 BABIP and significantly better FIP (3.54), indicate he was the victim of some bad luck last year.
As of now, the Jays' projected closer is left-hander Brett Cecil, a failed starter whose move to the bullpen full-time has been a boon to his career. He's posted back-to-back sub-2.83 ERAs and saved six games in two years as a reliever. In 2014 Cecil struck out 12.83 batters per nine innings, but walked 4.5 per nine. That walk rate, and a lack of velocity might be making the Blue Jays' front office leery of trusting him to handle the ninth.
The Milwaukee Brewers are the leading candidates to trade for Papelbon, but if they can't strike a deal could be in a race with Toronto to land K-Rod. Soriano has closing experience, but posted poor splits away from home in 2014 and lost his job in the second half of the season.
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