Blue Jays: Gathering the Marcus Stroman trade ideas and rumours

It is likely that the Blue Jays will trade Marcus Stroman by the upcoming trade deadline.  Here are some trade ideas put forward by other blogs and writers

It is increasingly likely that the Blue Jays will trade Marcus Stroman before the upcoming July 31 trade deadline.  The questions are to whom, and for what return?

Here are a few of the trade scenarios that have been put forward by other writers and sports blogs.

Fansided’s Rucker Haringey suggests that the Yankees would be an obvious trade partner, and that a Clint Frazier for Stroman deal would make a lot of sense.   Frazier’s 126 wRC+ would be higher than any Jay other than Lourdes’ 136 in 117 plate appearances.  The issue with Frazier is his defense, which has been <ahem> “questionable“.  As much as the Jays need offence, would it be wise to sacrifice defence to get it?

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Jim Bowden of the Athletic also thought that the Yankees were a logical trade partner, but thought that a package around centre fielder Everson Pereira (Yankees prospect #7, ETA 2022) and shortstop Thairo Estrada (2B) could possibly get a deal done.  Given the Jays’ strong need for starting pitching and their relative depth of 2B prospects, this idea might be a harder sell.

TSN’s Steve Phillips had another idea:  Stroman + Giles + Biagini to Atlanta for centre fielder Ender Inciarte, pitching prospect Kyle Wright, and possible starters Sean Newcomb and Touki Toussaint.  This offer would have been very tempting a year ago, but all four of these players have been struggling so far in 2019.   It is entirely possible that Wright, Newcomb and Toussaint could regain their uber-prospect status and that Inciarte will once again be a 3 WAR centre fielder, but would the Jays be interested in a high-ceiling, low-floor scenario like this one?

The blastingnews site had an intriguing idea.  They felt that Stroman and Giles would be a perfect fit for the Twins, but that the Twinkies did not have the multiple mid-100’s prospects that fit the Jays’ needs.  They, therefore, suggested a Stroman + Giles for Alex Kirilloff + Stephen Gonsalvez + change deal.  This idea raises another interesting question – would the Jays be more interested in a package of 50-ish grade prospects, or would they consider a package around a single player with (almost) Vladito-level upside?  Especially if that stud prospect were not a starting pitcher?

The Roxpile has a more conventional proposal – pitchers  Ryan Rolison (55 rated, 2021 ETA) + Rico Garcia (40 rated, 2020) + first baseman Grant Lavigne (50 rated, 2022) from the Rockies for Stroman + Daniel Hudson.  Rolison is mlb.com’s #93 prospect and he is pitching well in high-A ball, but it is not clear how strongly the Jays need another corner infielder.

Although the Padres’ recent performance has been disappointing (they are five games out of the second NL wild card spot), Stroman’s team control for 2020 still makes him a plausible trade target.  Bleacher Report suggests that a package of lefty Logan Allen and righty Michel Baez, who rank as MLB’s No. 68 and No. 78 prospects, could work.  Allen is considered MLB-ready, and could step into the Jays’ rotation right away, while Baez is currently pitching at double-A and is expected to be an option in 2020.

The bottom line

The Jays will receive multiple offers for Stroman.  As the speculation above shows, those offers will likely be very different.  Some might include some starting pitching, while others do not.  Some might build an offer around a single exceptional prospect, while others offer multiple players with lesser upside but with lower (diversified portfolio!) risk.  And some offers might well be for Stroman plus other pieces (Giles?  Smoak? Prospects?), but with a higher return.  The Jays will have difficult decisions to make – but that is not necessarily a bad position to be in.