BALTIMORE — On Tuesday afternoon, Seranthony Dominguez was in the Baltimore bullpen as a member of the Orioles. By Tuesday evening, he was pitching against them as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.
In between games of their double-header, the Blue Jays and Orioles completed a significant intra-divisional trade, and Dominguez made the short walk along the concourse level of Camden Yards from the home side to the visitors’ clubhouse.
The deal addresses a clear area of need for the Blue Jays, giving them a setup reliever with a 97.7 m.p.h. fastball, a 30.9 per cent strikeout rate and a career 1.02 ERA in the post-season. Expect the Blue Jays to use him in a high-leverage role alongside the likes of Yariel Rodriguez and Brendon Little, just as they did Tuesday night.
“He’s been around,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider. “He’s got really, really good stuff. He can miss bats. Great fastball, great splitter. Excited to have him at the back end (of the bullpen) with a few other guys.”
Now, Dominguez does have an Achilles heel, as his walk rate is an exceptionally high 13.7 per cent, but he’s still a meaningful upgrade over Chad Green, who was designated for assignment after allowing his 13th and 14th home runs of the season Tuesday afternoon, tops among all big-league relievers. While parting with Green was difficult on a personal level for Schneider and others, the group understood the decision was about winning.
-
-
Watch Blue Jays vs. Orioles on Sportsnet
The Blue Jays and Orioles finish off their series Wednesday at Camden Yards. Catch the coverage starting at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+.
“We pride ourselves on having a really tight-knit group,” Schneider said. “Even when you’re grinding, even when you’re scuffling a little bit. So, you want to make sure the temperature in the (clubhouse) is at the right spot. And it was. They all get it.”
As Eric Lauer put it: “I had to say bye to a good friend and hi to a new one.”
Of course, even after adding Dominguez, there’s still room for more, with the Blue Jays still described as motivated buyers in the pitching market on the eve of the trade deadline. If all goes well, the Dominguez deal should be the start of Toronto’s deadline shopping with more deals on the horizon.
As of Wednesday morning, the Blue Jays’ options remain open for a couple of reasons. First, the addition of Dominguez leaves everything on the table when it comes to pitching, including more high-leverage relief arms.
Since Paxton Schultz and Mason Fluharty have options left, as many as two big-league relievers could be added to the big-league roster while retaining depth in the minor leagues. Now the Blue Jays can consider leverage relievers, swing-type arms who can also start, or both.
The Cardinals are one team that look like a fit on paper, with Ryan Helsley, Phil Mason and Steven Matz all potentially of interest. Some executives believe Sonny Gray could be available too (and speaking of starting pitching, the rehabbing Shane Bieber looks like an arm worth monitoring for any contender).
The second reason the Blue Jays’ options remain open is the return for Dominguez. Although Juaron Watts-Brown is a well-regarded prospect who was ranked 10th in the Toronto system by MLB Pipeline and 14th by Baseball America, the return leaves the Blue Jays with plenty more prospects to trade, if needed.
By way of comparison, most of last year’s deals for high-velo, swing-and-miss relievers like Dominguez cost two prospects — case in point: Gregory Soto, Yimi García, A.J. Puk, Carlos Estévez and Nate Pearson. So although any team would want Watts-Brown, a 23-year-old with a 3.48 ERA at double-A, a one-prospect return is reasonable and leaves most of Toronto’s farm system intact.
As a result, the Blue Jays have choices now, with the option to make further trades from their farm system, deal players who have already debuted at the MLB level, or some combination of the two. At a certain point, they’ll need to clear 40-man roster space for any incoming additions, so that will factor into their decisions, too.
Although pitching has been and likely remains the Blue Jays’ focus, their recent run of injuries underlines how quickly things can change this time of year. Alejandro Kirk (head), George Springer (head), Ernie Clement (wrist) and Joey Loperfido (thumb) have all been battered on this recent trip, putting a strain on the team’s position player group ahead of Daulton Varsho’s expected return Friday.
On paper, Ramon Laureano could be of interest to the Blue Jays — but while the Orioles are clearly willing to trade in-division and even mid-double-header, executives believe the price on Laureano will be extremely high, given the season he’s having and his 2026 team option. Perhaps Harrison Bader and Willi Castro of the Twins would be easier to acquire, but juggling those opportunities alongside the need for pitching will require finesse.
Either way, Dominguez represents a strong start to the team’s deadline because he’s the type of player who can get results in the post-season when the stakes are highest.
Now, the Blue Jays aim to continue adding pitching with position players on the radar, too. Finding that help will require further sacrifices from the farm system, but that’s simply the price of doing business for those intent on making sure their rosters are truly ready for the tests to come.
