Blue Jays hoping to trade Jaime Garcia, Marco Estrada, could deal Donaldson

Jaime Garcia and Marco Estrada, two underwhelming starters, could be traded at some point in the next few weeks – at least that’s what the Blue Jays hope.

Jon Heyman of Fancred and MLB Network routinely reports on the latest around the league in his “Inside Baseball” series. This week, his notes contained some interesting tidbits of Blue Jays news, including the status of a few questions marks on their roster.

After dealing reliever Seunghwan Oh and starter J.A. Happ earlier this week, the Blue Jays will surely continue to deal off short-term assets and get any return possible.

Donaldson On The Move?

Heyman says that a trade involving Josh Donaldson “hasn’t been ruled out”, further noting that an August deal could be logical if he can return to the team and produce adequately in order to secure a decent package. Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star confirms the possibility in his latest column.

Donaldson, who hasn’t appeared in a major league game since late May, owns a .234/.333/.423 slash line on the year with five homers and 16 RBI in 137 at-bats. Although he’s making a lot of money, he could be a perfect candidate for an August trade, depending on how the next few weeks play out.

Team Aiming to Deal Garcia

Next on the list is struggling southpaw Jaime Garcia, who the Jays “hope” to trade. Despite his recent success out of the bullpen (5.2 scoreless innings in July with 5 K, .000/.158/.158 opposing slash line), Garcia’s stock is still pretty low, given his putrid season ERA of 5.64.

Signed as a free agent this winter, Garcia has been frequently injured and would likely pass through waivers, making him a potential candidate for an August trade. He’s a lefty with major league experience, so it’s possible a contender would pick him up and stick him in the bullpen down the stretch.

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Grandy Garnering Interest

According to Heyman, veteran outfielder Curtis Granderson is also drawing decent trade interest. As Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic previously reported, the Phillies called the Jays about Grandy – no further details have since been released.

Recently, the surging Oakland A’s have been reported to be in the market for a left-handed hitting outfielder, providing the Blue Jays with yet another possible trading partner. Granderson has been worth 0.4 WAR this season.

Estrada Through Waivers?

We haven’t heard his name mentioned at all with regards to trade rumours, but Heyman says that Marco Estrada could pass through waivers, making him eligible to be traded in August. While he likely wouldn’t bring back much, getting a lottery ticket prospect in exchange for a few months of a veteran hurler could be worth it at this point.

On the season, Estrada has pitched to an ERA of 4.72 in 89.2 innings, striking out 70 and walking 25 and sporting a record of 4-7. According to Gregor Chisolm of MLB.com, Estrada will probably rejoin the team in time for his next start against Oakland on Monday.