Blue Jays: Was the price too steep for Dee Gordon?

The Toronto Blue Jays missed out on the opportunity to acquire the speedy Dee Gordon from the Miami Marlins but at the end of the day, was the price too steep?

While all eyes were on the Giancarlo Stanton sweepstakes the Seattle Mariners snuck in under the radar and acquired Dee Gordon along with International pool money that will be thrown at Shohei Ohtani for a trio of prospects.

Gordon had long been rumoured as the type of the player the Blue Jays would covet this offseason however the Mariners parted ways with their 2nd ranked organizational prospect to acquire Gordon who in all likelihood with have to move to centerfield to see playing time in Seattle.

There is no word on if the Blue Jays were involved in trade talks especially after the acquisition of Aledyms Diaz last week however you would have to figure the prospect asking price in return for Gordon was too rich for the Jays to be actual trade participants.

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The Marlins acquired right-handed pitcher Nick Neidert who was a 2nd round/60th overall pick in the 2015 MLB draft. The 21-year old was the Mariners second-ranked prospect according to Baseball America after going 11-6 with a 3.45 earned run average while fanning 122 batters in 25 starts last season between High -A and Double-A ball.

Along the Neidert, shortstop Christopher Torres and pitcher Robert Dugger were also sent to the Marlins in exchange for Gordon. The 19-year old Torres hit .238 with 6 homers and 14 stolen bases last season while Dugger had a 2.75 ERA in 18 starts.

Gordon who is a year removed from a PED suspension hit .308/.341/.375 with 60 stolen bases last season for the Marlins.

The issue for the Blue Jays in acquiring Gordon is that they really don’t need him if Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis are healthy for the entire season, however, the chances of that coming to fruition appear slim to none. Still, at the end of the day, it is a pretty hefty price to pay for a luxury or insurance player when you have a ton of money still committed to Tulo.

Next: Blue Jays need to add a top-tier arm at any cost

The Jays are now out on Ohtani, Stanton, Gordon, and pitcher Tyler Chatwood who signed with the Cubs yesterday, as well as they, attempt to reconstruct their roster for 2018. Let’s see what today brings to the Blue Jays and company.