TORONTO — If the trade deadline goes according to plan for the Toronto Blue Jays, their roster will look a little different by 4 p.m. ET Monday afternoon.
Run prevention will be the focus for GM Ross Atkins, but that still leaves lots of flexibility for a Blue Jays front office that finds itself buying mid-season for the first time since 2016. Already, the Blue Jays have been linked to pitchers, catchers, shortstops and outfielders, and the right player at any of those positions could help the 18-14 Blue Jays keep runs off the board down the stretch and into the playoffs.
“I know our front office is talking to everybody,” manager Charlie Montoyo said. “That’s all I know.”
One way or another, the Blue Jays would prefer to add more than Taijuan Walker and Daniel Vogelbach, the two players they acquired from Seattle in separate trades last week. As such, Atkins expects the Blue Jays to be “extremely active” ahead of the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
“The calls are non-stop,” he said recently.
While the Blue Jays make their final push for reinforcements, here are some key variables that will inform the team’s decision making Monday…
Blue Jays Newsletter
REINFORCEMENTS COMING
There are some great trade deadline traditions — mystery teams, late scratches and mid-game dugout hugs to name a few. There’s also the enduring tradition of the GM who points to players coming back from injury and says, ‘They’re our biggest additions of all.’ Most of the time, that particular line of reasoning falls flat, but in the Blue Jays’ case there’s no denying the importance of their returning players.
Closer Ken Giles has started throwing bullpen sessions again, and will start facing live hitters soon. Starters Nate Pearson and Matt Shoemaker are throwing off flat ground again with plans to progress to mounds before long. And shortstop Bo Bichette is now fielding grounders and running again after injuring his knee.
Each of those players has the potential to be a major contributor for the Blue Jays if all goes well. Yet at this point, can any be considered sure things? Only the Blue Jays know exactly how close that group is to returning, and that’s probably by design. After all, the readiness of that group will inform the urgency with which the front office pursues upgrades ahead of the deadline.
LET’S LOOK LONG-TERM
If we zoom out a little, then this deadline isn’t only a chance to add players for the 2020 stretch run, it’s also a chance to add long-term contributors. Ideally, the Blue Jays would acquire controllable players who can join this team’s core, not just rental players like Walker.
With that in mind, it makes sense to look at the Blue Jays’ medium-term needs for hints at what they’ll prioritize Monday. After this season, five players are free agents (six if the Blue Jays decline Chase Anderson’s option):
• Joe Panik
• Matt Shoemaker
• Anthony Bass
• Ken Giles
• Taijuan Walker
Four of those five players are pitchers, which further highlights the need for controllable arms. Whether the Blue Jays pursue it now or over the winter, they’re going to need more pitching. And if they add now, they can improve their chances for the upcoming pennant race.
WHAT WOULD AN OUTSIDE-THE-BOX DEAL LOOK LIKE?
There are paint-by-numbers deals and then there are more complicated trades. Here are a few ways the Blue Jays could make some outside-the-box moves:
• Trade a big-league catcher: In talks about the likes of Lance Lynn and Mike Minor, the Rangers are believed to have asked about the Blue Jays’ young big-league catching, according to a source. While trading Danny Jansen or Reese McGuire could be disruptive to the pitching staff, catching depth is a strength of the organization, so it’s a possibility the front office could consider.
• Explore three-team trades: If the Blue Jays are having trouble lining up with one trade partner, they could make things really interesting. Cleveland has a history of three-way trades, the Padres are in the middle of everything this year, and the Mariners are always up for a deal.
• Acquire prospects: Just because the Blue Jays have a strong farm system doesn’t mean it couldn’t be better. In 2016, the Blue Jays made a trade that landed them present help (Francisco Liriano) and future help (Reese McGuire) at once. If a similar opportunity emerges, the Blue Jays will be interested.
WHO COULD THE BLUE JAYS GIVE UP?
The last time the Blue Jays were summer buyers, their farm system ranked 24th in MLB, according to Baseball America. Four years later, they’ve had the chance to build for the future and now their prospect depth ranks fourth. That means nothing is off-limits in talks with other teams.
“It’s game changing for us,” Atkins said. “We can be in on every player.”
But as the Blue Jays acquire more talent and their 40-man roster gets stronger, holding onto players becomes more challenging. The Blue Jays are just a few months away from having to protect Rule 5-eligible players, a list that includes some promising players:
• Gabriel Moreno, C
• Otto Lopez, SS
• Kevin Smith, IF
• Riley Adams, C
• Josh Winckowski, RHP
• Logan Warmoth, IF
• Cullen Large, IF
• Zach Logue, LHP
• Justin Dillon, RHP
• Ty Tice, LHP
There won’t be room for all of those players on the 40-man, but at a time that rosters include 26 spots and many teams are looking to cut payroll, there’s reason to believe this year’s Rule 5 Draft will be busy. Instead of losing players for nothing this winter, the Blue Jays could theoretically trade Rule 5 eligible players now.
