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

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – SEPTEMBER 26: Chris Stratton #46 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches during the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on September 26, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

While the current CBA negotiations and lockout have all Major League transactions at a standstill, the hope is that something gets set in stone before Spring Training rolls around. This would allow the Blue Jays to still make some trades or signings before the team rolls into Dunedin, adding to the team in various areas that are needing some finishing touches before Opening Day.

One of these areas is the bullpen, with the club needing another arm or two to fill out the rest of the relief corps heading into the 2022 season. The signing of Yimi Garcia and the addition of David Phelps on a minor league deal before the lockout were both solid moves to go along with the current core of Tim Mayza, Adam Cimber, Trevor Richards, and Jordan Romano.

There are a few relief pitchers still available on the free-agent market but there are also some relievers potentially available for trade who would help finish out the bullpen for the Blue Jays in 2022.

Let’s explore three of these options.

Chris Stratton – RHP

A former first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants, right-hander Chris Stratton has started to find his groove in the bullpen after dabbling as a starter earlier in his career. Stratton found himself traded to Pittsburgh in 2019 and has posted stellar numbers since landing on the east coast, pitching to a combined 3.69 ERA through 123 outings. The 2021 campaign was particularly strong for Stratton, as he appeared in a career-high 68 games and posted a 9.8 K/9 along with 1.298 WHIP with eight saves, a career-best on both fronts.

The Mississippi product is entering his second year of arbitration (projected $2.2 million) and is pitching for a Pirates organization that projects to be at the bottom of the National League East this year. With former Blue Jays executive Ben Cherington leading the charge in Pittsburgh, a deal for Stratton shouldn’t break the prospect bank but still add a right-handed relief option that keeps Romano in the closer’s role and has a solid track record to work with.

WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 15: Dylan Floro #36 of the Miami Marlins pitches during a baseball game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on September 15, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

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.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – JULY 5: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins walks to the dugout after pitching to the Chicago White Sox in the seventh inning of the game at Target Field on July 5, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the White Sox 8-5. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) /

Taylor Rogers – LHP

Southpaw Taylor Rogers was involved in quite a few trade rumours last season with the Minnesota Twins scuffling early in the campaign. The club dealt a few players but Rogers would find himself on the injured list just prior to the deadline, most likely hampering any sort of return to entice the Twins to trade their left-hander. It was probably a good thing no trade materialized, as Rogers would miss the rest of the year with the finger injury.

A six-year veteran who has spent his entire career with the Twins, the asking price for Rogers is easily the highest of the group mentioned in this article. He owns a 3.15 ERA with 50 saves through 319 appearances, pitching to a 1.150 WHIP with an incredible 2.2 BB/9. He has also struck out batters at a 10.9 K/9 clip and limited opponents to a .241 batting average through 314.2 innings of work. He has also been a pretty healthy player over his career, appearing in 50+ games through his first four years in the Major Leagues (2020 was shortened due to COVID-19) and still almost reached that mark last year with 40 appearances before landing on the IL.

Twins All-Star lefty reliever Taylor Rogers is very popular on the trade market. Whiffs 13.2 batters per 9, has 9 saves. Has another year of control but with value extremely high, good chance to be dealt.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 24, 2021

If it wasn’t for the injury to his finger, Rogers most likely would have been traded at the deadline and it would make sense that he could be traded again this offseason (once able). He is in the last year of arbitration and is projected to earn roughly $6.25 million this upcoming season before testing the free-agent waters. Rogers is also one of the top lefty bullpen options available, a bonus for a club that heads into Spring Training with Tim Mayza on the roster and a few wildcards in Ryan Borucki, Tayler Saucedo, Kirby Snead, and Anthony Kay.

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Adding a veteran player like Rogers would provide some additional firepower for the Blue Jays next season but the price will be steeper than other options available on the trade market. A deal most likely won’t get done until the trade deadline anyway considering he is a pending free agent and the Twins will want to maximize his value, but if the Blue Jays front office can swing a deal now rather than later, it could be a real difference-maker this season.

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