Blue Jays: Three relief pitchers to consider trading for this year

Dylan Floro – RHP

While the Miami Marlins trade rumours have mostly been dominated by their young starting pitchers, clubs looking for a strong relief option with experience should be looking at Dylan Floro as well.

A right-handed reliever who has seen his fair share of teams throughout his six years in the Majors, Floro found his groove in Los Angeles with the Dodgers and has posted strong numbers over the past few seasons. The 2019 season did see his ERA elevate past the 4.00 mark but he bounced back with two solid campaigns, posting a 2.59 ERA and 2.81 ERA respectively. Last season he appeared in a career-high 68 games and pitched to a 1.219 WHIP and an 8.7 K/9 with the Marlins, racking up 15 saves in the process and being one of the go-to arms in the bullpen.

The Blue Jays need another arm or two to round out the bullpen and while there are a few relief pitchers still available via free agency, the trade market also yields a few solid options that won’t break the prospect bank to acquire.

He did elevate his BB/9 rate to 3.5 last year which is a troubling sign in a strong AL East division but with Floro entering his second year of arbitration with a projected $1.9 million price tag, it’s a risk the Blue Jays could look to gamble on. If Ross Atkins and co. strike out on signing another arm for the bullpen or the asking price is too high for a high-profile arm like Craig Kimbrel or Josh Hader, Floro is a mid-tier relief option that could be available.

The front office struck gold with the Adam Cimber deal last season and while it might seem a bit risky to go to the wishing well a second time, Floro is a low-risk option that provides additional depth with playoff experience who should not command a high valued prospect in return.