Could Blue Jays Get Into Trade Sweepstakes for Red Sox Star Alex Bregman?
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The Toronto Blue Jays have thrust themselves into the playoff picture in the American League with some strong performances on the field over the last few weeks.
They went 16-12 in May and followed that up with a great June, going 16-10.
Right on the heels of the New York Yankees in the AL East race, only one game behind, the front office is going to pursue upgrades aggressively ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
Right now, their most pressing need is on the mound, where their starting pitching depth has been tested all season.
Chris Bassitt and Jose Berrios have been excellent as the anchors. Kevin Gausman’s performance has been a roller coaster, but he is taking his turn through the rotation each time.
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Beyond those three, it has been a revolving door with Bowden Francis and Max Scherzer both spending time on the injured list.
Along with starting pitching, the Blue Jays look like they could use one more bat to be legitimate contenders.
Could they address that need in a trade with their division rivals, the Boston Red Sox?
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently put together a piece ranking the landing spots for star third baseman Alex Bregman should he be traded.
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Toronto didn’t make the list, but was among the honorable mentions.
“The Ernie Clement/Addison Barger platoon has been a fruitful one for the Blue Jays at third base, but this offense frankly needs another big bat before its World Series pursuit can be taken seriously. But as with the Yankees, it's hard to imagine Boston sending Bregman to an AL East rival,” he wrote.
Their major free agent splash, Anthony Santander, has not panned out. He hasn’t provided the kind of power boost the team was hoping for, leaving them searching for more offense.
Third base isn’t a pressing need with Ernie Clement and Addison Barger emerging in a platoon, but both are versatile players who could help elsewhere.
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Barger has played right field while Clement has started at least six games at every infield position.
While most of their appearances have come at the hot corner, manager John Schneider knows he can deploy them elsewhere, if need be.
Alas, acquiring Bregman does seem like a pipe dream for Toronto.
Being aided in a playoff push by the Red Sox seems unlikely, especially with his value and future being so much in flux.
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