Blue Jays: Five paths to getting a top of the rotation starting pitcher

Make a trade with a contender

This option is a little more tricky, but I believe it could still happen. That said, the best match-up I saw at the beginning of the off-season was with Alex Anthopoulos and the Atlanta Braves. However, since then the Braves have filled their needs at catcher and at closer, so perhaps they won’t be interested in the likes of Ken Giles of Reese McGuire/Danny Jansen after all.

I wouldn’t completely rule the Braves out as a trade partner, especially not with the plethora of talented pitching prospects they have in their stables, but there could be other teams to discuss this with as well. In a different form are other teams like the Red Sox and Yankees, who we’ve already discussed as teams that are looking to shed salary.

I wonder if there isn’t the opportunity to call the Mets back again, especially after they signed both Rick Porcello and Michael Wacha to one-year deals. Since they already have four starters, it seems likely that they’ve trade one before the season begins. That’s not going to be Jacob deGrom, and it would be very surprising if they turned around and traded Marcus Stroman less than half of a year after acquiring him (and the Blue Jays aren’t a match there for this discussion). I’d be surprised to see them trade Noah Syndergaard, but then again, if I’m Ross Atkins I’d certainly make a phone call to inquire. As for Steven Matz, I’m not sure he’s significantly better than what they already have, although he could arguably top the Blue Jays’ current group.

The majority of the contenders are going to be looking to acquire more starting pitcher rather than trading it away, but in this more responsible era of spending in baseball, there could be more opportunities than what seems obvious. A month ago I wouldn’t have dreamed that a guy like Nolan Arenado would be available on the trade market, but strangers things have happened. For the Blue Jays, that means making sure they leave no stone left unturned.