Blue Jays Trade Poll: Who Are You Willing to Part With?

Mar 1, 2015; Dunedin, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos watches during spring training workouts at

Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Toronto Blue Jays need help. They entered the 2015 season with high hopes of contending in the American League East. They have an offense that has been constructed to score runs. And, even with injuries and under performing, they lead MLB in runs scored. The rotation, though has been the reason they are middling their way through the season thus far. Previously, I highlighted the rotation as the reason the offensive prowess doesn’t matter. Scoring all the runs in the world doesn’t make a lick of difference if your rotation is allowing similar totals.

So, the Blue Jays will need to make a move if they are going to live up to the hype of a “win now” season. They can’t sit back and wait for health to return like they can with the offense. As our Jays’ Nest podcast co-host, Keegan Matheson, pointed out in our most recent episode, the offense will improve just by having the likes of Jose Bautista, Jose Reyes and Michael Saunders returning healthy. The same cannot be said for the rotation.

That is why the news of the Blue Jays scouting Johnny Cueto becomes so important. They need a guy like that. Whether it is Cole Hamels from the Phillies, Matt Garza from the Brewers, Scott Kazmir from the Athletics (as highlighted by Kyle Franzoni recently), or any other impact starter, the Blue Jays will have to pay dearly to upgrade their rotation. And, what’s worse is that they are not in a position of leverage to negotiate a steal from any of these other clubs. The Blue Jays need what they have. So, they’ll have to pay up.

The question is: What are the Blue Jays going to have to part with to land one of these (or any other) arms? So, I thought I’d put it to our readers. Pretend you are GM, Alex Anthopoulos and have to make the right call to pull off a deal. On the one hand, you have to think about the current commitment to winning. On the other, you have to think about winning in the future and can’t really deplete the farm system for a rental player that will likely test free agency soon after acquiring him.

So, here we go. I’ll present some options and you’ll have your chance to vote for the pieces (players) you’re comfortable parting with to land a starting pitcher.

Next: Which Position Players Would You Give Up In a Trade?

Position Players

The Blue Jays’ system is not as flush with position players as they are with pitching. So, any deal that involves a position player is going to include a prospect that is already at a high level or has a very high ceiling. If you give up either of these types of players, you are potentially hurting the future of the ball club. Does that scare you off? Or, do you choose one or more of the guys below to pull of a blockbuster deal that might bring you a division title?

Dalton Pompey- He might be the highest valued position player the Blue Jays have to leverage in trade talks. He started the year as the Opening Day CF for the big league club. He’s since been demoted to AAA to work on developing a consistent approach, which will hopefully build his confidence. Since his demotion, he’s increased his K% and decreased his BB%. Obviously, a regression is not exactly going to help his value. Teams will point to this to try and lessen his stock. But, Blue Jays fans are smarter than that. We know that Pompey has a high ceiling and is worth quite a bit. If anything, the Blue Jays will have to admit that they rushed him to the big leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays

At the AAA level, there really aren’t any “prospect” types that other clubs would covet. Caleb Gindl et al wouldn’t exactly bring other GMs to the table. So, the Blue Jays will have to reach further down.

Dwight Smith Jr- The 22 year old is coming off a solid year in Dunedin where he impressed. His .284/.363/.453 line included 28 doubles and 12 home runs. He also added 15 stolen bases (he had 25 the year before). This season, he started in AA New Hampshire and is hitting .299/.349/.438. IF he can continue his solid play, he could be looking at a September call up. A prospect that can play 2B and OF and put up numbers like this is rather enticing.

Max Pentecost– The 2014 draft pick may have some value, but had surgery in February to clean up his throwing shoulder. It is the second one he’s had in less than a year. Though, it should be noted that he should begin throwing soon if he hasn’t already.

Rowdy Tellez– He’s performing fairly well in his 2nd go with the Lansing Lugnuts hitting .289/.347/.481. The 20 year old 1B/DH already has 5 HR and 11 doubles. And, did we mention that he’s 20?

Other names to consider might include Roemon Fields, Richard Urena and Lane Thomas. But, if you’re thinking about reaching that deep and packaging these guys, you’ll have to include more of them.  You might be better off choosing from the stockpile of pitching.

Next: Which Pitcher Would You Give Up in a Trade?

Pitching Depth

If any team is going to give up one of their top talents, they’re going to expect to lessen the blow by obtaining an arm that could slot in as quickly as possible. They’ll look for pitching that is at or near “major league ready”. Luckily, the Blue Jays have some of that available. It is not clear just how comfortable they’d be with parting ways with some of that depth after sending Sean Nolin and Kendall Graveman to the Athletics as part of the package for Josh Donaldson.

The trick here is that, while there are no sure bets in baseball, you don’t want to part ways with guys who you believe will anchor your rotation for years to come. You don’t want to mortgage the future, as they say. But, you also want to get the most bang for your buck and trading a high level youngster for a high level veteran may pay off. The unknown factor plays a huge roll in the decision making. If AA had a crystal ball, he’d be much better equipped to pull off a deal. Instead, he’s going to have to go with his gut. Which is what I’m asking you to do. Which would you part with?

Jeff Hoffman- Every trade conversation will start with this name. The 9th overall selection in the 2014 draft was not even supposed to be there when the Blue Jays selected him. But, teams were scared off by his needing Tommy John surgery. Despite the surgery, many feel that he has the potential to impact a big league rotation very soon. He’s a complete pitcher already. He just needs to get healthy. Any potential deal could include this guy as a deal maker or breaker. I’m going to suggest that he is untouchable. 

Toronto Blue Jays

Aaron Sanchez- The once untouchable member of the “Lansing 3” is now in the big league rotation. He’s more or less holding his own. He’s about what you’d expect from a 22 year old rookie. He’s showing signs of brilliance along with signs of learning. He’s 3-3 in 7 starts but leads the league in walks with 29. He’s struggled to develop the ability to last deep into games. He’s averaging just over 5 innings per start. All of this aside, the Blue Jays (and fans alike) believe he has the makings of a top of the rotation starter. And, he’s just 22.

Daniel Norris– Another 22 year old who was supposed to be part of the big league rotation. Though, unlike Sanchez, Norris has been demoted to AAA. Here is another guy who has great potential, but hasn’t been able to harness it. His arsenal has the ability to play at the big league level. His work ethic and abilities mean he’ll be back in Toronto, or be a very nice piece in a trade.

Sean Reid-Foley– The 19 year old was drafted in the 2014 class and has started the year in Lansing. In 7 starts, he’s compiled a 0-1 record with a 4.87 ERA. But more important than those numbers are his very nice K/9 of 11.5 that goes along with a not nice BB/9 of 8. But, he’s 19!

There are many other arms to consider as well. If Marcus Stroman were healthy, he would be targeted. The Blue Jays may have to look at parting ways with Miguel Castro or Matt Smoral. None of these options may be ideal, but someone has to go if the Blue Jays are going to land that big fish.

Next: Time To Take The Poll