In Wednesday’s afternoon contest against the Atlanta Braves, something happened for the first time this season. The Blue Jays sent a starting pitcher into the ninth inning, the only instance it has happened thus far. J.A. Happ, the Blue Jays’ best starting pitcher, went 8 1/3 innings for a 5-4 victory. It would give him his ninth win of the season, delivering eight strikeouts in the victory.
Even with the win over the Braves, the Jays are currently five games below 0.500 at 34-39. They sit 16 games out of first place in the A.L. East, with a very little chance of making the postseason. Asked on where his team sits ahead of the trade deadline, Jays general manager Ross Atkins responded, “Not where we want to be, it’s not what we set out to do. We set out to have a contending team and right now we don’t.”
J.A. Happ and Josh Donaldson Top Targets at Trade Deadline
The Blue Jays must prepare and build their team for the future. This means they are in a position at the trade deadline to sell their assets with expiring contracts.
The most obvious player to ship out is Happ. He is the only pitcher in MLB to record at least eight strikeouts and zero walks in four appearances. In his last seven outings, Happ is undefeated, with a 2.35 ERA during that period. With a 3.56 ERA and a WHIP of 1.03 during the season, it is no surprise that over 10 teams have contacted the Blue Jays organization, interested in acquiring the starting pitcher. The two notable franchises in the running for Happ are the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, who desire depth in their starting rotation, in order to have a successful postseason run.
The other key asset that will likely be on the market is Donaldson. The AL MVP of 2015 has five home runs and 16 RBI and is hitting .234/.333/.423 over the course of this season. But injuries and age prove to be a liability for the third baseman, who has missed chunks of time already this season. He injured his left calf against the Boston Red Sox in May and has not played since.
With the trade deadline fast approaching, there is warranted concern about whether Donaldson’s injury woes will decrease his value and trade stock. But if the former MVP can get healthy and return to his dominant form where he hit over 30 home runs, expect teams needing to add depth for their offense to make a splash for the Bringer of Rain.
Blue Jays Should Consider Trading for Starting Pitching
With the Jays unlikely to pick up the contracts on pitchers Happ, Marco Estrada and Jaime Garcia, it leaves them with only Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez as returning starters for next season. If Atkins wanted to make a big move, he would invest in getting some experienced starting pitchers to fill those holes in the rotation and to support the young core of hitters the team will bring on board next season.
Two options that have been recently floating around are Mets pitchers Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard. deGrom is leading the majors in ERA with 1.51. Opponents are hitting just .202 against him, and he has struck out one-third of the batters he has faced this year. Syndergaard is equally as lethal. He consistently can throw over 100 mph fastball and has a strikeout-to-walk rate of six-to-one. Similar to deGrom, Syndergaard has struck out 28% of the batters he has faced.
deGrom and Syndergaard are not the only starting pitchers available on the market. Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer would be a great bargain as he has one of the best sliders in all of baseball. Detroit Tigers starter Michael Fulmer has a career 3.60 ERA, with an All-Star appearance and a Rookie of the Year award under his belt.
The Blue Jays have options and should be on the lookout for a gold mine deal that can fill the void of starting pitching, that will most certainly be evident after the departure of three of their five starters.
The Wait Won’t be Long for Toronto
Despite the Blue Jays being in a selling position, they have a bright future with a plethora of rising stars in the minor leagues. Before he got injured, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hitting .407/.457/.667 with 11 home runs and 55 RBI. Another top Blue Jays prospect, Bo Bichette, is hitting .281/.351/.435 with five home runs and 34 RBI.
The Buffalo Bisons, the Blue Jays Triple-A club, has been producing stellar starting pitching this season. Ryan Borucki is 6-5 on the year, with a 3.27 ERA, 58 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.17. Chris Rowley is 4-3, with a 3.16 ERA, 41 strikeouts and a WHIP of 1.42.
With a positive outlook in their farm teams, it is clear that the future is bright for the Blue Jays, especially once these prospects mature in the major leagues. While the selling position is where a team does not want to be at the deadline, Atkins is optimistic about the future. “We’re excited about the system that has continued to get better,” Atkins said. “There are a number of guys who’ve made significant strides. There are a number of pieces in place.”
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