Blue Jays Need To Strike for Either Diamondbacks Ace Now That They Are Selling

It's time for the Toronto Blue Jays to go after some Arizona Diamondbacks players.

May 31, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; General Manager of the Toronto Blue Jays Ross Atkins watches batting practice against the Milwaukee Brewers at Rogers Centre | Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images

Trade deadline season got underway on Thursday night when the Seattle Mariners acquired Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a move that actually was a positive for the Toronto Blue Jays.

While seeing a team they might matchup against in the playoffs add a key part to their offense doesn't seem to be a good thing on the surface, it's the fact that the Diamondbacks have started to sell which is the positive for the Blue Jays.

Arizona has two coveted players Toronto should be going after: Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

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Now that the Diamondbacks have already begun what could be a fire sale, it's time for the Blue Jays to strike and land one of those two starting pitchers.

Toronto's rotation ranks 24th in Major League Baseball with a 4.47 ERA. That's the biggest weakness on this roster and it's something that needs to be addressed for the final stretch of the campaign and into the playoffs.

Gallen -- despite his 5.58 ERA -- would likely be the preferred option for the Blue Jays since he has been one of the National League's best pitchers the past few years and could become a top-end arm in a postseason series.

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A change of scenery could do him well, and since he's just a rental, it likely wouldn't cost a ton to land him from a team that is now looking to recuperate whatever they can.

Kelly would be a cheaper option in terms of finances and prospect capital, and his 3.32 ERA is much better than his teammate's is in 2025.

The veteran right-hander would be able to come in and fill that fifth rotation spot to give Toronto a chance to win every fifth day for the remainder of the year. But despite the success he had during the playoffs in 2023 when he posted a 3-1 record and 2.25 ERA across four starts, it doesn't seem like he would start a game over Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt or Max Scherzer if all four are healthy.

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That calls into question if they would be maximizing their return by trading for Kelly.

Regardless, the Blue Jays have to land another starting pitcher. And with Arizona beginning to sell off some of their pieces, it's time for Toronto to strike.

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