Blue Jays rumours: Padres reportedly pitting Toronto against Baltimore

The Toronto Blue Jays reportedly had scouts watching Andrew Cashner‘s last start

With the Blue Jays and Orioles both targeting similar assets as the compete for the American League East, Ken Rosenthal reports this morning that the San Diego Padres are using that to their advantage.

It’s already been reported in the past week that the Blue Jays were scouting Andrew Cashner’s last start and were “linked to” Melvin Upton Jr. Rosenthal adds this today:

Where it gets interesting is Rosenthal’s follow-up tweet, where he says that the Padres are attempting to pit the Blue Jays and Orioles against one another as they shop two of their most obvious trade chips.

This is a good piece of business by the Padres if that’s the case and both teams have legitimate interest – mainly Toronto being the unknown variable here as Baltimore’s interest seems legitimate and advanced.

The possibility of Melvin Upton seems to be a less obvious fit now that Jose Bautista could return as early as Monday for the Blue Jays’ next home series. Yes, Upton does offer team control next season which holds value to Toronto as both Saunders and Bautista are free agents, but prospect capital may be better spent on arms at this point.

As talented as Cashner may be, he’s posted a 4.47 ERA since the beginning of 2015 (258.0 innings) and Rosenthal reports that the Padres are seeking “two prospects” from the Orioles in exchange for him.

The current reported negotiations around Upton have the Orioles sending Ubaldo Jimenez – he of the 5.02 ERA since the start of 2014 – to San Diego with the Padres also seeking a prospect. The right-hander is making $13 million this season and due $13.5 million in 2017.