Four pitchers the Blue Jays should target in trade talks

Apr 28, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays manager John Gibbons (5) takes the ball from starting pitcher Drew Hutchison (36) during the fifth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

We’re about 5 weeks into the 2015 MLB season, and the Toronto Blue Jays are already standing at the precipice. At 13-15, the Blue Jays have flirted with inconsistency since day one, and it really isn’t hard to see where the fault lies in the equation.

While the offense is doing what it was meant to do, averaging more than 5.3 runs per game to pace Major League Baseball, the pitching staff has fallen well short of expectations. Granted, the freak injury to Marcus Stroman didn’t help matters any, but no one could have envisioned the level of ineptitude that has been present through the season’s first month-plus.

Entering their weekend series with the Boston Red Sox, the Blue Jays currently rank 27th in starters’ ERA (5.40), 30th in FIP (5.32), and 30th in WAR (-0.1). Meanwhile, things have only been marginally better from the relief corps, with the  Toronto ranked 19th in ERA (3.91), 17th in FIP (3.99), and 21st in WAR (0.2). Those are not good numbers, by any or all stretches of the imagination.

Of course, the question remains; how do the Blue Jays correct these issues?

Thankfully, Major League Baseball has an easy way to address almost any need. Of course, trading to fill a hole is certainly a means to an end. However, that requires Alex Anthopoulos being willing to pull the trigger on a deal, or at the very least getting permission from Rogers to spend the money. Now, Alex has said that the trading likely won’t happen until after the June draft, when teams have a better idea of where they stand, but that doesn’t stop us from speculating a bit earlier.

That said, let’s suspend belief for a moment and pretend that the Blue Jays could feasibly make a deal for a pitcher. Which pitcher or pitchers would make the most sense to pursue for the Blue Jays?

Next: Cole Hamels - Philadelphia Phillies