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Blue Jays may have some unlikely trade pieces to offer

By Chris Henderson

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 30: General manager Ross Atkins of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during batting practice before the start of MLB game action against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre on March 30, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 30: General manager Ross Atkins of the Toronto Blue Jays looks on during batting practice before the start of MLB game action against the Detroit Tigers at Rogers Centre on March 30, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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Apr 23, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 23, 2021; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Rowdy Tellez (44) hits an RBI double during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

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.

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