Blue Jays AL East Recap: Deadline Details

Each week, Jays Journal will take a look at the bigger picture of the AL East to help frame not only where the Blue Jays are in the standings, but why they are there.  (Standings entering play Tuesday).

Baltimore Orioles: 59-45
Boston Red Sox: 58-46
Toronto Blue Jays: 59-47
New York Yankees: 53-52
Tampa Bay Rays: 42-62

It was an eventful Monday for the Toronto Blue Jays. Despite losing in extras to the Houston Astros on Monday night, the Blue Jays stealthily managed to address their biggest concern for the season.

The Blue Jays struck early in the week swinging recently DFA’d Drew Storen and some cash for Joaquin Benoit of the Mariners. Just moments before the deadline it was announced that the Blue Jays had traded Jesse Chavez for Mike Bolsinger of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Immediately after it was announced that the Blue Jays had sent a prospect to Houston in exchange for reliever Scott Feldman. This effectively meant the Blue Jays had upgraded the swing man role that they had envisioned for Chavez. This appeared to be it for the Jays.

Yet, nearly 30 minutes after deadline it was announced that the Blue Jays had finalized a deal for Pirates starter Francisco Liriano. The trade saw the Jays saying goodbye to Drew Hutchison, but netted two top prospects in addition to Liriano.

The Blue Jays now appear well positioned for their stretch run. While Liriano has not had his best season, he is teaming up with former battery mate Russell Martin, and their stats together are something to see. Liriano will take the 5th position in the rotation and allow Sanchez to slide into the bullpen, further shoring up Toronto’s weakest link. The Blue Jays look like they avoided further set backs as it is expected that Troy Tulowitzki will miss minimal time to a bone chip in his hand.

While backup outfielder Ezequiel Carrera was placed on the DL, the Blue Jays have Melvin Upton Jr to fill in as back up. While there is no doubt that the Blue Jays rotation has been downgraded by taking Sanchez out if it, he beefs up Toronto’s bullpen quite well.

Final Takeaway:

The Blue Jays did more than just add the pieces they needed, they upgraded their bullpen significantly. Liriano is also not a rental, meaning the Jays seemingly have a replacement for R.A. Dickey as he hits free agency at season’s end. If the Jays can stay healthy, they may just make another playoff run.

Next: O's Shore Up Their Starting Rotation

Baltimore reclaims first

Baltimore Orioles: 59-45

The Baltimore Orioles struck Sunday night to address their biggest need, a struggling rotation. The Orioles found balance by sending a pitching prospect to the Mariners in exchange for veteran Wade Miley, fresh off a no-hit bid.

Miley is the workhorse they need for their rotation, capable of eating up innings and heshould help stabilize as their rotation. A stable rotation, will mean a more relaxed bullpen, which the Orioles could definitely use.

The Orioles were also reunited with Steve Pearce after sending a prospect to the Tampa Bay Rays. A popular member of the O’s club house during multiple seasons adds versatile depth in the outfield and a strong bench bat.

Baltimore’s upgrades came at the right time, as they were once again briefly knocked out of first place, this time by the Blue Jays. With improvements of their own, the Red Sox and Blue Jays are just a mere game behind, and the Orioles will need to kick into gear to separate themselves from their Division foes.  

Final Takeaway: The Orioles significantly upgraded their rotation, and should quickly see the effects of that. Despite being challenged in recent weeks by both Toronto and Boston, the Orioles once again appear positioned as division favourites.

Next: Red Sox Retooled for the Stretch Run

New York looks towards the future

New York Yankees: 53-52

The New York Yankees went into full sell mode as they went into deadline. Early in the week they had dealt ace closer Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs for a bevy of prospects. After that it was unclear if they would leave the rest of their team intact, as they have struggled to stay above .500 for most of the season. We got our answer late in the weekend when they dealt closer Andrew Miller to the Indians, once again for a bevy of prospects highlighted by shortstop Gleyber Torres.

They were not done there. Despite fielding offers on numerous other players, they were only able to move Carlos Beltran to the Rangers for a significant return.

The Yankees deadline deals signalled two things. They were comfortable letting this season get away from them. Trading Chapman made sense, but flipping the previously untouchable Miller for a package including Clint Frazier indicated that the Yankees are more focused on tomorrow than today. That said, the Yankees are on the cusp of reclaiming their baseball dynasty. With a loaded farm system, that figures to be among the best and most well-stocked in baseball.

The Yankees can deal from a position of strength during the off season. With so many prospects to choose from they’ll be able to easily land players they target without pillaging their entire farm system.

Final Takeaway:

The Yankees set themselves apart by trading very desirable assets for high prices. The result is one of the best farm systems in baseball. With the money and clout the Yankees already have, their future looks brighter than it has in a long time.

Next: Rays Make Savvy Moves at the Deadline

Rays flip for the future:

Tampa Bay Rays: 42-62

It had originally appeared that the Rays would spend the deadline in full rebuild mode, which didn’t quite make sense given their organizational strengths. Instead, the Rays ended up making minimal deals keeping the bulk of their team intact, a savvy move for their future.

Despite flipping one of their star pitchers, Matt Moore, to the Giants, they landed two prospects and the 25-year-old Matt Duffy from the Giants. Duffy will add to their offensive and defensive versatility, and they didn’t sacrifice young aces like Chris Archer or Jake Odorizzi from their 2017 picture. Steve Pearce and Brandon Guyer also netted the Rays three prospects as well.

The Rays made the most of their trade deadline. They did not go all in as sellers, nor did they need to. Instead they dealt away ancillary pieces and augmented the core of their team, which they kept in tact. With some maneuvering during the off season, the Rays could position themselves to have a much better season than they have had this year.

Next: Looking hard at, and making sense of, the Liriano deal

Final Takeaway:

They Rays wisely opted not to go into full rebuild mode, moving pieces to augment both their existing team and their farm system. With rosters expanding soon, the Rays could very well start auditioning some of their exciting young talent for what appears to be a competitive year for them.