Blue Jays: How the prospects from the 2015 trade deadline have fared

Back in 2015, the Toronto Blue Jays were 42-38 heading into Canada Day and were sitting one game back in the AL East and third overall in the division. Fast forward to July 28th and the Blue Jays were now just under the .500 mark at 50-51, 8.0 games back in the division and looking like their playoff hopes were starting to slowly fade away.

At the helm was general manager Alex Anthopoulos, known for his big trades that seemingly come out of nowhere and have the ability to change the franchise, a great example being the 2012 trade with the Miami Marlins.

That being said, Anthopoulos wanted to take a chance at the postseason given the team he had assembled was not getting any younger but he needed some outside help to get the job done. What occurred over the end of July and into early August was a flurry of moves that saw quite a few prospects head to new destinations while veteran players were brought in to take a shot at the World Series, a move that would eventually fall short in the ALCS against the eventual champions in the Kansas City Royals.

Fast forward to the end of the 2021 season and there is a moment of reflection back to the 2015 season in the fact that both teams had to fight their way to the postseason, although this club did fall short of the goal while the former club did make it to the ALCS. Both teams utilized the trade deadline to make their rosters better and both provided exciting baseball to finish out the year, while the current Blue Jays used a team that was a lot younger than the Jays 2015 roster.

Looking at the bigger picture however, could some of the prospects that A.A. traded away be useful on the current Blue Jays club or were the prospects used in those deals end up being duds and useful trade bait in the long run?

July 27th

To the Blue Jays: INF Troy Tulowitzki and LaTroy Hawkins

To the Colorado Rockies: INF Jose Reyes, RHP Miguel Castro, RHP Jeff Hoffman, and RHP Jesus Tinoco

RHP – Miguel Castro

Making his debut in 2015, Miguel Castro was a younger piece in the bullpen at the time and would be used sparingly at the big league level before being traded. With the Blue Jays, he would pitch to a 4.38 ERA through 13 outings where he would amass four saves with six walks and 12 strikeouts through 12.1 innings.

After the trade, Castro would join the Rockies minor league system and was called up to the Major League roster when the rosters expanded on Septmeber 1st. He would spend the rest of next season with Colorado before being traded in the 2016/2017 offseason to the Baltimore Orioles, where he spent almost four seasons before being dealt to the New York Mets at the 2020 trade deadline.

For his career, the right-hander sports a 4.13 ERA with 311 strikeouts,1.404 WHIP, and seven saves through 353.1 innings with all four organizations. He will be eligible for free agency after next season. He made the most appearances for the Mets this season with 69 and finished fifth in terms of innings pitched with 70.1.

RHP – Jeff Hoffman

Drafted by the Blue Jays ninth overall in the 2014 MLB Draft, Jeff Hoffman was one of the top eligible draftees that year but would see his stock drop after undergoing Tommy John surgery prior to the draft. He would make his pro debut in 2015 within the Jays minor league system until he was traded to the Rockies, one of the focal points of the deal given his high prospect ranking.

Hoffman struggled to find a spot in the Rockies starting rotation over the next five seasons, failing to appear in more than 100.0 innings each season and splitting time between the rotation and the bullpen. The Rockies would trade him this past offseason to the Cincinnati Reds where he would begin the season as a starter before finishing in the bullpen, with a shoulder injury midway through the campaign being the reason for the move.

For his career, Hoffman sports a 5.96 ERA through 303.2 innings of work and appears to be more of a bullpen arm rather than a starter at 28 years old. The East Carolina University alum has 276 strikeouts and 152 walks to his credit in the big leagues and is not eligible for free agency until 2025.

RHP – Jesus Tinoco

The final piece of the Troy Tulowitzki deal, right-hander Jesus Tinoco was pitching in A ball when he was included in the trade to the Colorado Rockies at just 20 years old.

He would make his Major League debut in 2019 for the Rockies squad and would be traded to the Miami Marlins midway through last season in exchange for RHP Chad Smith.

Fast forward a few weeks later and the Marlins designated Tinoco for assignment and the Rockies reclaimed him before DFA as well, with the right-hander slipping through the waiver wire and heading down to AAA.

The Venezuelan prospect began the 2021 season in AAA before being called back up to the big leagues on July 28th for one game, giving up five earned runs through 1.1 innings, before sending him back down to AAA the next day, where he would finish the season.

July 30th

To the Blue Jays: LHP David Price

To the Tigers: LHP Matt Boyd, LHP Daniel Norris, and LHP Jairo Labourt

LHP Matt Boyd

One of the Blue Jays top pitching prospects at the time, left-hander Matt Boyd had worked his way up through the minor leagues and made two starts in the big leagues before being dealt, amassing a 14.85 ERA through 6.2 innings with 11 earned runs, five home runs, and seven strikeouts.

Since joining the Tigers, Boyd has kept finding himself in the rotation but has pitched to mixed results. Through 147 appearances and 777.2 innings, Boyd sports a 4.87 ERA with 752 strikeouts and a 1.318 WHIP. His name surfaced on the trade rumors at the deadline this year but he hit the injured list on a few different occasions, making only 15 starts and eventually sticking with the Tigers to finish out the year. He will be eligible for free agency after the end of next season.

LHP Daniel Norris

Another one of the Blue Jays top pitching prospects in the farm system at the time, Daniel Norris was one of the main assets of this trade with the Tigers. The southpaw made his major league debut in 2014 as a September callup with the Jays and joined the rotation early in 2015, making five starts for the club until being optioned back to AAA. He would throw to a 4.20 ERA through 10 appearances and 30.0 innings with 22 strikeouts and 17 walks at the Major League level before the trade.

With the Tigers, Norris would accumulate a 4.50 ERA through 139 appearances, 77 of which were starts as the lefty was used solely as a reliever in 2021. The Tennesse product has been hit by the injury bug numerous times in his career, including thyroid cancer back in the 2015/2016 offseason where a tumor had to be removed, discovered earlier in the campaign when he was seeing a doctor because of dead arm.

After general manager Alex Anthopoulos traded away a significant amount of Blue Jays prospects at the 2015 trade deadline, this article examines how those prospects have faired since being traded.

The Tigers traded Norris to the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline this past season and he would pitch to a 6.64 ERA through 18 relief outings for his new club. Norris was not selected to the postseason NLDS roster against the Atlanta Braves and is a free agent this offseason.

LHP Jairo Labourt

The last pitcher included in the David Price trade, Jairo Labourt was in A ball at the time of the deal. He would spend the majority of the next three years in the Tigers minor league organization before being released in mid-May of 2018. He did make six appearances for Detroit in 2017, throwing to a 4.50 ERA through 6.0 innings.

He would find himself with a few different organizations before being released midway through the 2018 season by the Chicago White Sox and would spend Spring Training with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019 but would be released prior to the beginning of the campaign.

This season, Labourt played with the Sioux City Explorers in the American Association of Professional Baseball.

July 31st

To the Blue Jays: OF Ben Revere

To the Phillies: RHP Jimmy Cordero and RHP Alberto Tirado

RHP Jimmy Cordero

An international free agent signing back in 2012, pitcher Jimmy Cordero was with AA New Hampshire when he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies. He would spend the 2016 season in the Phillies minor league system before being DFA’d in the 2016/2017 offseason and would be traded to the Washington Nationals a few days later.

Cordero would make his major league debut in 2018 for the Nationals and would bounce around to a few different organizations over the next few seasons, even pitching for the Blue Jays for one appearance in 2019. After a brief stop with the Mariners, the righty landed with the Chicago White Sox and pitched for the club in both 2019 and 2020. For his Major League career, the Dominican product has produced a 4.55 ERA through 83 relief appearances with 65 strikeouts through 83.0 innings of work.

Cordero underwent Tommy John surgery prior to the 2021 season and did not appear in a game this year, most likely not making an appearance until sometime midway through the 2022 campaign if all goes well with his recovery.

RHP – Alberto Tirado

Right-hander Alberto Tirado first appeared for the Blue Jays in 2012 and would spend the next few seasons in the lower levels of the organization’s farm system.

Even after the trade to Philadelphia, Tirado made it as high as AA but elected free agency at the end of the 2018 season and has not played professional baseball since.

July 31st

To the Blue Jays: RHP Mark Lowe

To the Mariners: LHP Rob Rassmussen, LHP Jake Brentz, and LHP Nick Wells

LHP Rob Rassmussen

Acquired from the Phillies alongside catcher Erik Kratz in exchange for pitcher Brad Lincoln back in the 2013/2014 offseason, southpaw Rob Rassmussen rode the options train quite a few times during his tenure with the Blue Jays. Over the course of 1.5 seasons on the Blue Jays active roster, Rassmussen would pitch well given the small sample size, earning a 2.92 ERA through 12.1 innings of work with 14 strikeouts.

That success would not translate to the Mariners, where the lefty would pitch to a 10.67 ERA through 19 outings before being designated for assignment the following offseason. The Los Angeles Angels would claim him off of waivers but the relief pitcher decided the following Spring Training to retire, heading back to Southern California to finish his schooling at UCLA and was on track to pursue a Masters of Business Administration.

LHP Jake Brentz

Drafted by the Blue Jays in the 11th round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Jake Brentz was grinding away in the minor leagues when he was dealt to the Mariners. He was with the Bluefield Blue Jays in Rooke League ball at the time.

Brentz would spend the 2016 season in the Mariners minor league system before being part of a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, his home for the next three seasons. He would be released from the Pirates organization in August of 2019 and would join the Kansas City Royals on a minor league deal shortly after.

The lefty relief pitcher would join the Royals alternate training site for the 2020 campaign and would make his Major League debut this season, appearing in 72 games for the Royals, sporting an impressive 3.66 ERA through 64.0 innings with 76 strikeouts, 37 walks, and a 1.28 WHIP while holding opponents to a 1.97 batting average with two saves.

Look for Brentz to be a major factor in the Royals bullpen next year as well, as the Missouri product led all Royals pitchers in terms of appearances this season.

LHP Nick Wells

A third-round draft pick of the Blue Jays back in 2014, Nick Wells was pitching in Rookie League ball at the time of the Mariners trade and only had just over a year of pro ball experience at just 19 years old.

Wells would spend the next four years in the Mariners minor league system before being traded to the Washington Nationals in May of 2019. This past season, Wells split his time between AA and AAA within the Nats farm system, finishing the 2021 campaign with a 4.96 ERA through 32 relief appearances.