If there's one clear truth about the Toronto Blue Jays in 2026 it's that anyone associated with them has a significant chance of getting injured. Even those who are just loosely connected with the team are feeling the sting of the injury bug. Pete Fairbanks, the Miami Marlins closer, has been placed on the 15-day Injured List by the NL East squad with nerve irritation. Fairbanks was an offseason target of the Blue Jays who were trying to bulk up their bullpen, as reported by Ken Rosenthal in December.
And after the season started the way it did with Jeff Hoffman struggling in the closers role, it wouldn't be too far outside the box to suggest the Blue Jays would have maintained interest in bringing Fairbanks aboard at this years' trade deadline. But that pursuit may be out the window after this latest update for a number of reasons.
Blue Jays will likely be shopping for pitching again at the 2026 trade deadline
Pete Fairbanks is going on the IL with nerve irritation. #Marlins hope it’s just the 15 days.
— Christina De Nicola (@CDeNicola13) April 29, 2026
The first is that the Marlins were actually off to a good start this season. Going into Wednesday's game (Apr. 29) the Marlins are two games below .500 at 14-16, but thanks to the ineptitude of the rest of the NL East, only the Atlanta Braves (21-9) have a better record than the Fish do. Should they pull themselves back over .500 and maintain that over the course of the summer, they may not be in the market to moving anyone in their bullpen.
Secondly, Fairbanks himself may be out for longer than it seems. Fairbanks left the game on Monday (Apr. 27) against the LA Dodgers dealing with hand numbness. He has a history of nerve issues that has been connected to Raynaud's syndrome, which is a diminished blood flow that leads to numbness in the fingers and usually occurs more in cold weather. However, they were playing in Los Angeles and the team hasn't said if this is related to that condition. He previously missed three weeks with a nerve issue at the beginning of the 2024 season.
That year, he responded well by finishing the year with 45.1 innings pitched with 44 strikeouts and a 3.57 ERA with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Marlins brought Fairbanks into their club on a one-year $13 million deal, in the hopes that he would be a consistent and useful presence out of their bullpen as they looked to replace the injured Ronny Henriquez.
The Blue Jays will no doubt still be on the lookout for pitching upgrades at the deadline. While the bullpen has been fairly solid, outside some major hiccups from Jeff Hoffman who has handed over his closer's role to Louis Varland, the Blue Jays have learned better than anyone else this year that you can never have enough pitching.
The eight year veteran Fairbanks, if fully healthy, would have been a worthwhile player to explore at that time, but if the nerve issues don't go away, the Blue Jays would be better served searching elsewhere.