Blue Jays may have some unlikely trade pieces to offer

A lot can change in a year, and as the Blue Jays approach this season’s trade deadline there’s a good chance they’ll consider moves they wouldn’t have a year ago.

There’s a good argument to be made that the Blue Jays should push to truly contend in 2021 because of the roster they’re working with these days. There’s a clear need in the bullpen, and arguably in the rotation as well, but for the most part there is a lot to love about what Ross Atkins and his front office team have assembled. In my eyes, this is the best offence in baseball already, and there’s still room for even better performance from this dangerous group.

With a better bullpen the Blue Jays would likely be at least 45-31, if not a lot better than their current 40-36 standing. That said, they were just 6.0 games back of the AL East leading Red Sox heading into Monday, and 5.0 behind the A’s for the 2nd Wild Card spot. With 86 games yet to play in this year’s schedule there’s more than enough time to make up those gaps, provided they go out and improve the pitching staff enough to be able to lock down a late lead.

In order to do that the Blue Jays are going to have to give up some quality players in order to upgrade the way they’d like to. They have a talented enough farm system to make those kind of impact deals, but because of the way this season has developed, they may have some MLB-ready players they could offer up as well.

Some of those potential trade pieces are players that I wouldn’t have predicted would wind up as expendable, but as I’ve already said, a lot can change in a year.

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.