As both the Mets and Yankees watch familiar targets land elsewhere, the gap between intent and execution keeps growing. For the Mets in particular, the bullpen was supposed to be an area of correction after watching Pete Alonso, Edwin Díaz, and Robert Suárez slip away. Instead, another late-inning arm viewed as a strong internal fit alongside Devin Williams is now gone to the Blue Jays. 

“Free-agent reliever Tyler Rogers in agreement with the Blue Jays on three-year, $37M contract,” SleeperMets quoted insider Ken Rosenthal.

Including the vesting option, the deal can reach $48 million, a commitment Toronto was able to absorb comfortably, given where it already stood financially. The Blue Jays entered 2026 with a projected payroll of $275 million, third-highest in MLB, and Rogers now slides into a bullpen that was already shaping up as a strength rather than a need.

For the unversed, Rogers was excellent during his short stint with the Mets after arriving from the Giants at the July 30 trade deadline. Over 27.1 innings in 28 appearances, he posted a 2.30 ERA. But now that he is also gone, the Mets would be back again to their drawing board to target the next name on the list.

The impact of Toronto’s move extends beyond the Mets and hits the Yankees as well. This is the second time this offseason the Blue Jays have beaten New York teams to the punch, first by committing seven years and $210 million to Dylan Cease, and now by landing a reliever the Mets had targeted. With the Yankees operating under a firm payroll ceiling, matching Toronto’s willingness to spend aggressively has become increasingly difficult.

Wait, because the Jays are not yet over with their dominance!

Coming off their most successful season in more than three decades, one that ended just a win short of a third World Series appearance, Toronto entered the winter with pressure to prove that run was not a peak, but a platform. According to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez, executives and agents around the league believe the Blue Jays are the only team currently prepared to meet Kyle Tucker’s $400 million asking price, a figure that has cooled interest elsewhere. Tucker’s visit to Toronto’s spring training complex ahead of the Winter Meetings only strengthened the sense of mutual interest, even as the Mets hesitate at that level and the Yankees remain constrained by payroll limits.

From a baseball standpoint, the appeal is obvious. Tucker would add left-handed power and on-base stability to a lineup that already leans aggressive, after he posted 91 runs, 22 home runs, and an .841 OPS across 136 games last season. The complication, however, would come in the outfield alignment.

 Toronto already has long-term money tied up in George Springer and Anthony Santander, with defensive specialists like Daulton Varsho and Myles Straw also in the mix. Adding Tucker would likely force difficult choices, potentially sacrificing defensive balance for offensive upside. 

But that tension goes beyond a larger point: for perhaps the first time in years, the Blue Jays appear willing to create problems that only contenders have, spending aggressively now, whether on Tucker or by recommitting to Bo Bichette, in pursuit of a clear goal of getting back to the World Series in 2026.

The Mets are again back to basics

Just a day ago, we shared the probable targets for the Mets after losing Díaz to the Dodgers. Rogers was on the list. So now, the next name is Pete Fairbanks.

Well, Fairbanks is widely viewed as the top remaining high-leverage reliever on the market. He’s coming off a strong season with Tampa Bay, posting a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 59 SOs, and 27 saves over 60.1 innings. Over his career, the right-hander owns a 3.19 ERA and 90 saves in 275 appearances, all with the Rays across seven big-league seasons.

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So, despite losing the big names, the Mets still could go with Fairbanks to place him alongside Devin Williams.

The Mets still have plenty of work to do in shaping their bullpen, and Fairbanks would immediately check a major box by bringing some much-needed stability to the back end. That said, it’s no surprise he’s drawing serious interest from other teams.

So, if the Mets don’t want a repeat of how things slipped away with Díaz and Suárez, they may need to move quickly. Wait too long, and Fairbanks could be off the board and out of New York’s reach.