Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Report: Blue Jays Among Teams Interested in Richard Rodriguez
The market for relievers is reported heating up heading into July.
The Toronto Blue Jays haven't been shy about bullpen needs and are reportedly among the teams interested in Pittsburgh Pirates' closer Richard Rodriguez, according to Jon Hayman.
Rodriguez has been lights out this season with a 1.78 ERA over 30.1 innings pitched. While his fastball velocity is just average, he has a knack for limiting hard contact and ranks in the top 8% of the league in Barrel Rate, per Statcast.
The Blue Jays have already made a pair of moves to improve the bullpen this month. First, they acquired Jacob Barnes from the New York Mets on July 19, then on Tuesday, Toronto brought in Adam Cimber, a right-hander from the Miami Marlins, along with outfielder Corey Dickerson for infielder Joe Panik.
Toronto's bullpen has an ERA of 3.81 this season, the 10th-worst in the Majors.
General manager Ross Atkins has repeatedly mentioned his desire to stabilize the team's bullpen and help a very talented Blue Jays offense make a run this season.
The MLB trade dead will be on July 30, 2021.
Further Reading:
Blue Jays Lead Betting Odds to Land José Berrios
