Toronto Blue Jays Reportedly Targeting Two Positions at Looming Trade Deadline

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Jays are scouring the market for starting rotation and catching help.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (45) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park on June 30.
Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Andrew Heaney (45) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park on June 30. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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The Toronto Blue Jays are scorching-hot right now and moved into first place in the American League East earlier this week by sweeping the New York Yankees in four games.

And according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Jays plan to try to go all-in at the trade deadline in an effort to win the organization's first World Series title since 1993.

Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins also boldly stated that the Blue Jays will be ultra-aggressive at the trade deadline, seeking a starter and a catcher.

It's unclear at this point who will be available on the trade market but starting pitchers Zac Gallen (D-backs), Merrill Kelly (D-backs), Mitch Keller (Pirates), Andrew Heaney (Pirates), Charlie Morton (Orioles), Tomoyuki Sugano (Orioles), and Seth Lugo (Royals) could all be options.

On the catching front, Alejandro Kirk just finished second in the American League All-Star voting, so it's presumed that the Jays will be looking for a backup only.

Toronto enters play on Sunday at 51-38 overall, and they'll finish out a series with the Los Angeles Angels on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Centre.

First pitch is set for 1:37 p.m. ET as soft-tossing Tyler Anderson pitches for the Angels against Kevin Gausman.

Anderson is always a tough assignment given the way he mixes speeds, but he's just 2-5 this season with a 4.12 ERA.

Gausman is 6-6 with a 4.18 ERA, but he features good velocity and an incredible splitter still.

The Halos are 43-45 and on the outside-looking-in of the American League playoff picture.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.