Blue Jays' return for J.A. Happ is thoroughly uninspiring

Before launching into a criticism of the Blue Jays’ trade for J.A. Happ – which this most certainly will be – it’s important to note two things:

1. Rentals don’t go for what they used to

Teams are getting wiser when it comes to hoarding prospects and controllable players. Front offices are less reckless than they once were in most senses, and we’re seeing that at the trade deadline.

It only takes one team – presumably run by Dave Dombrowski – to sell the farm in a high-stakes ring chase, but that’s just not the way the wind is blowing right now. That’s especially true when it comes to rentals who aren’t exactly stars.

2. It’s hard to criticize one course of action when we don’t know the potential alternatives

No one knows precisely what the Blue Jays could have gotten for Happ that wasn’t Brandon Drury and Billy McKinney, so it seems a bit harsh to tear them to shreds for the deal. Really to criticize the deal is to bemoan the opportunity cost of not going in another direction, but to be fair we don’t know what that other direction would look like.

Now that we get the obligatory evenhandedness out of the way, it bears pointing out that this is not an exciting return either in terms of its content or the rationale behind it.

Let’s start with what the Blue Jays are actually getting:

What does Brandon Drury provide?

The first word that comes to mind is versatility. That’s not a bad thing by any means, but it’s not typically the primary selling point for the best players in the sport. It’s true that Drury can play first base, second base, third base, left field and right field. It’s also true that his career Wins Above Replacement in 307 major-league games is 0.8 – approximately what the far-from-dazzling Aledmys Diaz has offered the Blue Jays this season alone.

Drury has a pinch of power, respectable bat-to-ball skills and a batted ball-profile that lends itself to pretty solid averages. He also has a subpar walk rate, no speed to speak of and a career .267/.316/.439 line that isn’t as good as it looks because he’s always played in hitters’ parks.

Less than a month from his 26th birthday, he’s essentially a finished product, and as a former 13th-round pick who was never a top-rated prospect, he’s unlikely to have some latent talent the world has yet to see. What the Blue Jays have on their hands is a big-league calibre player capable of filling a number of gaps for them under control through arbitration through 2021. There’s value in that, although the fact Drury played 269 games with the Arizona Diamondbacks between 2016-2017 and more basic stats like home runs, batting average and RBI paint him in a fairly flattering light could inflate his price tag a couple of years down the line.

Even so, Drury is far from useless. He’s also far from impactful.

What about Billy McKinney?

McKinney is a former first-round pick of the Oakland Athletics who’s currently plying his trade in Triple-A. Although MLB Pipeline ranks him as the Yankees’ 20th-best prospect there a couple of red flags here.

The first is his age. McKinney is about to turn 24, which means his growth potential is probably limited. The second is his position, he’s an outfielder who players in the corner and is said to profile best as a left fielder. That puts a lot of pressure on his bat. Speaking of, he’s currently slashing .230/.294/.502 in his second go through Triple-A. That’s far from horrendous, but it would be hard to call it encouraging either.

Bat-first prospects at non-premium positions are tough to get excited about. When a player with that profile is rocking an OBP under .300 in their second time at a level that’s worrisome.

What does the acquisition of this pair say about the Blue Jays philosophy?

It seems clear the Blue Jays are looking for young players who can help their team sooner than later. The ages of the players they’ve acquired thus far from the Steve Pearce deal to the Happ trade are as follows: 25 (Drury), 23 (McKinney), 23 (Santiago Espinal), 22 (Forrest Wall), 22 (Chad Spanberger).

They aren’t taking on any 19-year-old fireballers trying to find the strike zone or raw athletes playing short-season ball who haven’t found their best position yet. These are players the Blue Jays are hoping can find their way to the top no later than 2020. Some, like Drury, and McKinney if Curtis Granderson goes, could step into roles right away.

That sounds good on paper, but there is a significant premium to be paid for guys closer to the majors. In the Happ deal in particular, the Blue Jays took on far more utility than upside. Drury can help now, McKinney could theoretically help soon. Neither player has much chance of being difference maker.

When you make the decision to prioritize timely contribution over ceiling it’s an indication that you intend to compete in the immediate future. It’s a little hard to see how that happens for the Blue Jays, considering the strength of the Yankees and Red Sox and just how far this team has to go. Vladmir Guerrero Jr. may be special, and Bo Bichette might be right behind, but it’s hard to see a 2019 contender. Even 2020 feels a bit iffy unless a disproportionate percentage of the team’s prospect hit and stick.

Trading Happ was never going to get the Blue Jays the blue-chip prospect fans might have hoped for, but they definitely could have gone in a higher-risk higher-reward direction. When you’re in a division with a couple of cash- and talent-rich titans, ceiling should always be top of mind.

Instead, the Blue Jays seem fixated on the floor.

More Blue Jays coverage from Yahoo Canada Sports: