Blue Jays Will Reportedly Not Shy Away From Including MLB Players in Trade Proposals
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The Toronto Blue Jays, who are tied for the most wins in baseball with the Milwaukee Brewers at 63, are in a great position with the MLB trade deadline just two days away.
They have shot up the standings in recent weeks, looking more and more like legitimate American League contenders with each passing day.
To remain atop the league, and hold off the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the AL East race, the Blue Jays know they need to add some help on the mound.
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Toronto won’t be shy looking for help in the starting rotation or bullpen, as they need arms in the worst way to improve their outlook and odds of winning the World Series.
The Blue Jays are projected to have a middle-of-the-road rotation the rest of the way, anchored by Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt and Kevin Gausman. Hope remains Max Scherzer can make an impact, but the team needs at least one more starter to help fill the rotation.
In the bullpen, Jeff Hoffman has had his ups and downs, making a late-game option an underlying need.
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However, the emergence of Yariel Rodriguez and Brendon Little have certainly made relief help not as pressing of a need as a starter.
Of course, to acquire talent, something of value has to be surrendered.
While many proposals are built around prospects, Toronto is reportedly willing to go a step further in their quest to acquire pitching.
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As shared by Mitch Bannon of The Athletic (subscription required), no one is off limits, even MLB positional players.
“Amid the Toronto Blue Jays’ search to add pitching ahead of Thursday’s deadline, the team has indicated a willingness to trade big league position players, a league source said,” Bannon reported.
The Blue Jays have veterans Andres Gimenez and Daulton Varsho nearing a return to the lineup. Eventually, Anthony Santander will be back in the mix as well.
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Players such as Joey Loperfido, Will Wagner and Leo Jimenez could be optioned to Triple-A to clear some of the roster log jam or they could be used as pieces to create a trade package around.
Toronto also has Jonatan Clase and Alan Roden, who have garnered Major League experience this year, currently in the minor leagues who could be included in a trade.
With an overflowing amount of outfield depth, it would make some sense to deal from a position of strength to address one of weakness.
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