Blue Jays: NL teams most likely to call about trade talks

In a follow up to yesterday’s article about AL contending teams that could call the Blue Jays about a trade, here are the NL contenders who may do the same.

The Blue Jays managed to pull off an unlikely victory against the Nationals to open their three game set at the Rogers Centre, and will look to build some positive momentum in the back half of June. Things haven’t been great since the month of April closed, and the poor play of the ball club has put them in a major hole in the playoff race.

That deficit is so deep that the Blue Jays may have to accept that the 2018 will go down as a write off. Miracles can happen, and it’s not completely impossible yet, but with them being 13.5 games back in the Wild Card race entering play on Friday, the hill is incredibly steep. Their chances wouldn’t be great if the team was playing well, and they’re even more unlikely given their extended struggles.

With that in mind, the front office is likely beginning to make plans for 2019 and beyond, and those plans likely won’t include a number of the current players on the roster. There are several players on contracts that expire at the end of this season, and each of them will more than likely end up on the trade block, if they haven’t already. The non-exhaustive list includes the likes of Josh Donaldson, J.A. Happ, Marco Estrada, Curtis Granderson, Steve Pearce, and more.

When a team struggles as bad as the Blue Jays have, there’s a good chance that rival GMs could call about other players as well. Whether or not Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro are interested in entertaining that remains to be seen, but there’s a good chance they’ll be busy at the trade deadline regardless.

Yesterday I took a look at the American League teams that might give the Blue Jays a call before the July 31st trade deadline, and there are a few teams that make definite sense as trade partners. Over in the National League, there are even more clubs in the playoff hunt, and thus, more potential buyers for the Blue Jays’ rentals.

Let’s have a look at who that might include.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Blue Jays have made quite a few trades in the last 12 months, and several of them have been with the Cardinals. The Blue Jays acquired Randal Grichuk and Aledmys Diaz in separate trades this past offseason, and the Jays brought in another minor league arm in reliever Preston Guilmet just recently as well.

The Cardinals currently sit 4.0 games back of the Brewers in the Central, and sat 1.5 games back of the second Wild Card spot entering play on Friday night. They have a lot of talent on the roster, and they’re starting to get healthier in the rotation as well.

It’s hard to say who might interest the Cardinals the most, and that could obviously change a lot in the next six weeks depending on if their roster can stay healthy. Taking a look at the current roster, they’re hurting a bit by missing Paul DeJong at shortstop, but he should be back sooner than later.

Chances are if the Cardinals are calling, it’ll be for the same reason it was in the offseason, about the availability of Josh Donaldson. They had heavy interest over the winter in upgrading their lineup with the “Bringer of Rain” and his mighty bat, and the price should be considerably smaller given that he would be a rental player, that he’s struggled to produce, and also to stay healthy in 2018.

It would be rather shocking if the Blue Jays didn’t try to trade Donaldson before the non-waiver deadline, and despite being told “no” repeatedly this past offseason, I fully expect the Cardinals to ask again.

Los Angeles Dodgers

It doesn’t seem to matter how many pitchers the Dodgers front office brings into the fold, they seem to always need a few more.

It doesn’t help when Clayton Kershaw has missed most of the season on the disabled list, but they’ve had issues from Rich Hill, Julio Urias, Hyun-Jin Ryu, and more, which is a big reason why they had a slow start to the season.

They’re playing a lot better baseball these days, and even with the injury issues and losing Corey Seager for the season to  injury, you can bet they want to compete again this year. Clayton Kershaw has the option to hit the free agent market this winter, and despite having many division winners and great teams during his time as a Dodger, a ring has alluded the franchise throughout his career, and a lot longer for the franchise.

The Dodgers could be interested in J.A. Happ to upgrade their rotation, and it wouldn’t shock me if they came asking about guys like Marcus Stroman or Aaron Sanchez either. The Blue Jays could certainly offer some viable arms for their bullpen picture, or maybe even a depth piece in the outfield. That said, I don’t think the Dodgers are going to bring in Curtis Granderson for a second straight stretch run, as it was pretty disastrous last time.

My guess is their interest is squarely on bringing Happ into the fold and solidifying their rotation before the playoffs begin. It makes sense on paper, depending on what they’re willing to send back in return of course.

Milwaukee Brewers

Many fans and writers felt the Brewers were a bit of a fluke last year, mostly because they weren’t expected to perform as well as they did. It should be less surprising in 2018, and entering play on Friday night they are leading the NL Central by 1.5 games over the Cubs.

Holding off the Cubbies could be difficult, but regardless the Brew Crew should be smack dab in the middle of the playoff race, whether it’s in the division or in the Wild Card picture. They had a talented roster last year, and then they went out and added the likes of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich in the offseason, further solidifying their talented roster.

Like nearly every team in baseball, the Brewers could use an upgrade to their pitching staff. They weren’t shy about spending resources to bring in Cain and Yelich, so I would expect them to be aggressive at the trade deadline. It looks like the available pitching could be a little thin this summer as well, so someone like Happ could be a major target in Milwaukee.

They did send several talented prospects to the Marlins in order to acquire Yelich, but if the Brewers are serious about taking a run in the playoffs this year, they should have the pieces to get it done.

Chicago Cubs

Speaking of the Cubs, they’re another team that could potentially call the Blue Jays, although I don’t see them as a likely match. As I’ve said a few times above, it only takes an injury or two for that to change though, so don’t rule them out as a possibility.

If the Cubs are looking to upgrade, the most likely spot to me would be in the bullpen, where they could use a little help. Brandon Morrow has been solid as the closer in Chicago, but bullpens become about twice as important in the playoffs, and every bit of depth helps. The Blue Jays don’t have a lot to offer in that way, but I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Ryan Tepera, or even a Roberto Osuna (if and when he’s re-instated) would be of interest to them. I’m purely speculating by throwing those names out there though.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The leaders of the NL West at the moment are the Arizona Diamondbacks, a somewhat surprising position considering they lost J.D. Martinez in free agency this past winter. Still packed with plenty of punch in their lineup, the Dbacks entered play on Friday at 38-30, and 2.5 up on the Dodgers.

Perhaps as much as any contender in baseball this season, the Diamondbacks could really use some help in their rotation, and could be interested in Happ, or maybe even Marco Estrada. Their depth chart after Zack Greinke and Patrick Corbin includes Matt Koch, Zack Godley, and Clay Buchholz, none of whom have any business starting a playoff game. Shelby Miller should be back later this summer, but it’s hard to say what they’ll get out of him.

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In order to have a real puncher’s chance against the likes of the Cubs, Dodgers, or Nationals, they’re going to need some more talent in the rotation, and J.A. Happ is likely one of the best options available. Desperation could breed opportunity for the Blue Jays, depending on how the market shapes up.

Washington Nationals

Last but not least, the Nationals are back in the heat of the race and will likely spare no expense in taking a run at the playoffs this year. Bryce Harper is due to be a free agent at season’s end, and while they’re expected to be a heavy swinger for his services, there is no guarantee he’s coming back. When you add that Max Scherzer will be another year older, there is every reason to press for a title right now.

They’re a little thin in the rotation at the moment, but Stephen Strasburg should be back sooner than later, and the trio of Scherzer, Gio Gonzalez, and Tanner Roark have been really good once again this year. The Nationals could definitely use a little upgrade in the bullpen though, and they’re another team that I could see having some level of interest in guys like Tepera and/or Osuna. This feels like one of the least likely matches for a trade, but don’t rule anything out from a team that desperately wants to win.

Next: Blue Jays should trade, then re-sign J.A. Happ

Did I miss anyone? I could have arguably included the Rockies or Giants here too, but I don’t know that I see either of them as real contenders. Then again, most of my predictions for this season have been way off, so what do I know.