Trade deadline targets for the Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have underperformed through the first half of the MLB season but the talented roster doesn't have many holes. Toronto is unlikely to make a big splash before the trade deadline but a right-handed bat and a bullpen addition are the biggest priorities.

Video Transcript

- With the MLB All-Star Game in the books, we are officially in the second half of the season. And what that means is that it's time for some trade deadline speculation. While the Toronto Blue Jays have been a disappointing team to a lot of fans, they are still a win now outfit, which means there might be players incoming on August 1 or the days running up to it. And if we do a little run around the diamond, it's easy to figure out where they might be looking.

You're not going to get an upgrade at first base over Vladdy. [INAUDIBLE] but Matt Chapman is someone you're not going to upgrade over. And if you go through the outfield, that group of Springer, Kiermaier, and Varsho, you're probably not having guys coming in, even if Varsho has been a little bit of a disappointment this season.

In the rotation, you've got potentially as many as six guys if Ryu comes back, and the bullpen has been pretty good, too. So you're not looking at a team with tons and tons of holes, but there are definitely some places that can be targeted in the run-up to August 1.

On the pitching staff side, this is probably going to be about relievers. When it comes to starters, the team has five guys with Manoah returning. And then, with Hyun Jin Ryu coming back from Tommy John surgery, there are as many as six options. You always need more starting pitching, but in the trade deadline market, you have to outbid other teams, and other teams are going to be more desperate for starters than the Blue Jays.

The bullpen has been pretty good, too-- better than it's been in recent seasons, but you can always use another arm or two. It's easy to fit in another high-leverage guy, and for the Blue Jays, a left-hander might be something they think about with Tim Mayza as the only southpaw in the group. Aaron Bummer of the Chicago White Sox is a guy to watch for. His ERA is very high this year, but all the other indicators, all the peripherals say this guy's doing a great job. He does an excellent job of keeping the ball on the ground, and has for the course of his career. That's a name to watch.

You could also look at adding some just top-end velocity. That's something that every bullpen needs. The Blue Jays have been better in that regard this year, but someone like Justin Lawrence of the Colorado Rockies brings top flight velocity. He's got many years of control, but a little bit less of a track record, so that's something to consider.

Jordan Hicks would be your classic rental. This is a guy who throws a hundred miles an hour. He's been doing it in St. Louis for a long time, and his contract expires after the season. So that guy's going to cost you, but maybe not as much as some of those guys with years and years of control. When the Blue Jays look at their bullpen, it's almost certainly going to be velocity and left-handed help.

When it comes to position players, the Blue Jays may not be looking at finding a new starter on the diamond. At second base, Whit Merrifield was an All-Star, which is a surprising outcome for the Blue Jays, to say the least. That's someone that they could theoretically upgrade on, because you don't expect him to do as well in the second half of the year, but there's not a lot of second basemen out there who would do a better job.

Brandon Drury, an old friend of the Blue Jays, did not play well in his time with Toronto, but his career has taken off since and he's someone to consider for that spot if the Angels fall off towards a trade deadline. But realistically, you're going to be looking at a right-handed bat. The Blue Jays have a lot of left-handers who struggle with left handed pitching. So when the other team brings in that big lefty reliever, they need to have options.

And so, when you're looking at outfielders, probably, who could hit for Kiermaier or Varsho, you're thinking about someone like Lane Thomas, actually another former Blue Jay draftee. He's doing very well at the Washington Nationals. He's been really hitting left-handers. You'd have him for two more years, so that's a consideration. Tommy Pham-- veteran, 35, been around forever, smashes left-handers. On an expiring contract. Probably wouldn't cost as much.

And then, a bit of a different option would be Joe Connor of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is a player who's pre-arb, so he has plenty of years of control, but he's a little bit older for a player like that. He's 30-years-old. It's possible the Pirates might think he doesn't quite fit with their window. He's another guy who destroys left-handed pitching, and that's what they need. They need someone who, whether it's a left-handed starter or left-handed reliever, they have options against, which is something that they lack right now, and that's something they will be thinking about come trade deadline time.