Blue Jays: Which “dead contract” has gotta go?

Aaron Loup

I had to include this one, even if it’s a lot less likely than the other three I’ve mentioned so far. The longest tenured Blue Jay has a 4.02 ERA so far this season in 15 appearances, and has mostly been the lone left-hander in the bullpen, except for when Tim Mayza has had a couple quick cups of coffee.

In Loup’s case, it feels like he’s lost the confidence of John Gibbons this season. I’ve always felt that his leash has been exceptionally long in Toronto anyway, and it feels like Gibbons is finally seeing things the same way I do. That said, his recent appearances have been better, as he’s thrown 5.0 scoreless innings in his last four outings, but they’ve come in games that have been largely over by the time he was used.

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I realize the Blue Jays don’t exactly have a left-hander who is ready to take over the role with complete confidence, but their righties have been pretty good this year, and there are a lot of them. The combination of Ryan Tepera, Tyler Clippard, John Axford, Seung-hwan Oh, Danny Barnes, and Roberto Osuna (on leave), have been among the best bullpens in baseball, and they’ve been used a lot in the first quarter of the season. Because of that over-use, I would expect that the Blue Jays will eventually start using a long man in the bullpen, a position that Loup has been taking on more lately.

If the front offices adds another lefty to the group, something they could really use to become a true contender, it’s hard to imagine Loup lasting much longer in Toronto. He’s earning 1,812,500 this season according to Spotrac, and has one more year of arbitration eligibility before becoming an unrestricted free agent.

It’s also possible the front office could find a trade partner, especially with the numbers he’s had at different points earlier in his career, and his being a lefty, but I don’t think they can expect much of a return. This would be more about making room for someone else, and with the performance of the rest of the bullpen, even with Osuna’s absence, might not allow for him to make it through the 2018 season.

Do you think I missed anyone else who could qualify for this list? Keep in mind I’m talking about a “dead contract” here, which is about the players that I don’t see as having much, if any trade value.

Next: Why does Russell Martin get off the hook?