Blue Jays & MLB Trade Deadline: 5 Things that NEED to Happen

Major League Baseball’s July 31st Non-Waiver Trade Deadline is fast approaching. If we were so inclined, we could count it down in hours now. For fans of the Toronto Blue Jays, there is bound to be a few days of nervous energy as they look for their team to end the longest active playoff drought in baseball. Heading into play on Tuesday, they sit 6.5 games out of first place in the American League East and 3 out of the Wild Card spot. And, even though they were closer to glory last season at this time, it feels as though there is more pressure on management to pull off a big deal.

It would seem that the pressure is not intimidating as the Blue Jays pulled off a mega trade in the wee hours of Monday into Tuesday by trading Jose Reyes, Jeff Hoffman, Jesus Tinoco and Miguel Castro for Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins. While there very well may be more info to come about this deal, it is certainly does indicate the direction this club is heading. They look to be going for it. But, have they even done anything to address their actual needs?

For weeks (Or, is it months?) we’ve been hearing links to just about every possible pitching target out there. Whether the Philadelphia Phillies are looking for Cole Hamels to waive his “no trade” clause, or the Chicago White Sox are looking to get something for Jeff Samardzija, the Blue Jays seem to have been linked. They have also been linked to David Price. At one point, the rumor that they were “in” talks for Johnny Cueto refused to die. We even wondered if Scott Kazmir would be a fit. It seems there has been no shortage of Blue Jays rumors to keep us hungry for a move.

Until a deal actually happens, or doesn’t happen as the case may be, we won’t know to what degree the Blue Jays are actually engaged in trade talks. But a common thought is that the Blue Jays are indeed looking for pitching help in an attempt to compete in 2015. And, with a large proportion of their games in September against division rivals, it would make sense that they operate this way. There are a total of 23 games in September against AL East opponents, including 7 against the division leading New York Yankees.

So, if this Blue Jays team is going to make some noise this year, there are 5 things they need to do. In baseball, there is no miracle cure for anything. There is no magical elixir. But, for the Toronto Blue Jays, there are some very obvious things that need to happen. Without these things, Blue Jays fans could be looking at another year without playoff baseball.

Next: Do the Blue Jays Know What They're Doing?

Jul 13, 2012; Toronto, ON, Canada; Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos during batting practice before their game against the Cleveland Indians at the Rogers Centre. The Indians beat the Blue Jays 1-0. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports

Make a Decision

The very first thing that needs to happen for the Toronto Blue Jays in the coming days is that they need to make a final decision about whether they are going to commit to winning this season. For years, we’ve been hearing that GM, Alex Anthopoulos is dedicated to building a “sustainable winner”. To that end, he’s poured a great deal of effort into drafting and signing international free agents. He’s been building the farm system for years now with that goal in mind.

And, it is a noble, logical goal. But, there is an issue with that: it never ends; it’s not an end point. A team should never stop working this way. It is not like one day, they put their feet up on their desk and exhale deeply in satisfaction saying, “There. I’ve done it!”. No, this type of system building continues year after year, regardless of winning or losing. So, is that a realistic goal?

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Let’s pretend that it is. OK. Anthopoulos has done a good job of building up the Blue Jays’ system. And, part of that “building a winner” approach means signing big contracts and bringing in impact players when the time is right. This past winter, that was done. Russell Martin was signed. Josh Donaldson was brought in. And, now here we are at a pivotal point in the season. Will the Blue Jays continue the bold moves?

Well, the trade with Rockies is a bold move. And, it is one that indicates that the Blue Jays will be trying to improve; trying to compete. And, that is a good sign. But, if they really want to compete and make a push, a deal for pitching is what they need to do. Otherwise, they just spent a lot of capital to move Reyes. That’s about it. This team still has needs.

Thus far, in his tenure, it would seem that Anthopoulos is targeting team friendly contracts first. He nearly had a deal in place to acquire Carlos Carrasco from the Indians, but it fell through at the last minute. And, why not? The 4yr/$22M price tag is a steal. It is exactly the kind of team friendly contract Anthopoulos loves. It is the type of deal that sets the team up for an improvement this year and in the next few as well. It makes sense.

Except this kind of deal is rare on the market. What is available are generally short term fixes meant to give a shot in the arm to a hopeful team. Are the Blue Jays that team? They need to decide. And, quick. The trade market for starting pitching (or any other help for that matter) is going to fade quickly. If they take too long, they’ll be stuck with what’s left instead of what’s best. And, that may not solve their needs.

Next: The First Real Move the Blue Jays Need to Make

Get a Starter!

This seems obvious. Currently, the Blue Jays sit 23rd in all of baseball with a 4.07 ERA. Part of that has to do with the bullpen, which we’ll get to a bit later, but it is not pretty. According to BaseballReference.com, the starters are responsible for an ERA of 4.38 and a WHIP of 1.354. It’s bad. Those of us who have been watching starts like most of Drew Hutchison‘s road outings or Matt Boyd‘s 2nd start have been screaming for pitching help. 

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Perhaps, Alex Anthopoulos is very much all in and he is not done shopping in the coming days. Today’s announced trade certainly indicates an “all in” approach, but still doesn’t actually bring in a pitcher that they need.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The Blue Jays entered Spring Training with optimism around a rotation that featured, Marcus Stroman, Drew Hutchison, R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle and Daniel Norris. But, what is it they say about the best laid plans? It fell apart as quickly as an ACL can tear. Stroman’s absence called into question the depth this team had. Then, Daniel Norris struggled after dealing with ‘dead arm’. Aaron Sanchez was added to the rotation after some wavering back and forth with the bullpen (again, more on that in a bit). In fact, none of the exciting youth has been reliable this season.

Instead, the Blue Jays have been relying on Buehrle’s consistency and Dickey’s unreliable knuckleball. Something needs to be injected into this rotation if this team is going to compete this year. This club cannot compete while relying on the above veterans and a collection of makeshift starters like Felix Doubront. No, they need an impactful improvement. Fast.

What happens if they actually do make a run at a Wild Card spot? There is not a Blue Jays fan around who would be comfortable starting a one game playoff with any members of the current rotation. This club needs a better starter.

Next: Is a Starter Enough to Help Blue Jays?

Aug 2, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher

R.A. Dickey

(43) sits in the dugout after being pulled from the game during the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The Astros defeated the Blue Jays 8-2. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Get Another Starter!

This sounds greedy and unrealistic, but it isn’t. The Blue Jays are not in a position where they can be comfortable with this rotation moving forward. They’ve removed Aaron Sanchez from the rotation, so they’re down another option. Drew Hutchison has been a mystery wrapped in an enigma. It is not an exaggeration to say that Mark Buehrle is the only pitcher they have that is going to give anything resembling a predictable start. There are just too many question marks.

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So, the Blue Jays should be looking at injecting another starter into this rotation. And, at this point, just about any reasonable option would be an improvement. There are ways to consider this. They could look down to AAA Buffalo and ask themselves if Daniel Norris is ready to return. Though, given his continuing struggles with command he is not a safe bet. He started Monday night and went just 5 innings, walking 4 and giving up 5 hits in 98 pitches. Matt Boyd is certainly another option. Though the mere mention of his name brings back memories of his last start where he couldn’t even get an out before he gave up 7 earned runs against the Texas Rangers.

So, the Blue Jays need to look outside the organization. If there is one thing that has been apparent this Trade Deadline season is that there is quite a bit of available pitching. And, if the Blue Jays actually decide that they are going to upgrade their pitching, there will be options available.

Perhaps a team like the San Diego Padres can be reached out to for one of the starters they’ve been rumored to have made available. Could the Blue Jays pull off a big deal and reel in two fish? They certainly need to. Yes, it will be costly, but if they’ve indeed decided that they are going to compete this year, they need to accept that they are going to have to pay. And, that is only to do a couple of the things they need to do. There’s more!

Next: The Blue Jays Need to Address their Bullpen

Call up Pompey!

Dalton Pompey was supposed to be the starting center fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2015. After rocketing through the system last season, the Blue Jays were banking on him making the transition to the big league stage. It didn’t happen. He struggled early on. His struggles led to a lack of confidence. At one point, he admitted to “playing scared”. If he made a mistake, would he be sent down to AAA? Ironically, it was this fear that led to just that. He was sent down to AAA after just 23 games.

Since then, the 22 year old had been sent down even further to AA New Hampshire under the notion that he’d face better pitching there. It seems to have worked. He hit .351 in AA over 31 games. The Blue Jays brought him back up to AAA where he’s been hitting .273 in 33 games. His OBP of .368 in Buffalo is showing patience at the plate. He has 20 walks to 22 strike outs. He’s also hit 3 triples and stole 8 bases there. If you look at his time in the minor leagues, you see a guy who has found success. Is it enough to play with confidence at the big league level?

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Who knows. But, what would surely give him that confidence is a general manager and a manager saying, “We’re going to get you to play left field every day regardless of results”. That’s what they need to do. Dalton Pompey needs to play everyday to develop that confidence. If that is all it is, send him the message that he’s safe. Look what playing everyday did for Kevin Pillar. And, many feel that Pompey has more to offer than Pillar. So, let the kid play!

What is the worse that could happen? Is he going to be worse than the platoon of Danny Valencia, Chris Colabello and Ezequiel Carrera? It is doubtful. Combined the Blue Jays are getting a line of .259/.305/.400 out of the LF position with 21 walks and 86 strike outs. What is also missing on this team is some speed. Pompey can provide that. You could make the argument that Pompey just might be a better option. Valencia and Colabello offer other versatility that does not extend to the outfield. Pompey is a better bat than Carerra and can play better defense than all of them. Fans will agree that it has been frustrating watching the LF defense this season. So, put Pompey there!

None of these moves are guaranteed to bring a championship to the city of Toronto. But, if followed would certainly go a long way to that end. They each come with their degree of cost and benefit. Alex Anthopoulos’ job is to weigh these things and make a decision. With the clock ticking before the July 31st Trade Deadline passes, he’s going to have to act quickly. Many feel that these next few days will go a long way to deciding his future with the organization. Does he feel the pressure? Does he feel the pressure to bring the playoffs to Toronto from Blue Jays fans everywhere? Does he feel the pressure to act swiftly? He certainly won’t rush into a decision. He’ll take his time to think things through. The question is whether he has enough time to do that anymore. It’s time to do something, not just think about it.

Next: Blue Jays' bullpen Management Costing Them Games

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• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
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