The trades that built the Blue Jays roster: Where are they now?

Beyond the big splashes of last year’s trade deadline there have also been some smaller-scale moves. These are important for context of the upcoming deadline, as minor moves could be exactly what the Blue Jays use to tinker their roster.

Julu 31st, 2015

The Lowe deal constitutes a classic bullpen addition around the deadline. He didn’t exactly keep up his Mariners pace, giving the Blue Jays an ERA of 3.79 over 19 regular season innings, but he filled in well enough where needed. The Blue Jays were wise not to re-sign the right-hander, who holds a 10.33 ERA over 27 innings for the Tigers this season in year one of a two-year, $11 million deal.

Rasmussen retired from baseball prior to this season season to pursue his MBA. Brentz is still far off, primarily pitching in the Northwest League this season. Wells has made 13 starts for single-A Brenton with a 5.74 ERA. Wells and Brentz are ranked as Seattle’s 20th and 24th prospects, respectively.

July 31st, 2015

The addition of Revere gave the Blue Jays their everyday leadoff hitter, and he responded with a valuable .354 on-base percentage in his time with the Blue Jays. Cordero, 24, is still in the Gulf Coast League and ranked as the Phillies number 17 prospect. Tirado, 21, has appeared in 13 games between two levels with an ERA of 8.38.

A Revere-like deal (speaking in terms of position and scale) is not entirely off the table if Jose Bautista‘s turf toe injury continues to linger. This type of move becomes affordable in terms of prospect capital if the Blue Jays have an appetite for taking on salary.

November 20th, 2015

Liam Hendriks was one of the great stories of 2015. Originally viewed as a depth starter with average tools, his velocity spiked last season and made him a key member of the Blue Jays bullpen. This season hasn’t been so kind to the Aussie, as he’s dealt with an injury and stumbled to a 6.15 ERA over 26.1 MLB innings.

Chavez has been a welcome addition to the Blue Jays bullpen, and while not dominant, he’s maintained his velocity and holds value in his ability to pitch multiple innings when called upon. The Blue Jays also took on a larger financial commitment in this deal, a decision that has worked out well.

May 31st, 2016

The structure of this deal offers another blueprint for what the Blue Jays could explore at the upcoming deadline. Grilli had pitched to a 5.91 ERA in Atlanta, and with the Braves willing to eat a large chunk of his salary to get the rest off their books, Toronto picked up the veteran at a relative discount. Since coming to Canada, he’s struck out 21 batters in 11.2 innings.

Ratcliffe, on the other hand, made two appearances in the low-minors for the Braves before being released in late June