Blue Jays rumours: Boone Logan and left-handed relief targets

The Toronto Blue Jays have held discussions with the Colorado Rockies regarding left-handed relief pitcher Boone Logan, according to a report late Thursday from Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Morosi adds that the Blue Jays have had a “high volume” of talks with teams on lefty bullpen arms.

#BlueJays have discussed Boone Logan with #Rockies, sources say. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 28, 2016

#BlueJays have had high volume of talks on LH relievers. Brett Cecil, Toronto's primary lefty in pen this year, is 0-6 with 6.00 ERA.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 28, 2016

Logan, the former New York Yankees reliever, is peaking his value at the right time after two difficult seasons with the Rockies. Now in the final season of a three-year, $16.5 million deal, Logan has pitched to a 2.48 ERA over 29.0 innings. He’s also struck out 10.6 batters per nine innings, his fifth consecutive season with a double-digit rate.

Being used primarily against left-handed hitters (72 LH batters faced as opposed to 38 RH), Logan’s immediate appeal on the trade market are his strong splits. He’s held left-handed hitters to a .147 batting average and .418 OPS this season while still finding great success against the righties.

This has already been Logan’s most valuable season according to advanced metrics as he owns a 1.83 FIP and 1.0 WAR. Along with forcing ground balls at a rate slightly better than his career average (53.8%), Logan has yet to allow a home run and has limited hard contact.

An injury to Brett Cecil earlier in the season following a slow start has left the typically-dominant left-hander well behind the game. Aaron Loup, Pat Venditte, and Chad Girodo have cycled through the role of Cecil’s southpaw companion, which is currently occupied by Franklin Morales.

Signed just prior to opening day by the Blue Jays, Morales has pitched just 3.2 innings at the Major League level after missing a significant chunk of time with shoulder fatigue and his following rehabilitation stint.

If performing to the fullest extent of their abilities, Cecil and Morales are a playoff-calibre duo in the Blue Jays bullpen. For Toronto, this comes down to how much they value the likelihood that happens. Recent moves including Justin Smoak, Melvin Upton Jr., and Joaquin Benoit suggest that the front office values certainty over possibility at this point in the season.

Next: Thoughts on the Bautista, Blue Jays, and Nationals rumour

Twitter: @KeeganMatheson
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