Blue Jays may have some unlikely trade pieces to offer

Rowdy Tellez

I’ll be the first to admit that I thought Rowdy Tellez would be an important figure in this season’s lineup. When he was healthy in 2020 there were times when he was the team’s most dangerous hitter, and I loved the idea of his big left-handed bat breaking up the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Teoscar Hernandez, and many more in the middle of the order.

It hasn’t worked out like that for Rowdy, and right now it’s hard to see a place for him on this team at all. He’s a nice player to be able to stash away in Triple-A in case of an injury, but I believe that he’s capable of being a MLB starter somewhere, and I’m sure there’s a GM out there that would be happy to give him an opportunity on a rebuilding team.

The unfortunate part is that the Blue Jays won’t be able to get much in return, and that makes for an argument to hang on to the 26 year old. That said, he could prove to be a nice piece to add in a package, especially if the acquiring team remembers him more for his 2020 performance rather than what he’s done in limited opportunity this year.

As much as I’d prefer it if the Jays hung on to Tellez, I can understand that they may need his spot on the 40-man roster at some point as well, especially if he’s not going to be part of the big league roster. The Blue Jays have been a revolving door in their bullpen this year, and that makes it difficult to navigate the 40-man roster at times. If enough players get healthy, Tellez even could be a consideration as a DFA candidate, as disappointing as that is for me to say.

I’ve always worried that if he left the Blue Jays that he’d turn into their version of David Ortiz, who famously broke out as a Hall of Famer for the Boston Red Sox after the Minnesota Twins had given up on him. I don’t know that anyone should expect Tellez to become a Hall of Famer, but I still believe that he can hit. That said, he didn’t make the most of his opportunities this year, and with a deep and talented big league roster, it won’t be a shock if the Jays deem him as expendable ahead of the deadline.

Danny Jansen

If I’m surprised to be saying that Rowdy Tellez could be on the trade block, I’m not sure how to describe how I feel about saying the same about Danny Jansen. Here we are though.

Jansen is still on the Injured List at the moment, but he was losing his grip on the starting job before he got hurt. He was hitting a bit better before the injury, but his biggest issue has been the lack of offence he’s brought to the plate. The Blue Jays don’t need a lot of offensive production from the catching position with all of the talent they have elsewhere, but Jansen has to hit better than the .157/.248/.278 slash line he’s posted this season.

With the recent emergence from Reese McGuire, there’s a strong argument that Jansen is more expendable than he’s ever been since his MLB debut. The Jays also have Alejandro Kirk, who should be available sooner than later, and Riley Adams has been a serviceable back-up. Then there’s Gabriel Moreno, who truly looks like the future of the franchise behind the plate with the way he’s hitting this year in the minor leagues.

The question of whether or not to trade Jansen will likely come down to what he could bring back in return. His performance at the plate isn’t going to help his trade value, but he’s well known as an above average defender, and he has a Gold Glove nomination on his short MLB resume already. He’s had a history of success as a hitter in the minor leagues as well, so you could make the argument that he’ll figure it out eventually even if he’s had plenty of opportunity with the Blue Jays.

I don’t know that I expect that Jansen will be moved, but I do think the Jays can afford to trade a catcher, which is definitely an area of strength and depth for the organization. If it’s not Jansen, I actually wouldn’t be shocked if Kirk ended up in trade talks either, which could lead to a bigger deal.

I still believe that Jansen brings plenty of value to a big league team, but it’s entirely possible that the Blue Jays see him as expendable going forward. Given the talent they have at the catching position, it makes a lot more sense than it did a year ago.

Nate Pearson

Players like Tellez and Jansen could be nice trade pieces, but if the Blue Jays want to make a true impact move ahead of the deadline then they’re going to have to give up a headliner.

Enter Nate Pearson.

For what it’s worth, I’m nowhere near ready to give up on the fireballer who has struggled to stay healthy since the beginning of the 2020 season. That said, I can understand why his value may have dropped in the eyes of the Blue Jays’ front office, at least compared to how they viewed him a year ago. At that time I would have argued that he’s untouchable, but these days I’m not so sure that’s the case.

I believe that the Blue Jays’ front office will be aggressive in July, but I think there is a list of young players that they won’t trade. That probably includes names like Alek Manoah, Austin Martin, Simeon Woods Richardson, and maybe Gabriel Moreno, but I’m not so sure that Pearson would make that untouchable list anymore. He’s been surpassed by Manoah on the Baseball America prospect rankings, and I’m sure the Blue Jays feel the same way about the situation at present.

I don’t believe that the Blue Jays will shop Pearson, but I’m sure there will be rebuilding teams asking about him. For the Jays to consider moving a pitcher with his potential, I have to believe they’d be acquiring a top of the rotation arm in return, which may very well be on the table. That could include names like betting on a bounce-back from Luis Castillo of the Reds, or maybe Jose Berrios and/or Kenta Maeda from the Twins, but regardless I’m sure it would require a controllable starter for the Blue Jays to pull the trigger on that type of deal.

I’ll reiterate again that I don’t believe Pearson will be dealt this summer, or that the Blue Jays will acquire that impact starting pitcher that they could still arguably use. Instead I think they’ll target some badly needed bullpen arms, and I don’t think they’d move Pearson to make that upgrade. However, if the right starter hits the trade market I don’t think it’s out of the question that they’d consider it. That’s certainly a change from where things stood a year ago.

Marcus Semien

To wrap things up I took a left turn at Albuquerque and decided to talk about what happens if the Blue Jays don’t find themselves as buyers ahead of this year’s trade deadline. In that case, they’ve got a pretty tantalizing trade chip they could put on the table.

Both Marcus Semien and the Blue Jays gambled on a one-year, 18 million dollar contract for 2021 and it’s paid off for both sides. Semien had a down year in 2020 during the shortened 60-game schedule, and a single season deal offered him a chance to reestablish his value closer to where it should be. Consider that a mission accomplished for the 30 year old, who will be a free agent again this coming offseason. For the Blue Jays, they’ve benefitted greatly from his All-Star calibre performance, and the only regret is not signing him to a multi-year deal.

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Since he’s playing on an expiring contract, the Blue Jays would be wise to at least keep this scenario in the back of their minds. The goal absolutely still needs to be on a return to the playoffs for this talented young roster, but I think we can all agree that there are still flaws with this team. Those issues will need to be addressed if they’re going to take a shot at truly competing in 2021, and the Jays will need to continue their solid play of late in order for the front office to invest in this season.

The next 12 games will go a long way toward defining the path they’re going to take, and if they can’t get the job done against the Mariners, Rays, and Orioles ahead of the All-Star break, don’t be surprised if Semien starts popping up in rumours. When you consider that he’s slashing .281/.346/.519 with 18 home runs, 45 RBI, and 9 stolen bases, there are going to be plenty of suitors for the middle infielder. The same could be said a pair of starting pitchers on expiring deals in Robbie Ray, and to a lesser extent with Steven Matz.

For what it’s worth, I believe that the Blue Jays will ultimately end up as buyers this summer and will remain in the thick of the playoff race. I’m even confident that if they can improve the bullpen that they’re a force to be reckoned with, and it’s a job that Ross Atkins needs to find a way to get done. It might help that he has a few unlikely trade chips to work with these days, and we’ll see if he ends up using any of them to push this team from good to great.