Blue Jays: How Marcus Stroman stacks up in the SP trade market

Tier 4- Tanner Roark & Robbie Ray

I decided to separate the other trade candidates into four different tiers, and at the lower end of things are a couple of National League starters.

Neither Tanner Roark or Robbie Ray will be a top-of-the-rotation option for playoff teams, but they could help at the back end, which can be very important in a tight playoff race.

Roark has quietly put together a nice season with the Cincinnati Reds, as he’s 5-6 with a 3.97 ERA, a 1.373 WHIP, and 2.0 bWAR earned in 19 starts and 102 innings pitched. He doesn’t have the flashiest stuff, but he’s become one of the more dependable starters in baseball, throwing at least 180 innings in four out of his last five seasons. He’s also pretty affordable, as he’s on a one-year, 10 million dollar contract that expires at the end of the season.

Ray arguably has more potential, but he’s less of a sure thing because of some dicey health throughout his career. He’s been healthy this year in Arizona though, going 8-6 with a 3.92 ERA, a 1.299 WHIP, and 1.1 bWAR in 21 starts and 117 innings pitched. If the lefty is going to continue putting up those numbers then there will be plenty of interested suitors.

The Diamondbacks don’t have to trade him, as he’s also under team control for one more season, and is making just 6.05 million this year. However, for a team that is in a similar spot to the Blue Jays, they’ll probably maximize Ray’s value if they move him before July 31st.

It’s possible that a team that doesn’t want to spend on the highest end of the market could move quickly on these two, but more likely, the Reds and Diamondbacks could see how much the pitching-needy teams are willing to pay once those other options are off the board.