Blue Jays: The Pros and Cons of trading for a Left-Handed Bat

The Toronto Blue Jays currently find themselves in the thick of the Wild Card as the schedule turns over into July. With the New York Yankees pulling away early and barring a monumental collapse, the Jays along with the rest of the American League will be jockeying for positions to try and make the playoffs

With July now in full swing, that means the trade deadline is quickly approaching, slated for August 2nd this summer. Last year the Jays started to make some deals around this time, acquiring Adam Cimber and Corey Dickerson from the Marlins and then trading for reliever Trevor Richards and prospect Bowden Francis from the Brewers shortly after.

Similar to 2021, the Jays find themselves needing some outside reinforcements, mostly with the bullpen. The club currently sports a collective 4.36 ERA from the relief corps and is battling various injuries and performance issues at the moment. It will also be interesting to see if the front office will pursue a starter given Hyun Jin Ryu’s injury and with Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi struggling in the rotation, although Kikuchi pitched well last night and hopefully that trend continues. The market is considerably thin for rentals but if the club is willing to pony up some funds, pitchers like Frankie Montas or Luis Castillo should be available.

Another area the Jays can explore is adding a left-handed bat to the roster, an area the Jays lack in the lineup, featuring Cavan Biggio, Raimel Tapia, Bradley Zimmer, and Zack Collins (when he’s around). Both Biggio and Tapia have been playing well as of late while Zimmer is used more as a defensive replacement, evident by his .109  average and .427 OPS.

This is one area where a few interesting names could be available from teams outside the playoff picture. Josh Bell (Nationals) and Andrew Benintendi (Royals) are two names that immediately stick out amongst the group and both would be a boost to a righty dominant Jays squad.

Adding a left-handed batter is great in theory but there are some drawbacks if the Jays decide to explore the market.

One of those drawbacks is playing time, in that adding a player means someone else has to sit. The question is, who?

With Danny Jansen slated to return soon, the Jays will potentially feature three full-time catchers on the roster unless one is traded or Moreno is optioned back down to AAA. Alejandro Kirk is on an absolute tear right now and his bat should be in the lineup with regularity, whether it be in the DH or catching position. The Jays also utilize the DH as a sort of rest day for their star players as well, moving George Springer or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to the position to insert a lefty bat into the lineuo like Biggio or Tapia. By adding another bat to the mix, not only do the Jays have to find a roster spot (Zimmer?) but manager Charlie Montoyo has to juggle the lineup to get said player in the game, which means either sitting a star player on their “rest day” or one of the catchers cannot DH.

An additional drawback with a lefty-bat acquisition is what the trade return is, which is heavily dependent on the player the Jays choose to go after. Benintendi and Bell for example will require some prospect capital but both are free agents at the end of the season, potentially limiting the damage compared to a player like Ian Happ who is under additional contract/team control. However, with the expanded playoff format this year, more teams will be buying compared to seasons prior and that has the potential to drive up the return package needed for players on teams looking to sell. Many would agree that if the Jays are serious about contending, trading some prospect assets is a move that has to be made to improve the current roster but overpaying for a rental can lead to disastrous results if things don’t pan out. High risk, high reward.

Another point to consider is that this player will also require a 40-man spot as the Jays are currently full, with both Ryu and Tayler Saucedo on the 60-day IL and their spots taken. The club does have some options if they want to DFA a pitcher like Shaun Anderson or Jeremy Beasley, so this isn’t as much of a concern as the points above, but one that is worth noting. Does Biggio or Tapia’s recent success also negate the need for an additional LHB in the long-run?