Blue Jays should call the Angels about Hector Santiago before August 1st

He may not be the sexiest name on the market, but Hector Santiago could provide a boost to the Blue Jays rotation depending on how they chose to deploy any new additions

We’re another day closer to Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, and the Blue Jays have already been one of the busier clubs. On Tuesday morning, Melvin Upton Jr. was officially announced as the newest Blue Jay, only to have that title taken away less than 24 hours later with the addition of Joaquin Benoit.

While both players are nice additions to help during the playoff run, there is little doubt that Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro will continue to search for upgrades before August 1st. With the Blue Jays currently sitting in second place in the AL East at 57-45, and in the first wild card spot, they are definitely in a buying mode this year and would still like to beef up their pitching staff.

The undecided Aaron Sanchez situation certainly complicates things, but it’s likely that the net is cast wide in their search for pitching help. Starting arms are likely the priority, as we’ve already watched the front office add Benoit and Jason Grilli earlier to strengthen the bullpen. The biggest problem on the starting market has been not just the lack of options, but the lack of quality options on teams willing to sell. The Los Angeles Angels may be one of the few teams with one of those options.

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He may not be the sexiest name on the market, but Hector Santiago could provide a boost to the Blue Jays rotation depending on how they chose to deploy any new additions. A move like this would likely be keyed off of a final decision to move Aaron Sanchez to the bullpen. Otherwise, the Blue Jays really don’t need to add starting pitching, other than perhaps depth options.

However, if the Blue Jays move Sanchez to the bullpen it would become almost imperative for the club to add to the rotation before the deadline. They do have Drew Hutchison waiting to step in when needed, but he provides their only real depth behind the current starting five. All that said, I believe they’re planning to move Sanchez, whether you or I like it or not. If and when that takes place, any starter capable of contributing quality starts becomes of more value to Toronto.

Santiago could provide exactly that and has a great deal of upside, depending on which part of his season and/or track record you look at. On the season he sits at 9-4 with a 4.28 ERA over 115.2 innings and 21 starts. The 2015 All-Star began the season with a bang, struggled for awhile, and then has pitched better of late again. The 28 year old left-hander also has a WHIP of 1.305, 101 K’s against 51 walks, and is owed the balance of his 5 million dollar salary this season before entering arbitration for the final time.

The Angels are in the precarious position of having one of the best players in the game in Mike Trout, but a flawed roster beyond him. They do have a few good pieces, but not a lot of building blocks for the short term, or the long term. Thus, they likely could be convinced to part with Santiago, ideally for a major-league ready package.

I’m not going to speculate on what the Blue Jays might offer, but Santiago could be the kind of mid-rotation arm they are after to fill the eventual void left by Sanchez, or heaven forbid, an injury. He provides an extra year of control, a career record of .500 with a 3.68 ERA, and a relatively healthy history in the majors.

Next: What the Blue Jays are getting in Joaquin Benoit

As always, any move comes down to the asking price, but Santiago is likely available as the Angels have fallen out of the race. The lack of options on the starting market gives Santiago increased value, but he shouldn’t be in a range that is out of reach for the Blue Jays.

The new front office has been creative in bringing in pieces so far, and here’s hoping there’s at least one more quality move left.

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