Blue Jays could do one-stop shopping by calling the Cubs

Upgrade for the hot corner?

I figured I’d just get this one out of the way right at the beginning, because until Kris Bryant gets traded and/or signs his next contract, I have a feeling Blue Jays fans are going to keep talking about him.

While it would be fun to bring the 29 year old to Buffalo/Toronto, I have a hard time seeing it happen.

The argument from many fans and writers is that the Blue Jays could use an upgrade for their regular third baseman, and in some ways I’d agree with that sentiment. Biggio has been much better since coming back from the Injured List last month, but he feels a bit miscast at the hot corner rather than playing at second base as we saw him during the first two years of his career. Bryant could solidify the position, which would push Biggio into the valuable utility role the Jays have seemingly always wanted anyway.

As for Bryant, he’s returned to being an above-average option at third base in 2021 after struggling a bit last season. He’s currently slashing .271/.351/.503 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI over 80 games played. The thing is though, now that he’s a coveted player again there will be other teams calling to make offers as well. After an offseason when it seemed like the Cubs were almost ready to give him away, there’s going to be a price attached now that he’s re-established his value.

Considering that the Blue Jays have greater needs elsewhere, I don’t know that I see them making a bigger investment in third base like Bryant. If a potential trade package gets expanded far enough then maybe, but this is one I have a hard time seeing that happen.

The relief help they desperately need

It’s no secret that the Blue Jays need help in their bullpen if they’re going to be true contenders, and the Cubs just so happen to have a veteran closer who could end up as a borderline Hall of Famer some day.

After struggling through his first two seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Craig Kimbrel is back to his old dominating ways, and he’s been one of the better relievers in baseball in 2021. He’s posted a minuscule 0.57 ERA and 0.66 WHIP across 33 appearances covering 31.2 innings, and he is among league leaders in saves with 20 already.

While I’m more than fine with the Blue Jays having Jordan Romano as their closer, it’s pretty hard to argue against the need for more late-inning help. Acquiring someone with the pedigree of Kimbrel likely puts Romano into more of an 8th inning role, but that lengthens the bullpen in a way that they very much need. It would also be a pretty fantastic opportunity for Romano to learn from one of the best to fill the role in this generation, as Kimbrel has a total of 368 saves over the course of his career.

The tricky part will be figuring out what kind of return is suitable for the 33 year old. There’s no doubt that his first-half performance has been impressive, but some teams could be understandably scared off by his 2019-20 numbers. He’s also making 16 million in 2021, and has a vesting/club option for next season at the same rate. Depending on how you look at it, that extra year could be a big plus or a bit of a handcuff, but the deal also carries a buyout for just one million if things didn’t work out.

Of course, the Blue Jays won’t be the only team looking to upgrade their bullpen, so it’s possible the bidding gets a little higher than Atkins and his team are comfortable with. It’s definitely a situation worth monitoring though, and on paper it’s a move that makes a lot of sense.

The extra ace the rotation still needs

If I were writing out a wish list for the Blue Jays this July, right near the top you’d see the name Kyle Hendricks.

In my mind, the 31 year old checks off pretty much all of the boxes I would expect the Jays to be looking for. He has a long history as an ace-calibre performer, he’s still arguably in his prime, and he has two more years of contract control after this year at just 14 million a piece, including a vesting option for 2024 at 16 million. He’s also an experienced and proven playoff performer.

Hendricks’ value took a bit of a hit this year because he started off very poorly in April. Since then he’s returned to his old ways though, posting a 2.67 ERA in May and following it up with a 2.97 mark in June and a nice start to his July as well.

The thing about Hendricks is that the Cubs may not be that motivated to move him. His contract is more than reasonable, and they may want to keep him around to help bridge the gap during their next rebuild, depending on how far they want to go with it. After they nearly gave Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres over the winter though, my guess is they could be convinced with a strong enough offer.

Will the Blue Jays make a strong enough offer to get their attention? They have all the motivation in the world to do so, and plenty of strong prospects they could offer that should interest a franchise on the cusp of a rebuild. I can’t help but like the idea of a playoff rotation that has a right-hander like Hendricks to break up Hyun Jin Ryu and Robbie Ray, and that’s a look that could work for a few more seasons as well.

What do the Blue Jays have to give in return?

Let’s say the Blue Jays decide that the Cubs have exactly what they need to transform their roster into true World Series contenders. That’s all well and good, but do they have what it takes to catch the Cubs’ interest?

It all depends on how far Atkins is willing to go, but the answer is a resounding yes.

If the Cubs are looking for young pitching, the Blue Jays have a lot of it. A friend asked me on Friday if I’d consider trading Nate Pearson for Kyle Hendricks, and while my reflex was to give him an immediate “NO!”, the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. Putting that aside, the Blue Jays have some intriguing hurlers including Pearson, Simeon Woods Richardson, Adam Kloffenstein, C.J. Van Eyk, and many more.

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It’s possible the Blue Jays could even be interested in catcher Willson Contreras as well, although that feels like a stretch to me. Either way, if the Cubs are looking for a successor for Contreras (who will be a free agent after the 2022 season), the Blue Jays have a lot of talent behind the plate. I imagine the Cubs would be very interested in a name like Alejandro Kirk, for example.

My guess is the big area the Blue Jays could offer up would be in the infield, and with both Bryant and Javier Baez set to be free agents this winter the Cubs should be listening. I can’t imagine the Blue Jays would consider trading Austin Martin, but there’s plenty where that came from in Jordan Groshans, Orelvis Martinez, Miguel Hiraldo, and several more.

Having said all of that, I’ve thrown around some of the bigger names in the Blue Jays system, and I don’t expect they’ll empty their prospect wallets for the Cubs. It’s all going to depend on the players they target, if any, and how robust the market will be for the available veterans.

If the Blue Jays want to win the trade deadline, they have everything they need to pull it off. There are still plenty of hurdles in their way, but with a roster this talented, it’s hard to imagine they’ll stand pat. Assuming that’s the case, I sure hope they’re consistently pestering the Cubs.