Blue Jays acquire Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from Miami

The Blue Jays made their first trade on the last day ahead of the deadline, acquiring Anthony Bass and Zach Pop from Miami.

As of this writing the details of the swap are still emerging, but we know that Jordan Groshans is headed back to the Marlins according to Sportnet’s Shi Davidi. Craig Mish, a Marlins’ beat reporter, mentioned the inclusion of Bass.

The Blue Jays have a clear need in the bullpen, and this swap will help to patch a hole or two down there. Bass is a familiar face having an excellent season for the Marlins, pitching to a 1.41 ERA and a 0.940 WHIP over 45 appearances, covering 44.2 innings in the process. He’s more than familiar with pitching at the back of the bullpen, and his previous experience with Toronto won’t hurt either. As things stand, I would suspect that Bass will join Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza in covering the 7th and 8th innings. He also comes with the added bonus of another year of contract control in 2023.

Pop is an interesting arm as a good ol’ Canadian boy, and he comes with plenty of contact control. He doesn’t have the “swing and miss” stuff that the Jays so badly need right now, but he’s still posted a 3.60 ERA and a 1.250 WHIP over 20 appearances covering 18.0 innings. Pop hasn’t even become arbitration eligible yet, so the extra appeal for the 25 year old is that he won’t be a free agent until after the 2026 season.

As I mentioned, Jordan Groshans is headed back to the Marlins as part of the return, and we’ll update you as we learn more here at Jays Journal. Groshans has been a top 100 prospect at various times throughout his minor league career, but the shine has started to wear off of his prospects status a bit. Still, I’m a little surprised that the Blue Jays weren’t able to use him in a bigger trade.

It would also be very surprising if the Blue Jays didn’t continue to add to their MLB roster ahead of the deadline, but we really are getting to the final hours here. A lot can change before the clock strikes 6pm EST, but so far the Blue Jays have watched their American League competition improve quite a bit through the trade market.