DALLAS -- The Blue Jays¡¯ first step towards building a new bullpen has them turning back to an old friend, Yimi García.

Garcia has agreed to a two-year, $15 million deal, pending a physical, a source told MLB.com on Tuesday, and he should immediately step back into a high-leverage role at the back of Toronto¡¯s bullpen. The club has not yet confirmed the deal.

The 34-year-old right-hander spent parts of three seasons with the Blue Jays from 2022-24, but he was traded to the Mariners for outfielder Jonatan Clase and Jacob Sharp at the Trade Deadline last season. Now, Toronto has all three, with Clase representing one of the most exciting athletes in the organization who could have a shot at playing time early in ¡®25.

At his best, Garcia was dominant for the Blue Jays and carried a 2.70 ERA in 29 appearances through the first half of the 2024 season before hitting the IL with right elbow ulnar neuritis. He¡¯s only getting stronger with age, too, and averaged a career-high 96.5 mph with his fastball last season. With 49 strikeouts in 39 innings, he also comes with a level of swing-and-miss that the Blue Jays need to add more of.

Garcia was beloved by teammates in his time with Toronto, a ¡°gentle giant¡± who morphed into something else entirely on the mound.

¡°He¡¯s very calm, but he¡¯s a tough guy to take out of a game because you¡¯re a little bit afraid of what he may do or say to you,¡± manager John Schneider said early in 2024, with Garcia rolling. ¡°He¡¯s been around enough. Whether it¡¯s the big leagues, winter ball, the postseason, he gets what he¡¯s coming into. He doesn¡¯t budge. Nothing fazes him.¡±

Garcia is just the first of multiple bullpen moves the Blue Jays are expected to make, but he immediately gives the ¡®pen a core piece to build around. Longtime closer Jordan Romano recently signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal with the Phillies, with whom he¡¯ll have a shot to close games after he was non-tendered by the Blue Jays, so the ninth inning is still wide open in Toronto. The club would still like to add an established closer, which would push Garcia into the movable, high-leverage role he¡¯s thrived in and allow Chad Green to be a useful piece for Schneider. Erik Swanson will be part of the solution, too, and many in the organization are optimistic that his late rebound in 2024 will carry into a strong ¡®25.

Later Tuesday, the Blue Jays added another reliever in Nick Sandlin, who can¡¯t be forgotten as the second piece coming over from the Guardians in the Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez deal. Sandlin is fresh off a 3.75 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings last season for the Guardians and should step right into a key role in this bullpen.

These are two steps in the right direction for the Blue Jays, but with multiple holes still remaining, it should just be the beginning of their bullpen overhaul.