Blue Jays trade rumors: Mark Lowe traded to Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have reportedly traded for veteran relief pitcher Mark Lowe from the Seattle Mariners. The 32 year old right hander is enjoying a career year through 36.0 innings with a 1.00 ERA while striking out 11.8 batters per nine innings. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was first to break the newest Blue Jays rumor.

hearing jays are moving closer to getting veteran reliever mark lowe. would be nice move for them.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2015

Originally a fifth round pick of the Mariners in 2004, Lowe has appeared with the Angels, Indians and Rangers over the past several seasons. While his 2015 numbers come in well below his career average of a 3.80 ERA and 1.434 WHIP, the Blue Jays would be catching him at the right time for the home stretch. According to FanGraphs, Lowe has produced a WAR of 1.0 so far this season. His fastball touches 96 MPH with a great slider.

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This creates a potentially interesting situation in the Toronto bullpen, with Ryan Tepera likely to be the first option demoted. The clear untouchables are Roberto Osuna, Aaron Sanchez, LaTroy Hawkins, Bo Schultz (maybe?) and Liam Hendriks, in my opinion. This leaves Brett Cecil and Aaron Loup, but Cecil has been on a monumental tear since late July, saving his season along the way. Is the clock about to strike midnight for Loup? It’s a fascinating logjam to watch.

In Lowe, the Blue Jays hope to capture lightning in a bottle at the right time. There are relief pitchers like LaTroy Hawkins who enjoy success of varying levels over many consecutive seasons. Lowe presents the other kind of relief arm, and it’s one that I’ll compare to Steve Delabar.

Delabar’s 2013 season came out of nowhere, like quality relief seasons often do. The league was not expecting Delabar as he pitched his way to an All Star game, and he has since disappeared to AAA Buffalo after having a fringe impact on the MLB club. That’s similar to what we can expect from Lowe, but at this very moment, he is performing at a truly elite level. And for Toronto, all that matters is at this very moment.

Update: 1:22 ET

Source: Mariners trade Mark Lowe to Blue Jays. @JonHeymanCBS said close.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 31, 2015

Chris Cotillo of SB Nation reports that the trade has been completed. We’ll keep you updated as reports of the return package trickle out.

Update: 1:46 ET

nick wells is one of three minor leaguers to go from toronto to seattle in mark lowe trade
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2015

MLB.com ranks wells as Toronto’s 23rd-best prospect. He was selected in the third round of 2014 and, like many that left before him, is a lefty.

jake brentz another minor leaguer going from toronto to seattle in mark lowe trade
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 31, 2015

Brentz, also a lefty, was an 11th round pick of the Blue Jays in 2013. He is not currently ranked in the organization’s top-30 prospects.

Shortly after, the Blue Jays announced that AAA Buffalo Bisons reliever Rob Rasmussen will be the third and final piece traded. Though no longer a prospect, Rasmussen has enjoyed a nice year in Buffalo. Believe it or not, he’s a lefty.

Next: Blue Jays send Devon Travis to 15-day DL

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