Inside the Blue Jays situationally brilliant deal for Liriano and much more

With the clock winding down on Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates linked up for one of the day’s most surprising and valuable deals.

Capitalizing on a situation where the Pirates were looking to dump the remainder of Liriano’s salary, the Blue Jays were able to add far more than just the talented left-hander. In Reese McGuire and Harold Ramirez, Toronto has been rewarded for their financial undertaking with two legitimate, impactful, top-10 prospects.

First of all, it’s important to recognize how this deal fits within the circumstances of the day for Toronto.

After adding Scott Feldman and Mike Bolsinger in separate but very related moves, Ross Atkins and the Blue Jays front office had suitable rotation depth to move Hutchison with some level of comfort. For a group of executives that value depth, moving Hutchison without Bolsinger present at triple-A would have proven much more difficult.

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With that in place, Toronto found a trade partner in Pittsburgh who value Hutchison very highly. Under Ray Searage, who’s worked his magic on many arms, it’s entirely possible that Hutchison thrives, too.

Pittsburgh’s desire to drop Liriano’s salary left Toronto in the position of power, resulting in two new additions to their top-5 prospects (MLB Pipeline). It’s a great rarity, but the Blue Jays could conceivably win this trade in both the short term and long term.

McGuire now ranks as Toronto’s number four prospect ahead of names like Jon Harris, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Conner Greene, and Rowdy Tellez. The 14th overall selection in 2013 cracked pre-season top-100 lists from MLB.com and Baseball Prospectus.

With double-A Altoona this season, McGuire has hit .259 with a .337 on-base percentage, and more walks (29) than strikeouts (26), but just one home run. His bat, especially his power, has room for development.

His defence is excellent, however, and could be enough to get him to the Major Leagues alone. With a small advancement at the plate, McGuire has the potential to be a strong everyday player. MLB Pipeline currently ranks him as the fifth-best catching prospect in baseball.

Ramirez, who slots in right behind McGuire as Toronto’s number five prospect, was signed by the Pirates out of Columbia in 2011 and has hit his way through the minors. He’s played primarily centre-field in double-A this season, but profiles better in a corner spot if his bat can continue to develop.

He comes with better athleticism than you’d expect from his 5-foot-10, 220-pound frame, and has hit .306 over 98 games with Altoona. The stolen bases have been there for him, but his conversion rate has not been nearly high enough. Ramirez has just two home runs with 49 RBI, but his raw power is an expected area of growth over the coming seasons.

Like McGuire, Ramirez is just 21 years old. Both players will report to the double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats.

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By using their financial flexibility – something made easier by the highest average attendance in the American League – Toronto has done some legitimate work at the deadline without surrendering any top-level prospect capital. That can be stretched back to include Jason Grilli, who is looking right at home as Toronto’s set-up man.

In 2017, Liriano’s salary will (loosely) replace the money paid to R.A. Dickey this season in the budget, but that commitment could signal an openness to growth.