Blue Jays: Three under the radar starting pitching trade options to consider

The Toronto Blue Jays completed a disappointing first half which saw manager Charlie Montoyo fired and the team barely hanging onto the third Wild Card spot. The offense has done pretty well, as they’re third in the AL in runs scored, but the pitching has been underwhelming, to say the least.

The Jays do have a bright spot though, as Alek Manoah has ascended into a Cy Young candidate with his excellent first half. Kevin Gausman has been a steady presence in the rotation as well. Other than them and a steady Ross Stripling, the rotation has seen some rough times.

Jose Berrios is the most maddingly inconsistent starter in baseball right now, looking unhittable in one start and unable to get an out the next. Hyun-Jin Ryu is out for the season, and maybe as a Blue Jay altogether. Lastly, Yusei Kikuchi has been a disaster and probably shouldn’t even be in the rotation, struggling last night in his rehab assignment in AAA.

The Blue Jays need starting pitching depth at this year’s trade deadline to round out what’s been a very inconsistent rotation.

The Blue Jays currently have two starters they can rely on to give quality outings in Manoah and Gausman. Berrios will be a staple as well, and he has looked good lately so hopefully, that continues into the second half. Ross Stripling has done well in the rotation, I wouldn’t mind seeing how long that lasts. But, the fifth starter spot is wide open.

The Jays can make a big trade with the prospects they have and get someone like Luis Castillo or Frankie Montas, but I’m not sure they’d be willing to do that as both would be free agents after next season and would require a big payday, a similar move the team made last year for Berrios.

With that in mind, there are plenty of under-the-radar starters who can help the Jays this year and potentially next season as well.

1. Merrill Kelly

Merrill Kelly has been a staple in the Arizona Diamondbacks rotation for a number of years now. He’s not an ace but is a very capable back-end starter who just so happens to be having his best season.

Kelly has gone 9-5 with a 3.26 ERA in 19 starts. He’s averaged 5.78 innings per start, much improved from the 4.06 Kikuchi has been giving Toronto. He’s not a huge strikeout guy as he only averages 7.6 K/9, but he excels at keeping the ball in the ballpark as he’s allowed just seven home runs in 110.1 innings pitched (0.6 HR/9).

Part of what makes Kelly appealing to me is the fact that he has three more years of team control. He’s set to make $8 million dollars in 2023 and 2024 with a club option for $7 million dollars in 2025. With Ryu likely out for next season, Kelly can slot in the rotation at least for next season as well on a solid contract.

The 33-year-old can give the Jays innings, which is something they desperately need especially with the state of the bullpen right now. Not only will he give innings, but they’d also be quality innings. The price won’t be very high, and the value is there.

3. Drew Smyly

Another southpaw who can help the Blue Jays down the stretch is Drew Smyly. The veteran has pitched well for the Cubs this season, although he did miss over a month earlier this year due to an oblique injury.

Smyly has made two starts since the injury and threw 83 pitches in his last start before the All-Star break. In his 11 starts this season, he’s gone 2-5 with a 4.22 ERA. Again, the win-loss record is not indicative of how he’s pitched.

He’s allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 11 starts and four runs or fewer in all of them. He’s not going to give the Jays seven scoreless very often, but he will give them a chance to win. With their offense, a five-inning start allowing a couple of runs should be fine.

Smyly fits a similar profile to Quintana and Kelly. He limits hard contact very well. He ranks in the 96th percentile in average exit velocity according to baseball savant and the 81st percentile in hard-hit rate.

Like Quintana, Smyly began his career in the AL Central and has also played in the AL East. At Rogers Centre, he’s gone 4-0 in six appearances (four starts) with a 1.63 ERA. It might not mean much, but Smyly is clearly comfortable on that mound.

Smyly has a mutual option for next season so if the Jays decide they don’t want him, they wouldn’t have to keep him past this year if they traded for him.

As is the case for all three of these guys, Smyly won’t cost very much at all to acquire and fits the mold of a back-end starter very well. Just give the offense a chance to win the game. It should work most of the time.