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

Oakland Athletics – Likely Suitor

It’s no secret, the Athletics are a good team. Their stacked lineup featuring Khris Davis, Matt Chapman, Jed Lowrie and Matt Olson complements their small, yet effective group of starters. The bullpen has been excellent and objectively, no club has played better baseball over the last month.

The question is though – do the Athletics have enough pitching to carry them into the postseason and beyond? Outside of proven major league starter Sean Manaea, Oakland has gotten luckily dominant performances from veterans Edwin Jackson and Trevor Cahill, which are likely not going to last forever. Former Blue Jay Brett Anderson has resurged as well with some solid innings as a starter.

With that said, Marco Estrada, one of the most consistent starters in the league over the past few seasons, should slot in perfectly. Moreover, the Athletics were shopping for starters at the deadline, according to Richard Justice of MLB.com, so it’s not outlandish to suggest that a team that was at one point shopping for a starter could continue to look for one in August. In order to compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, Indians, and others, the surprising Athletics will need a wealth of live arms that are ready to eat innings when they’re behind, and protect leads when they’re ahead.

With a modest payroll of $74 million, Bob Melvin’s club could conceivably take on the rest of the money Estrada is owed. No fit is perfect, but this one is as close as can be. Oakland, now sitting in sole possession of the second wild-card spot, would be smart to reinforce their arsenal of arms before the calendar flips to September.

Colorado Rockies – Fringe Competitor

One of the most exciting and nerve-wracking teams of the 2018 season, the wild-card battling Colorado Rockies have already reinforced their bullpen this season with the acquisition of Blue Jays reliever Seunghwan Oh a week before the non-waiver trade deadline. Even with that addition, the Rockies sit 28th in baseball with a cumulative bullpen ERA of 5.09.

Though the aforementioned Oh has been stellar since his arrival in Denver, relievers Bryan Shaw (6.60 ERA, 1.832 WHIP), Jake McGee (6.63 ERA, 1.474 WHIP) and even star closer Wade Davis (4.98 ERA, 1.213 WHIP) have been awfully shaky and clearly indicate the need for some additional arms in the bullpen.

Rockies starters have been dependable enough, so Estrada could be purely a reliever (or spot-starter) if they do decide to pursue the 2016 American League All-Star, and don’t see him as an upgrade over what they’ve both in the rotation. He would likely be an upgrade at the back of the rotation at the very least, but working at Coors Field could be interesting for the fly ball pitcher. Primarily a reliever prior to coming to Toronto, Estrada is no stranger to the bullpen, so he could fit in either role.

Payroll wise, the Rockies could squeeze out enough funds to make room for Estrada, so the match isn’t as perfect as it appears to be at first glance. Still, the team managed by Bud Black would also love the opportunity to play some postseason baseball before their core of talented players hits free agency.

For much of the season, experts have noted the Colorado Rockies as being a dark horse for both sneaky trades and blockbusters alike. That being said, it’s hard to imagine that the Rockies haven’t at least considered the possibility of adding a starter with Estrada’s skillset.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Playoff Hopeful

Closely battling the Los Angeles Dodgers for first place in the National League West, the Diamondbacks are also looking for a strong postseason performance to validate their new organizational direction. With an outstanding offence and solid defence, the team from Arizona has not exactly been consistent in terms of starting pitching.

While Zack Greinke (2.89 ERA, 149.2 IP, 152 K) and Patrick Corbin (3.15 ERA, 148.2 IP, 183 K) have formidably anchored the rotation, the other three starters have been less than concrete. The bullpen, though generally dominant, could use some reinforcements – as could most of the bullpens of playoff hopefuls.

In this case, it’s more of a potential “want” than a need. The D-Backs don’t necessarily need to add another starter (or longman), but it would be nice to see them strengthen their pitching before they face off against the rest of the scary NL contenders including the Cubs, the Phillies, and the division rival Dodgers. With a weary fanbase hungry for a deep playoff run and an antsy group of youngsters itching for a title, any minor moves that could push them over the proverbial contention hump would be welcomed with open arms.

Ninth in baseball in ERA, and fifth in innings pitched by starting pitchers, Arizona could either stick Estrada in the rotation to alleviate the workload of their core staff, or could toss him in the bullpen to serve as a long reliever. Either way, he could be useful at the right price.

Washington Nationals – Iffy Players in the Market

Will they or won’t they? That has been the question many fans have asked on the subject of whether or not the Washington Nationals will sell off their assets in order to prime for a rebuild. As of this writing, the perplexing Nats are six games out of the division lead and five and a half games out of a wild-card spot.

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It could be a stretch, but perhaps Mike Rizzo and the Nats are looking to tweak their roster one last time before heading into September fighting for their playoff lives. If so, Estrada could join Max Scherzer (2.28 ERA, 216 K, 161.2 IP), Gio Gonzalez (3.89 ERA, 125 IP, 111 K) and Tanner Roark (4.21 ERA, 136.2 IP, 118 K) in the rotation, and maybe even Stephen Strasburg if he can get healthy enough again.

Of all the teams mentioned above, the Nats are probably the least likely to go after a rental pitcher in August. It’s more than likely that they’ll simply count their losses this year and retool in the offseason to try and compete for a legitimate postseason spot next year. Still, as with the Yankees, the Nationals can never be counted out, especially when it comes to trades, and especially as they face the impending free agency of Bryce Harper.

Estrada wouldn’t be a huge upgrade for the Nationals, especially if they have a healthy rotation, but he could certainly help if Strasburg can’t get healthy before the final stretch run. They would also need to go on a hot streak to justify trading more minor league assets, but they are just 5.5 games back in their NL East, even if they’d need to leapfrog both the Braves and Phillies to get to the top. They’re just 4.5 back of the second Wild Card position, but that logjam could be even more difficult to overcome.

With all the information above, it’s hard to imagine Estrada will stick with the Blue Jays much longer. Following an outstanding outing in Seattle, his trade value should increase considerably, and his tenure with the Jays should come to a close sooner rather than later. A seasoned veteran with poise and confidence to match, expect his name to come up frequently in trade chatter over the next few weeks.