MLB Free Agents 2012: 4 Relievers the Toronto Blue Jays Should Attempt To Sign

MLB Free Agency 2012 has been rather tumultuous for the Toronto Blue Jays. With expectations high in Toronto surrounding both the potential signings of Prince Fielder and coveted Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish, Blue Jays fans had much to be excited about.

Not all hope is lost, however. One of the Jays' primary concerns this offseason was to address the bullpen, especially the closer's role.

This still can be done.

Despite rumors surrounding many of the following players, and with upwards of $120 million saved on losing out on Darvish, the Blue Jays likely can push their way into contention for some top-of-the-line bullpen help.

Here are four relievers that could help the Jays in the bullpen moving forward.

4. Chad Qualls

Relief pitcher Chad Qualls would be one of the perfect targets for the Toronto Blue Jays this offseason.

Right now, most of the attention is being given to Francisco Cordero and Ryan Madson (with good reason) when it comes to relievers.

Overlooking a guy like Qualls, though, isn't in the best interest of any team looking to bolster their bullpen this offseason.

The latest rumors indicate that there are two teams interested in Qualls' services (as of December 2nd).

Blue Jays fans should hope their team is one of them.

With the exception of a horrid 2010 season, Qualls' highest ERA in any given season has been 3.76 (with most seasons coming in well below this).

And even though his K/9 IP mark has declined the last few years, his career mark still sits at 7.1 per nine innings pitched, which is nothing to brush aside.

Qualls will, however, need to improve on his WHIP (1.27 last season) and H/9 IP (he surrendered 8.8 every nine innings, or nearly one hit per inning).

All in all, if the Jays could scoop up Qualls before he gets into serious negotiations with any other team, it would be a step in the right direction to solidify the bullpen.

3. Dan Wheeler

Another solid addition the Blue Jays could make this offseason to help fill their bullpen needs would be to sign Dan Wheeler.

Nothing of late has surfaced in terms of rumors when it comes to Wheeler, meaning the Jays may still be able to sign the right-handed reliever.

Something to remember regarding Wheeler is that he will cost a second-round pick, since he is a Type B free agent, after declining the Boston Red Sox's arbitration offer.

Some people may not think it would be wise to sign Wheeler, but one needs simply to look at his recent numbers, which have been impressive.

From 2008-2010, Wheeler posted 3.12, 3.28 and 3.35 ERAs respectively. People may point to his 4.38 ERA last year to argue that he is not worth signing—however those who remember his play with the Red Sox also will remember that he started out terribly.

In fact, in the second half of 2011 he managed to post an ERA of just 3.43. His WHIP also decreased from 1.17 in the first half of the season to just 1.05 in the second half. That number lines up much better with his past WHIPs of 1.08, 0.87 and 1.00.

He also has been consistent with his strikeouts, posting a K/9 IP of 7.0 or higher in each of his last seven seasons.

Statistically, Wheeler has shown he is one of the top free-agent relievers on the market this offseason, despite his poor start to the 2011 campaign. The Blue Jays would be wise to pursue him before spring training arrives.

2. Brad Lidge

This may be one of the tougher pitchers for Toronto to pursue. Rumors of late say he's likely to end up in Colorado and also has been in talks at some point with the Red Sox and Mets so far in the offseason.

Signing Lidge could be a great signing if Toronto could pull it off, because Lidge also has expressed that he doesn't necessarily have to be the closer wherever he lands.

This would allow the Jays to fill the eighth inning with Lidge and still go after another closer (perhaps even use Lidge to persuade another free-agent reliever to come to Toronto).

Lidge is also a rather outstanding pitcher in his own right.

Other than hitting a rough patch in 2009 with Philadelphia (seems like the first three pitchers in this article have all had their one rough season), Lidge has been a consistent top-tier bullpen arm.

Keeping his ERA below 3.50 seems to come naturally to the right-hander and in three of the past four seasons, he's managed to keep it below 3.00. He's also a strikeout machine, striking out over 10 batters per nine innings pitched every year of his career with the exception of 2009.

This stat helps considering he does have a rather high WHIP (over 1.2 each of the last seven seasons).

Something else to remember is that the Phillies did not offer arbitration to the 35-year-old closer, meaning whoever signs him would not have to give up a second-round draft pick as compensation to Philadelphia (since Lidge is a Type B free agent).

Getting Lidge signed for a few years, and still being able to go after another closer, could drastically help the Blue Jays bolster their bullpen and take care of an offseason priority. This would also be key in helping the Jays make a run for the postseason now that more teams will compete in the playoffs.

1. Ryan Madson

Ryan Madson is probably the best option out there for the Toronto Blue Jays when it comes to improving their bullpen for the future.

Madson is still a fairly young age for a relief pitcher at 31, and can fill the closer role in Toronto. And though the Red Sox seem to be pursuing the right-handed closer, the Jays and Angels are rumored to be the teams standing in their way.

Madson also has put up some very impressive numbers over his career. In fact, since the 2007 season, Madson has only seen his ERA balloon over 3.05 once (a 3.26 ERA in 2009—still not too shabby). He's also been a strikeout machine over the past three seasons, striking out an average of over nine hitters per nine innings.

When it comes to walks, he's only given up 51 over the last three years in 191.0 innings pitched—and 14 of those were intentional walk! This means he's only given up 37 walks he didn't intend to in 191.0 IP over three years!

What makes this even more impressive? During the same span, he's managed to strike out 204 batters. That gives him a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4:1. If you discount the walks he gave away intentionally, that number improves to 5.5:1.

Madson was also a reliable closer last season in Philadelphia, converting 32 of his 34 save chances. He certainly would be that closer the Blue Jays have been looking to acquire this offseason to bolster the bullpen.

A potential signing of Brad Lidge to be the eighth-inning man could help as well, showing Madson that the Jays are committed to building their bullpen. The fact that Lidge was Madson's teammate in Philly surely wouldn't hurt either.

Recap

With MLB free agents being scooped up quickly for the 2012 season, it would be in the Toronto Blue Jays' best interest to attempt to pick up one of these relievers sooner rather than later.

All of these pitchers surely would help with the Jays' bullpen situation, while some of them could also fill the closer's role the Blue Jays currently have vacant.

All four of these players are still available. While pitchers like Francisco Cordero and Kerry Wood are also free agents, they've limited the teams they're willing to go to, and the Jays did not make the cut.

Getting into contention for a few of these pitchers, and signing even one could go a long way to potentially pushing the Jays into playoff contention either this season or two to three years down the road.

As always, feel free to agree, disagree, or even post in the comments section who you believe the Jays should go after to provide some bullpen assistance.