Blue Jays trade deadline notes on Hill, De La Rosa, Johnson

The latest Toronto Blue Jays links and rumours ahead of Monday’s MLB non-waiver trade deadline

Some Blue Jays trade rumours, like this morning’s look at Jeremy Hellickson as reported by Shi Davidi and Jayson Stark, garner a standalone discussion for either their newness or relevance.

The following three pitchers have also been linked to the Blue Jays over the past 24 hours, and in the name of leaving no news left behind, let’s take a brief look.

Rich Hill  –  LH Starter  –  Oakland Athletics

Hill’s name has flowed in and out of trade talks for weeks now. The 36-year-old is a pure rental, so with Oakland far from contention in 2016, his situation fits that of a “lock” to be dealt. Complicating the matter is a blister on his throwing hand, however. He left his last start against the Blue Jays on July 17th without recording an out, and his most recent start prior to that came on July 7th.

His numbers don’t lie, though, as he carries a 2.25 ERA over 14 starts and is striking out 10.7 batters per nine innings. On Friday, manager John Gibbons told Jim Bowden and Jim Duquette that the Blue Jays were targeting Hill, adding that they’re “in” on everybody. Hill is expected to miss his scheduled start on Sunday.

Jorge De La Rosa

–  LH Starter  –  Colorado Rockies

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Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reported yesterday that the Blue Jays scouted the most resent start of De La Rosa. That’s common practice among MLB teams and is nothing to draw conclusions from, but the veteran left-hander has quietly made himself into a buy-low trade option.

In eight starts since moving back into the rotation on June 14th, De La Rosa has a 3.61 ERA and has allowed more than three earned runs just once. Despite the unfriendly nature of pitching in Colorado, though, De La Rosa has rarely proven to be more than a back-of-rotation piece within the context of a contending team.

He is currently in the final year of his contract and earning $12.5 million in 2016. Relative to Hill, De La Rosa would have a much lower acquisition cost.

Jim Johnson  –  RH Reliever  –  Atlanta Braves

A veteran right-hander and reclamation project from the Atlanta Braves? Sounds familiar.

Chris Cotillo reported yesterday that the Braves were close to moving Johnson and that the Mets and Jays are among the most interested teams. Johnson did pitch an inning last night against the Philadelphia Phillies to pick up the save, though, so evidently a deal was not close enough to fruition at that point.

Johnson is no longer the dominant closer that saved 51 and 50 games for the Baltimore Orioles in 2012 and 2013. He’s pitched to a 4.10 ERA over 37.1 innings for the Braves, but has looked much stronger recently after a very difficult opening to his season.

It’s important to stay aware of Johnson’s declining velocity, however, as he’s lost just over 1.0 MPH off his fastball this season on average (though he’s shown signs of reversing that lately). Some pitchers handle the adjustment well while others, like Toronto saw with Drew Storen, do not. Johnson is earning $2.5 million in 2016 and due to become a free agent.

Next: Jays interested in Logan, other lefty relievers

Twitter:  @KeeganMatheson
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