Blue Jays: Three trade deadline targets struggling with their new teams

Mychal Givens

One area the Blue Jays desperately needed to improve was the bullpen, in particular, adding a pitcher who could throw hard and strike out opposing batters with ease. There were a few names on the board that the Jays were not able to find a deal for like Raisel Iglesias (who is doing well with his new team) but overall, the club did get some solid players with contract control in Anthony Bass and Zach Pop.

Another pitcher who was not necessarily on the Jays’ radar but would have checked quite a few boxes that I mentioned earlier was former Cubs reliever, Mychal Givens. You probably remember Givens from his six years with the Baltimore Orioles organization, where the right-hander amassed a 3.32 ERA through 336.0 outings and but struggled against the Blue Jays, owning a 4.28 ERA through 37 appearances with three saves.

The Cubs signed Givens to a one-year deal in the 2021/2022 offseason with a $3.5 million mutual option for the 2023 campaign. With Chicago, Givens was pitching well as the club’s setup man, earning a 2.66 ERA through 40 appearances with an 11.3 K/9. He did have some trouble with the walks, evident by his 4.2 BB/9, but was limiting the damage on the scoreboard and owned a 3.84 FIP when all was said and done. His fastball didn’t light up the radar in the mid-90s but he would have had the highest K/9 on the team if he joined the Jays at the deadline.

The Cubs eventually traded Givens to the New York Mets and the right-hander is still trying to find a rhythm with his new club.

Through eight appearances, the Florida product has allowed 12 hits through seven innings while getting touched up for nine earned runs. His first outing with the Mets saw him get tagged for five earned runs off five hits and two home runs with zero strikeouts against the Nationals. He does have some solid outings mixed in with the Mets but he has also been touched up for four earned runs combined when facing Atlanta through four innings of work.

While his strikeout and walk numbers are still impressive, 11.6 and 1.3 respectively, he has seen his HR/9 balloon to 3.9, which won’t bode well in a strong NL East and certainly wouldn’t do well with the Jays in the AL East. Again, it is early to tell whether this is just a rough patch or a trend for Givens, but his first look in New York is off to a rough start.