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Blue Jays: The Pros and Cons of trading for a Left-Handed Bat
Out with the negative, in with the positive.
Trading for a lefty bat is something that would benefit a Jays squad that has faced an absurd amount of right-handed pitchers this season. Bell owns a .948 OPS as a LHB facing right-handed pitching with seven home runs while Benintendi owns a .815 OPS again RHP as well. Ian Happ on the Cubs is another option with his .280/.382/.457 slash line and .839 OPS.
The Blue Jays currently find themselves in the Wild Card, and with the trade deadline fast approaching, adding a left-handed bat might be a solid option.
The Blue Jays currently lead the MLB with their .761 OPS but teams have thrown a lot more right-handers at them compared to lefties, almost 2000 more at-bats so far on the year. A wisely placed lefty in the batter’s box might change that while also creating a logjam for any opposing manager trying to play matchups with their relief staff.
Inserting a strong LHB creates some balance in the Blue Jays lineup and also bolsters a batting order that has the potential to rally for runs in quick succession with some power if need be. Not to mention that just because the Jays are trading for a position player doesn’t mean they have to stop there.
Teams like the Royals and Nationals sit outside the playoff race but have multiple players that could be dealt, especially bullpen arms. The relief pitching market looks to be shaping up to have some strong trade candidates like Scott Barlow (Royals), Michael Fulmer (Tigers), and David Robertson (Cubs) amongst others. Should Ross Atkins and co. be able to swing the right deal, they could essentially solve some of their bigger issues in rather short succession, which will also bode well if the deal can be done sooner that later given the right constraints of the AL East.
Next. Time to bring back a former top Blue Jays prospect. dark
Does a deal make sense for a left-handed bat? Lineup wise for the Jays it does but there are some additional considerations that could make any position player deal tricky in both the short and long run.