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

By Tyson Shushkewich

DETROIT, MI - JULY 17: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers during game two of a double header at Comerica Park on July 17, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit defeated Minnesota 5-4 in extra innings. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JULY 17: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers during game two of a double header at Comerica Park on July 17, 2021 in Detroit, Michigan. Detroit defeated Minnesota 5-4 in extra innings. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /
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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.

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.

Next. Way too early draft targets for the 2022 MLB Draft. dark

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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