Blue Jays: Five logical landing spots for Marco Estrada

Entering free agency once again, Marco Estrada has frequently been mentioned as a perfect August trade candidate given his contractual status and veteran presence.

I’ll be the first to admit, I don’t really want the Blue Jays to trade Marco Estrada. He’s calm and composed on the mound, much like J.A. Happ and throws a changeup that moves in mysterious ways – kudos to those of you who get the U2 reference. Obsolete pop-rock references aside, Estrada’s a nice guy. He was also, for quite a bit of time, one of the more dependable pitchers on the Blue Jays pitching staff.

At this point, though, it’d be a foolish baseball move not to trade Marco Estrada within the next month. His expiring contract is a financial burden to a team going nowhere this season and his experience and poise on the mound would surely be welcomed by the right contender. Simply put, the team won’t be making the postseason anyway, so why not cash in on his limited, yet present value while they can?

With a 4.65 ERA on the season, the 35-year-old righty is hardly a hot commodity on the starting pitching market. If that were the case, he likely would’ve been dealt at the deadline. Still, a relatively consistent major league starter could net a decent package, even in August.

Unfortunately for the Blue Jays, many top contenders already satisfied their pitching needs at the deadline, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t teams who could be willing to take on the former Milwaukee Brewer. With that said, here are five possible teams that could be in play for Blue Jays starter Marco Estrada.

Note: All statistics used in this column are taken as of the morning of August 6th, 2018